Smudge Gallery is two floors of canvas prints many of which are of urban landscapes and street art.

The gallery is based in Spitalfields, which is at the heart of a street art movement, and along with Shoreditch is covered from head to toe in creative offerings.

An entry on one webpage has Smudge Gallery saying, “Our raison-dętre is to bring together the local people and artists, who are presently inhabiting this uniquely historical neighbourhood in the East End of London. Plus, in doing so, raise the profile of Spitalfields and bring this wonderfully atmospheric area, with its young and brilliant artists to the attention of the world at large.”

And here’s me thinking that their raion’d’etre was to make money from photographs, many of which contain a minimal amount of skill on behalf of the photographer, given that they are paintings of graffiti, albeit surrounded by their environment.

Still ‘street art’ is fair game, and you have to give Smudge Gallery credit for spotting a money-making opportunity. Furthermore I’m sure many a shopper has gone home happy with a Banksy canvas to put on their wall.

There’s quite a lot of snobbery in the reaction to what Smudge Gallery is doing. Oh it should be left on the street! Oh it lacks imagination to take a photo of someone else’s artwork. However as one punter writing on ‘banksyforum’ put it, ‘Artwork is so overpriced its ridiculous and Banksy makes a friggin mint anyway, so its not like hes losing out. If anything its advertising his work and making him more successful.’

Address
The Smudge Gallery, 117 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BG

Telephone Number
44 (0)20 72479004

• Smudge Gallery raison d'etre at visitspitalfields.com
• Smudge Gallery talked about on banksyforum.

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