London Pleasure Gardens, the event space that will be officially launched on Saturday June 30 in Newham, inaugurated today new interesting art works by some noted US street artists.

Shepard Fairey aka Obey, the Californian artist, contributed a huge mural, largest in the UK, painted in white, red and black characteristic of Fairey. The painting shows a megaphone that “projects free speech great distances.” The painting on the wall is 10 storeys high and can be seen from as far as Pontoon Dock DLR station.

“I am really happy to be associated with LPG … it will be something that unsuspecting Olympic enthusiasts will stumble across. The mural symbolises freedom of speech and expression and is the tallest piece I have ever done”, exclaimed the street artist from California.

Fairey started his career in 1989 while attending Rhode Island School of Design. He painted “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign featuring the now dead wrestler Andre the Giant. In 2008, the artist earned fame painting red, white and blue Hope posters that were used in Barack Obama’s US election campaign.

Other artists, whose artworks were featured, include Ron English, TrustoCorp and Risk. English’s signature style is blending of high and low cultural touchstones. He mixes comic superhero mythology and totems of art history, to create a visual language of evolution. For London Pleasure Gardens, he has painted the nose cone of a jumbo jet and speech bubbles on hoardings on the site.

TrustoCorp from New York and Risk from Los Angeles are other contributors. Rish has painted a colourful bus for the Newham site.

The directors of the London Pleasure Gardens are known for arranging large shows that present national and international street artists. “The pleasure gardens of old showed the positive effect that sharing in art and culture can have on London. We can’t wait for people to join us here to see what we’re creating,” said London Pleasure Gardens director Garfield Hackett.

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