More than a third of Londoners are foreign born. It's enough to make the natives restless … or perhaps rejoice in the cosmopolitan splendour of living in what's arguably the most culturally diverse city on the planet. Now it seems the from-elsewhere folk aren't just taking jobs from the local yokels, they're also closing in on spaces showing art.
Alien Nation: the Art of Blending in is a exhibition featuring art of various media, music and more that's “by – and about – all the aliens who call London home”. Inspired by George Mikes’s book “How to be an Alien” and curated by Soapbox Events, the show exposes some of the quirk that artists migrating to London make note of while settling in: excessive tea drinking, a plethora of discarded banana peels scattered across our streets, bad teeth, fantastic footwear and more. A number of works by the show's 35 participants (including Lizzie Mary Cullen, Nishant Choksi, Simon Spilsbury, Kieren Reed, Adam Bridgland and Sarah Lyall) are vibrant, insightful, and witty, with the exhibition as a whole speaking to Londoners whether they be born and bred or originally from afar with a love and appreciation for the city we all call home.
Alien Nation: the Art of Blending in is open now and runs until 29 April at Great Western Studios, 65 Alfred Road, W2 5EU. Find out more at www.howtobeanalien.com.
Photo/Chris Osburn
