‘Rave Captured’ is a new exhibition of photographic print work by legendary street art pioneer Steve Lazarides, running 10 February – 10 March 2022 at House of Laz, a new ‘art speakeasy’ beneath Laz Emporium.
Lazarides’ first ever solo exhibition and the first time these works have been shown, the series was initially shot in 1992 and captures the euphoric birth of rave culture across North-East England. At a time when raves were being demonised by the press as a new wave of expression – and a threat to the fabric of society – Lazarides was present to document the emergence of various subcultures and the thousands who made them so electric, from the famous Blue Monkey club in Sunderland to the rave scene in Bristol and London’s Acid Jazz movement.
An evolution to Lazarides’ degree show 30 years ago (some pieces from which were used soon after in the V&A ‘Streetstyle’ show curated by Ted Polhemus), these works are screen-printed renditions, innovative responses to a scribble he found in a sketchbook alongside the original photos: “See if you can screenprint the photos.” Printed on either brass or copper and distressed with aging fluids such as acid, ‘Rave Captured’ features a total of eight unique works.
‘Rave Captured’ takes place in the heart of London’s Soho and marks the re-launch of Laz Emporium, a space that is reinventing the curiosity shop for the 21st Century. Celebrating subculture in all its forms, Laz Emporium is home to limited runs of artworks and design collaborations with leading contemporary artists including Charming Baker, Jake Chapman, Jamie Hewlett and Jonathan Yeo.
Among artworks featured are the Di-Faced Tenner, Banksy’s fake Princess Diana banknote, and plenty of other pieces of Banksy “ephemera” – or “objects d’anarchy” as Lazarides calls them – alongside an emporium of sustainably artisan-made cushions, lampshades and other design pieces by your favourite artists, including Jonathan Yeo’s ‘Blue Period Crockery;’ the ‘Jousting for Position’ Mirror, a unique, upcycled vintage piece by Charming Baker; Jamie Hewlett’s ‘African Women,’ a new print series featuring The Gorillaz co-creator’s new imagery on special editions, interior pieces and affordable prints; and a Paris Hilton CD signed ‘Paris’ by Banksy, featuring artworked inlays and containing unofficial remixes by Dangermouse.
ll of the pieces have been completed at Laz Emporium’s dedicated studio complex deep in the Gloucestershire countryside – a modern-day foundry for creating magical items from art imagery. Several large specialist workshops are dedicated to editioning, fabric printing, packaging, furniture making and painting. The studio team are constantly innovating, testing the limits of their machinery to create new processes, while at the same time working with local artisans and prioritising the use of sustainable natural and man-made materials.
Laz Emporium is on a mission to become a hub for exploring counterculture from graffiti to grime. Inside, the walls have been painted in an authentic graffiti style by London’s respected, underground DDS Crew, and quirky contemporary fittings include scientific display cabinets, elaborate easels and architectural reclamations. In addition to ongoing print and design collaborations with artists, Laz Emporium will host a programme of literary events, poetry readings and exhibitions featuring creative talents and cultural forerunners, starting with photographer and filmmaker Ewen Spencer.
About Steve Lazarides
Steve Lazarides is a publisher, photographer, collector and curator, renowned as one of the pioneers of popularising street art. Growing up in Bristol, he studied photography at Newcastle Polytechnic and subsequently worked as a photographer for definitive culture magazines such as Sleazenation and The Face, at the same time photographing British sub- youth cultures such as the UK Rave scene in the early 90s, skate culture and the rise of outsider street art.
Lazarides met Banksy in 1997 after being commissioned to photograph him and eventually became his gallerist. Together they launched ‘Pictures on Walls’ and began to work with a larger roster of street artists and an in-house print studio, Lazarides Editions, was created, working closely with the artists to create high quality prints. The street art market took off shortly before the 2008 recession, with Banksy’s work “Laugh Now” selling for £228,000 at auction in early 2008, and the Financial Times wrote that “if there had been one individual responsible for whipping up and sustaining the fever around urban art, and who stood to lose most from its demise, it was Steve Lazarides.”
Lazarides opened up his first gallery in London in 2006 on Charing Cross Road, bringing many unknown artists in the UK to light. In 2009 he moved into Lazarides Rathbone, a five- story Georgian townhouse on Rathbone Place, near Oxford Street, with the first exhibition being of the Portuguese graffiti artist Vhils (also the artists debut UK show). In 2018, a newer gallery called Lazinc was launched in the heart of Mayfair with an exhibition by the globally renowned street photographer JR. In recent years Lazarides has also organised several ambitious pop-up shows, including in The Old Vic Tunnels beneath Waterloo station: “Hell’s Half Acre” in October 2010, “Minotaur” in 2011 and “Bedlam” in 2012. The most recent Lazarides off-site venture was in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory in October 2013, titled BRUTAL and taking place at London’s 180 The Strand. These pop-up shows included work by, among others: Stanley Donwood Doug Foster, Ian Francis, Conor Harrington, Todd James, Lucy McLauchlan, Antony Micallef, Vhils and Karim Zeriahen.
In 2016, Lazarides began exploring his personal photography archive and spent four years carefully sifting through a collection of 12,500 images he took whilst documenting the rise of Banksy. The result is a candid photographic overview of the 11 years he spent as agent, photographer and right-hand man to one of the most famous artists of our time. Lazarides self-published and self-distributed the first and second editions of Banksy Captured Volume I & Volume II, with sales of over 60,000 copies.
