Hello and Welcome!

So I spend a lot of time hanging out in cafes and drinking tea. I live in Brighton, which means that the variety of tea shops and coffee holes on offer is immense. It’s like a mega sprawl of cafes, each with their own subtle twist on expensive, leafed-up hot water and home made cakes.

I used to really hate cafes,  because I know how much tea costs (I...I make it all the time) - but lately I’ve found myself getting out the house and soaking up the various wifi’s on offer. There is a bit of an arts sub-culture in these places that no one ever talks about. At some point someone noticed that cafe owners would allow people put art on the walls. With no cost to go on the wall, a big audience, and willing, community-centred cafes, this brought about a silent revolution. Twee paintings of lighthouses and deck chairs, placed by the owners of seaside cafes, started to go.  Corporate, post-Friends, late 90’s coffee bean art started to go. Even my local Starbucks has dropped the printed canvasses of smiley farmer types for local wares. Not to say these all don’t still exist - if anything, the true, hardcore versions still do, and they are GLORIOUS (but more on these another time).

So, a sort of gap opened up, and people started displaying art in these places. Yay, says I! more art everywhere! Except.... DAMN... after a while of surveying it all... most of it really is terrible, and most of it conforms to a certain style.

It often feels very amateur, appearing to be Fine Art but without an actual solid relationship with art history and art theory. There are some hidden gems, I’m sure - perhaps cafes have an innovative context to offer? I hope to explore this sub-culture. This blog is about my journey through it all, and I intend to give as honest and readable account of the works I find, while applying a fair critique and appraisal. There is also a fair amount of exasperated snark. You are duly warned about the elevated levels of pomposity.

Strap in and let’s analyse some art!