Sandhurst Shopping Parade Shutter Art Project
I have just heard from a friend that the public art call to decorate the shutters of the Sandhurst Shopping Parade in Catford has been awarded to Patricio Forrester, the artist behind many of the public artworks around Lewisham. Patricio is clearly a talented artist with a very recognisable style, having created the trompe-l'œil wind-up key on the side of the building beside the Gantry restaurant in Brockley, as well as the Cowbins in New Cross, the Deptford Pearls and so on.
Despite enjoying Patricio and his company ‘Artmongers’ work, I have to say I am disappointed that the Corbett Resident Association has chosen such an obvious candidate for this work. Artmongers are already so well represented around the Borough of Lewisham that it seems like they have a monopoly on creating the visual identity of our borough. I had hoped that we might start to see some variation on the public art projects around Lewisham, rather than a continuation of the growing homogenisation of the artistic DNA of the area.
I am sure that Artmongers will create a high quality, accessible and entertaining artwork for the parade, but I doubt that it will be a massive departure from the many examples of their work already seen around the Lewisham area. It's a shame that the Corbett Resident's Association couldn't have been a bit braver in their decision.