Roa love_a life inspiration story

It started with this drawing, on a wall just opposite our hotel The Hoxton in London.

As we are huge fans of Roa's work (see previous posts), we immediately recognized his hand. After posting this image on Instagram, the conversation manager of The Hoxton texted us that this was only one of many Roa murals in the neighbourhood.

Great.

Off we went, to look for all Roa work.

We had no plan, no tips, we just followed our instinct.

Just walking around was one option. Asking for tips in a nearby gallery was another one.

We stepped in at The Pure Evil Gallery, a street art specialized gallery with a most kind owner, who told us funny enough that he was Roa's first gallerist, and he had some work in his cellar. 

What a coincidence...

Check out what we found in the cellar, under the stairs…

... This big ROA piece, sprayed on some old cupboards and in excellent shape. A left-over from a previous exhibition. We found number 2! And Charlie draw us a map with some other Roa murals in the surrounding streets. Off we went! Thanks Charlie!

Charlie, owner of the Pure Evil Gallery and street artist himself, happy to help out and give some tips about Roa. We'll be back mate!

Two streets further, lost again, we entered a small agency, to ask for the road again. It seemed to be a PR agency, and you won't believe it: also they were early believers of Roa's art work. A beautifull 3D piece was installed in their client meeting room. Ah, if we could have bought this one, right here, right now.... Thank gou guys, for letting us in!

A real Roa piece in the meeting room....

We continued our Roa walk. On this huge parking lot, we think we spotted another one, behind some left-behind-cars. But, we couldn't enter the venue. A movie crew was working there. SHIT.

I'm sure it was one. Have a look.

And so, we walked and walked. And discovered one Roa after another. each time, a revelation. Admiring the boldness, the technique (scratching his cans very closely on the wall) and always one hell of an animal, placed so perfectly on the available spot. Taking over, without harming the others present. Just walking by.

Man, I love it.

This one, we had to look very carefully. This small piglet, hidden underneath a window of a small store. Fell a sleep, I guess.

And yes, we found the big bird. Magnificent. Strong. Looking over the neighbourhood.

Again, the bird next to other work, in perfect harmony, each for it's own audience, an inspiration for each other.

This 'little fella' was the last one we found that day.... Enormous, and at first we just walked by without noticing him. very weird. Looking and not seeing... And then there is that moment, when you look up, and this huge one is revealed to you. You don't understand why you missed him, and you know, you'll never will.

Fabulous.

Yeah, we know. We're huge fans. I don't mind admitting.

If one of my readers knows Roa in person, please pass this 'ode' to him.

I know, in my home town Ghent, there are also Roa murals, hidden in some deserted spots. We'll walk and find them too.

And please let Roa know, we live in an old factory building, and we have loads of room to host one of his (sleeping or awake) animals. I'm not kiddin'. Give us a call.

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman and Ivan Missinne_THE SQUID STORIES

ROA street animals-a life inspiration story

Sometimes you see work from an artist, work that really blows you away. That happened when is saw this clip on the work of street artist ROA. This guy seemed to be a Belgian-very hard to find- graffiti artist, highly respected by all his fellow street artists and with loads of (hidden) work near my city Ghent.

We were supposed to go to this current exhibition 'Stop over' at the Bodson-Emelinckx Gallery in Brussels. We were.
As you know by now, we have this fantastic habit not to go to openings of art shows or exhibitions, but we hit the museum on closing day. The last day, the exhibit has a strange exciting feel, everyone who is there not to miss anything. It's not on purpose we are that late but it happens. To busy, to stuffed agenda's....
We did the closing days for Damien Hirst in London, The Terracotta Army in Brussels, Chloë at Palais de Tokyo, Basqiat in Paris....

So, we left for Brussels on Saturday the 22nd, arrived in the afternoon at the  Bodson-Emelinckx Gallery, and stood in front of closed doors. An empty gallery, me together with about 20 other people. Very disappointed, we all felt empty some how.
We so loved to see ROA's animals, painted and drawn on wooden cabinets, old furniture and some gallery walls. See them come alive, look them in the vivid eye, and take them with us.
We didn't.
Thank you Bodson-Emelinckx. Thanks for closing a day too early.
No signage, no 'sorry', nothing.

The idea is now to give ourselves a challenge. We want to go and check out places where ROA left his signatures, his animals, his skeletons.... We'll try to find ROA's work in some European cities when we visit: London, Berlin, Barcelona, NY and off course in his (en my)home town Ghent. 

This page gives animal murals of this amazing artist/ http://roaweb.tumblr.com/. 
It helps if you, just like us, missed his expo in Brussels, because the guys closed a day early... Damn.