Making waves in the world of contemporary art, please join us for a drink at our first exhibition ON THE SCENE, at the Old Fire Station, Henley on Thames – supporting and showcasing the Montpellier street art movement.

Private View Summer Soirée: 13 July, from 6pm ! Save the date and join us for a night of French street art and drinks!

ON THE SCENE pays homage to the Montpellier, France, street art movement and the artists who play a pivotal role in its development, from graffiti tags, to adorning the walls with messages of love and social activism. From the condemnation to celebration of an art form, ON THE SCENE demonstrates how these cultural narratives have shifted the Montpellier Metropole’s perception of the underground art and culture – forming part of a global creative uprising.

ON THE SCENE is a tribute of graffiti’s core ethos of a desire for mark making and challenging authority. For the first time in their careers, Spray Gallery is delighted to present the street artists of Montpellier to the UK contemporary art scene.

Spray Gallery is the continuously evolving creation of its founder, Samuel Farlow, b. 1998, London. For his undergraduate studies, Sam studied French and Classics at Royal Holloway. During his third year, he spent 7 months in Montpellier, southern France. 

Walking the notorious streets, squares and quarters, surrounded by the timeless Haussmann architecture, Sam found himself mixing in an ever-changing and quick-paced universe of subculture. The stunning buildings, incredible medieval walls, and bollards, bins, even the floor – all urban matter – were adorned with graffiti, or street art. The drawings, spray ups, paste-ups, collages and stencils all seemed to enhance the beauty of the city and the city’s architecture. Day after day, pieces would be rearranged, added to, or just disappear. Sam’s curiosity grew and he wanted to find out how this ephemeral art came to be so prominent in Montpellier.