Staffordshire artist takes London estate as canvas
A Staffordshire artist has been given a three month residency in London to mark the reopening of retail, dining and culture in the capital.
Andy Leek, from Swindon in Staffordshire, has been given the entire 67-acre King's Cross estate to use as his canvas.
He will be creating an evolving series of public artworks which spread optimism and fun and capture the public mood as the nation emerges from lockdown.
Andy is widely recognised for his uplifting Notes To Strangers, which he delivered to frontline staff at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton to thank them for their work during coronavirus.
Andy said: “I will work closely with the local community from my on-site studio to create something meaningful and representative of their experience over the last few months.
"It’s my first time collaborating with a destination, King’s Cross is already well loved and full of wonderful nooks and crannies, beautiful architecture and existing artworks that I can’t wait to add to it.”
Andy’s first installation on site, titled This Much, takes the form of 28 outstretched arms with messages of hope and love between them painted in UV paint which glows after dark or coated in metallic glitter.
Andy added: “For all these months it’s been two metres of fear, loneliness and danger. I’m going to flip that into two metres of hope, positivity and humour with This Much.
"We all stayed apart to look after each other, to keep not only our loved ones safe but strangers we’ve never met.
"It’s so easy to take things for granted until we lose them, so it’s nice to hold on to that feeling of how much me missed loved ones as things being to return to some normality.”
Andy Leek’s residency will run until September.
