Not all graffiti art is on street walls - some of it is now all over Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery’s formerly traditional Georgian café.
The city centre venue for coffee and cake has been transformed by a dramatic makeover as part of the Urban street at exhibition.
The café inside this former grand Georgian mansion has had an Urban takeover with upcycled graffiti furniture, paint-sprayed chairs and a massive mural by local street artist Nathan Murdoch.
Nathan, who set up his company Street Arts Hire five years ago, painted the feature wall using a blend of street art styles and also added his creative touch to the museum’s entrance pillars.
“It’s only a small wall but I tried to cover as many elements about the culture as possible,” he said. “I also tagged local street artists in Peterborough from the past and present, including many who have inspired me over the years.”
The eating space, which has been renamed, The Urban Kitchen, also features two chairs by Stamford-based artist Paul Kneen, whose work is on display at Urban under the title Something’s Wrong.
Paul has been involved in various street art festivals and paint jams including Cheltenham Paint Festival and Peterborough’s Korpfest.
Even the menu at the museum café has been given a modern Urban makeover, with street food, including a Buddha bowl of colourful salad and rice.
Sheena Carman, curator at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, said: “The exhibition has been attracting new visitors to the museum and we want them to have an immersive experience in a relaxed and welcoming environment.”
Urban Exhibition is at the museum until May 29 and features original works by major international artists including Banksy, Damien Hirst and My Dog Sighs (who will be hosting a talk and question and answer session on Saturday February 12). Some of the items have rarely been exhibited in the UK before.
General admission is £8 for over 18s, £5 for children aged 12-18 and free for under 12s.
Tickets can be booked in advance at https://cityculturepeterborough.org.uk/museum-art-gallery.
Youngsters can ‘get arty’ and explore their creative side at Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery, which is holding a selection of art activities every day throughout half-term week.
Families can pick up a pack containing activities and follow an arty trail around the museum galleries to find out more about some of the paintings on display in the building.
The activities at the museum are running on February 14-18 from 10am-4pm. There will be a small charge for the activity pack.
