John Dolan and Steve ESPO Powers
John Dolan is one of the East London’s most unique artists. He spent 20 years living on the streets of London and was in and out of prison during this period, stuck in what he refers to as a “revolving door of prison and homelessness” with no hope in sight. Hope came around five years ago when Dolan adopted a Staffie puppy from a homeless couple for the price of a strong can of lager. Having to take care of a new friend was a life changing moment for Dolan as going to prison again would mean losing George.
Three years ago while Dolan and George were living on the streets, another break-through moment happened when Dolan picked up a pen and started drawing while sitting on Shoreditch High Street. He began drawing the ramshackle buildings around him, documenting his days as well as the bustling area. The pair became well-known in Shoreditch and Dolan began drawing portraits of George to sell to passersby. These portraits will be the centerpiece of his solo exhibition with Howard Griffin Gallery, “John and George,” opening on July 17. The exhibition coincides with the publication of Dolan’s autobiography.
Alongside these new works, the artist will be showing his ongoing, huge collaborative project that was introduced at his debut show last year. For these collaborations, he drew the Shoreditch skyline in East London with the skyscrapers of the City of London in the background. Artists from all over the world were invited to work directly on Dolan’s cityscape. Artists from far and wide participated such as 2501 (Italy), Agostino Iacurci (Italy), Broken Fingaz Crew (Israel), Kid Acne (UK), Know Hope (Israel), Pez (Spain), ROA (Belgium), Steve ESPO Powers (USA), The London Police (UK), Thierry Noir (France) and dozens of others. The collaboration collection has now grown to over 80 pieces and is unique in the sense that one artist creates an environment for others to work in. These are still being produced by artists all over the world and the new ones will be shown at his upcoming show in London.
John Dolan and 2501
John Dolan and George
John Dolan and Know Hope
John Dolan and Broken Fingaz
John Dolan and Broken Fingaz
John Dolan and RUN
John Dolan, ROA and Thierry Noir
John Dolan and Ian Stevenson
On June 20th, Howard Griffin Gallery in Los Angeles introduced "Journey Galactiko," a debut show by 
Italian street artist