Penge London Street Art Rooftop Gallery
East London’s neighbourhoods of Shoreditch and Brick Lane have long been recognised as the epicentre of the London street art and graffiti art scene. One of the must-visit destinations for any street art enthusiast or street artist.
Other London neighbourhoods have got in on the action joining Shoreditch and Brick Lane as street art destinations - Camden, Dulwich, Walthamstow, and Brixton to name a few also have large collections of street art and graffiti artworks. One that many might not yet have on their London list is Penge in south-East London.
Penge Street Art in South London
Local resident and art blogger Steve from London Calling blog has been working in the neighbourhood since 2015, bringing some of his favourite street artists down to Penge and finding them local spots and walls in the area to paint.Unlike Shoreditch and other London areas where there is a high turnover of street art and graffiti art in part due to the limited number of available walls, the street art murals and artworks in Penge have a much longer life span resulting in over some 100 plus artworks of varying sizes currently to be discovered in the neighbourhood, with frequent new additions added almost monthly to the collection of Penge street art.
Alongside this ongoing work street-level mural work, Steve has for the last two months been working on a new meanwhile-use art project, the Penge Rooftop Gallery.
Seeing double! Portrait work from artist Irony painted in the Blenheim Cente car park in Penge, London.
Penge Rooftop Gallery At The Blenheim Centre
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With the top two floors of the Blenheim Cente multi-storey car park rarely used, the building owners, Hadley Property along with Clarion Housing worked with Penge-based blogger Steve from the London Calling blog. They allowed him access to the large space and permission to redecorate the blank concrete walls and surfaces of the car park as he saw fit with street art and graffiti, creating an outdoor street art gallery space.Over the last number of months, he has been inviting street artists and graffiti writers down to Penge to paint the outdoor rooftop space and the level below. Many of the invited artists have previously painted walls and shutters in and around the SE20 area over the last number of years.
Back in March, I ventured down south to Penge in Zone 4 for a sneak preview of the Penge Rooftop Gallery space. A 30-minute journey on the train from Shoreditch Overground station to Penge West station, then a short 15-minute walk from the station and you will find the Blenheim shopping centre. If you visit and spot the large collaborative mural by artists Ben Eine and Nerone you are at the right location. Once inside the Blenheim centre, you need to locate the elevators next to the Iceland store and take the lift up to level two of the car park.
Directly opposite the lift exit, you will find a set of blue doors that lead into the upper two levels of the car park and the location of the Penge rooftop gallery.
Work by artist Nush Poke in Penge, London.
Rooftop Gallery Street and Graffiti Artist
Over several months, Steve from the London Calling blog has opened up the walls of the rooftop space to street art and graffiti artists, with some returning multiple times to paint numerous smaller pieces around the smaller walls of the car park space. Some of the street artists and graffiti artists who have painted works in the Blenheim Center space to date include the following artists:
Irony, Reves One, Vinnie Nylon, Airborne Mark, Jay Kaes, Abraham.O, Enigm, Roo, KMG, Fat Cap Sprays, Aspire, Thisone, Intikvna, Nush Poke, Tizer, SkyHigh, Pad, Catmichogato, Maikelwalkman, Mairanny, Elena Howard, Sawce, Martin Bundsen, Seyer, Mesa, Emzy. addicts, Sam Kerridge, Tristan Ménard, Envol Studio, Mauricio Glor and Tworise,
A number of the works from some of these artists are featured below in my selection of photographs from the Penge London street art rooftop gallery. With an ever-changing number of street artists passing through the rooftop space, the walls are frequently changing and some of the work featured here has since been refreshed with new artworks.
One of the smaller works in Penge painted by London graffiti artist Tizer features his yeti characters who have also appeared on various walls across Shoreditch.
Work by artist Olivierr in Penge, London.
For the first open day held at the beginning of May, there was a steady stream of visitors to the Penge rooftop gallery during our visit. A mix of locals and those who had heard about the space on social media and travelled south for the open day to explore the space.
Work of artist Thisone in Penge, London.
One of two bird murals painted in the Blenheim Centre car park by artist Aspire.
The vibrant work of Scottish artist KMG in Penge, London.
Mural work by artist Enigm in Penge, London.
Neon character work by artist Fat Cap Sprays in Penge, London.
A neon Marge Simpson mural painted by artist Fat Cap Sprays in Penge, London.
A collaborative piece from artists Abraham.O and Enigm in Penge, London.
One of a number of neon-like street art pieces painted in the Blenheim Centre car park by artist Fat Cap Sprays.
Work by artist Airborne Mark in Penge, London.
One of a number of works painted by artist Vinnie Nylon in Penge, London.
Work by artist Olivierr in Penge, London.
For the first open day held at the beginning of May, there was a steady stream of visitors to the Penge rooftop gallery during our visit. A mix of locals and those who had heard about the space on social media and travelled south for the open day to explore the space.
Work of artist Thisone in Penge, London.
One of two bird murals painted in the Blenheim Centre car park by artist Aspire.
Large-scale mural work by artist Pad in Penge, London.
The vibrant work of Scottish artist KMG in Penge, London.
Mural work by artist Enigm in Penge, London.
Neon character work by artist Fat Cap Sprays in Penge, London.
A neon Marge Simpson mural painted by artist Fat Cap Sprays in Penge, London.
Work by artist Intikvna in Penge, London.
A collaborative piece from artists Abraham.O and Enigm in Penge, London.
One of a number of neon-like street art pieces painted in the Blenheim Centre car park by artist Fat Cap Sprays.
Work by artist Airborne Mark in Penge, London.
One of a number of works painted by artist Vinnie Nylon in Penge, London.
Close-up of the mural work by artist Abraham.O in Penge, London.
Penge Rooftop Gallery Open Day
A number of open days for the Penge Rooftop Gallery were held in July when it was open to the general public allowing them to view the Penge street art and graffiti on the top two floors of the Blenheim Centre. Public access to the Penge Rooftop Gallery is still somewhat restricted so be sure to keep an eye on the London Calling Instagram account for the next upcoming public access days.
Steve from the London Calling blog will be there during this time to discuss the artwork with anyone who wishes to come and enjoy over 120 artworks from this new community initiative.
Steve from the London Calling blog will be there during this time to discuss the artwork with anyone who wishes to come and enjoy over 120 artworks from this new community initiative.
@hookedblog I checked out the Penge Rooftop Gallery in South London, packed with street art and graffiti. #spraypaint #London #murals #artist #streetartist #painting #art ♬ Glue - Bicep
Penge Outdoor Rooftop Gallery Address
Penge Rooftop Gallery (The Blenheim Centre) 140 High St, London SE20 7EU.
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