Walking from Hoxton station on a grey day, there is trepidation in every step that brings me closer to the house of Pure Evil. Knowing that the man who lives there readily admits to breaking the law, to furtively scouring the backstreets of London, only makes things worse.
But Pure Evil, the name by which the graffiti artist and “accidental” gallery owner Charles Edwards is known, is anything but sinister. His family is descended from saintly Sir Thomas More and the naturalist Charles Waterton, and, rather than being an underground figure, he is more “overground, like the Wombles”, he says, in an aside.
Edwards’ home, which he shares with two flatmates, is part of a new-build and redevelopment project by Thinking Space architects. The bare concrete walls and off-white stone floor have a hard edge, but the underfloor heating adds a touch of cosiness. The double-height glass back wall of the split-level flat overlooks a bare deck that provides a brief breathing space between the Evil residence and its neighbour, a tall block of flats. “It can feel as though we live in a goldfish bowl – whenever you’re watching television, you sense that others are watching it with you,” says Edwards. Two leather sofas are lined up one in front of the other, “so we can watch films in rows, like in the cinema”, he says, while setting the TV to record his favourite programme, Antiques Roadshow.
When you look back into the flat from the deck you realise that the original brick wall of an older house, complete with window, is still intact inside. The L-shaped living room and glass-fronted staircase balcony are all recent additions and, in a similar mix of salvaged and reused, much of the furniture has been recycled from previous homes or found on the streets on forays for spots for new graffiti art.
“I often walk round London on the lookout for abandoned wall space,” says Edwards. “Not just for my own work, but also for visiting street artists. There’s a worldwide network of us, so if someone comes over from San Francisco, São Paolo or Berlin, we’re able to point them in the right direction. The thing about graffiti is that it’s transient – you stencil, paint or spray a wall or shutter, and within a day, a week or a month, it will have been stolen, pulled down or painted over.”
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When asked if he has ever been arrested while painting, Edwards replies: “No, but Hackney Council sent a message to ask Pure Evil to stop painting bunnies on the walls.” The rabbit is Pure Evil’s signature. “I’m interrupted more often by Banksy-spotters than the police. I’ve been painting when a van pulls up, someone jumps out and photographs me on their mobile phone. There are those who think that every graffiti artist is Banksy.”
Now Edwards has taken street art indoors, at his Pure Evil Gallery. “The gallery was an accident. After ten years of living and working in America, I came back to London and hired a space for a one-man show. You don’t make money from graffiti, but selling prints or T-shirts helps cover paint costs,” he says.
“The show went well and I enjoyed putting it together, so I rented another space and started exhibiting other artists’ work.” These include Isaac Cordal, who arranges his tiny concrete figures around the urban landscape. A group of the sculptures stands on Edwards’ kitchen worktop.
But is graffiti in danger of becoming mainstream? After all, David Cameron gave one of Ben Eine’s works to President Obama, and Edwards, along with a number of his fellow street artists, will be exhibiting at Pick Me Up: Contemporary Graphic Art Fair, opening at Somerset House next week.
“At the gallery, we are contacted by corporations and advertising agencies who want our artists to paint backdrops for their ads,” he replies. “They think graffiti gives a car or a cheeseburger an urban edginess. But to me, street art is about the freedom to paint what you want rather than being art-directed or having to work to a brief.”
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Although meeting Pure Evil was a far from frightening experience, something haunts me on the journey home: Edwards’ portrait of the Swiss actress Li Tobler, the muse and lover of surrealist artist H.R. Giger, who took her own life at the age of 27. Her mournful eyes had followed us around all day and, as the sun reflected on the bronze background there was an eerie impression of movement and life in the image.
Pick Me Up: Contemporary Graphic Art Fair is at Somerset House, London, March 17-27 2011 (somersethouse.org.uk/pickmeup). Pure Evil’s limited-edition Li Tobler print will be sold for £150