SKELETON CARDBOARD (BRITISH) & 616 (BRITISH)
No scrap value
titled (upper centre)
acrylic paint, spray paint and pen on a refrigerator door
79 x 59 cm
unframed
ARR

Provenance:
Left on the street by the artist for the public to take, 16 April 2017
Purchased from a (now closed) store near Cambridge Heath, Hackney by the present owner

616's signature bullet shape, decorated with intricate tribal-inspired graphics can be seen across the streets of London. This signature shape is evident in No scrap value. Unusually, the two eyes in the middle of the pointed figure are interrupted by an area of dripping spray paint and symbols inscribed over this, seemingly by Skeleton Cardboard, depicting the collaboration between the two artists.

Skeleton Cardboard or ‘Skelly’ is a street artist from East London whose real identity remains unknown. Being a studied graphic designer, he found himself to be limited by the rules and regulations of the job, which he then quit. His art first spread around the streets of Shoreditch, shortly after the 2012 Olympics with his cardboard cut-outs and spray-painted pieces of dancing skeletons. These macabre yet playful figures remind us of our own mortality whilst showing a whimsical take on our existence. These figures were born following his travels to Mexico where he was influenced by Mexican Dia de los Muertos festivities. Adding short messages to his work, he references everyday struggles with technology and mundane aspects of modern living in a large city.