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Art ripped off the wall in Portobello Road
Around 40 panels of art work have been ripped off the walls of Portobello Road in an apparent spate of vandalism.
The art, entitled The Atom Rooms on Portobello Road, saw works of art brought onto the street, turning the concept of a gallery inside out, and was due to stay in place until May.
It was part of the Portobello North Wall Project, which was brought to the road by Kensington and Chelsea Council, giving emerging artists the chance to showcase their work in a busy area.
But this week much of it has been vandalised, with huge holes torn through the images.
Councillor Pat Mason who brought the issue to the attention of the council, said: "I think this is a general attack on the installation as opposed to some individual or group disagreeing with the specific content of any particular panel.
"Love Golborne had an installation defaced last year, so we now have to double-check that what we decide to do has the support of local people and the various local community and cultural groups working in the area."
He added that he had heard comments circulating in the area, complaining that the artwork was not relevant, and that the wall should feature artists from the area, and residents should be consulted.
One trader on Portobello Road said: "I much preferred the artwork that was here before - the row of records that had some sort of local relevance.
"A lot of people just though these were adverts and didn't really look that closely, to be honest. I didn't really like the pictures, but there's no excuse for doing something as mindless as this.
"I hope it doesn't affect the project's future, as it certainly brightened up this stretch of the road."
The art featured a variety of images by a number of artists, works which would normally hang in The Atom Rooms gallery in Portobello Road.
Police have been informed and are investigating the vandalism, and the council is also looking into possible motives.
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yes terrible and all that but imagine the Council coming in to "brighten up" a beautiful old wall in Holland Park or some other upper class leafy part of the borough,the outcry there would be !