Pictures On Walls (2003-2017)
POW was started in 2003 by a loose collection of artists, graffiti writers and illustrators who were shunned by the controlling influencers of the day - so we set about producing and distributing our own art. The invention of the internet and the cardboard tube enabled us to circumvent the centuries-old grip of the established art world and we laid waste to their cronyism and vested interests and good taste. We delivered a new generation of art directly into people’s homes - well, the Royal Mail did most of it.
Somewhere along the way we mastered our craft and many POW prints have become benchmarks within the industry. We pioneered the use of foil block, patterned embossing and we were the first in the industry to use non-solvent based inks. We never put anything down the drain except effort. Throughout it all POW has remained an independent artist-run operation, hosting landmark exhibitions and pioneering the concept of a shit pop-up shop long before it became fashionable.
However, inevitably disaster struck - and many of our artists became successful. Street Art was welcomed into mainstream culture with a benign shrug and the art we produced became another tradeable commodity. Despite attempts at price fixing regrettably some POW prints have become worth tens of thousands of pounds. Either unable or unwilling to become part of the art market we once so self-righteously denounced - we called it quits. Here are some of the things we made...
x POW
Have A Nice Day
01/03/2003
Dimensions: 360 x 1000 mm
50 signed
500 unsigned
Our first ever print, and remains the most cheerful.
Pulp Fiction
15/08/2004
Dimensions: 700 x 500 mm
600 signed
Banksy came to hate this print and its easy to see why. An image that was mildly amusing and pretty ballsy when painted at night on a rooftop in Shoreditch, becomes a distinctly flimsy one-note joke on paper. A few years after its release the artist begged us to announce a product recall and offer refunds on the grounds "its total shit", but the company couldn't afford the market price for the whole edition by then. Sorry Banksy, can't win 'em all.
Girl With Balloon
15/11/2004
Dimensions: 500 x 700 mm
150 signed
600 unsigned
Some idiot from Bristol came into the office after a night spraying the streets and showed us what he'd been up to. 'Maybe that would work as a print' - we thought, its only two colours, how could we screw that up? Originally retailed for £75. If we knew at the time that one day this would be voted "Britain's favourite work of art" we'd have laughed our socks off. Well, we did that when the news was announced last year anyway.
Kate Moss Original Colourway
21/11/2005
Dimensions: 700 x 700 mm
50 signed
Produced at the height of allegations she was snorting Pete Doherty, this print resulted in a threat of legal action by the photographer and a bunch of special editions being requested by Kate herself.
Nola (Grey Rain)
02/12/2008
Dimensions: 560 x 760 mm
63 signed
Sale Ends
07/11/2017
Dimensions: 760 x 560 mm
500 signed
