First installation images reveal Goldie’s recreated Metalheadz record shop, a New York subway carriage and a room dedicated to 2 Tone
London, UK — BEYOND THE STREETS is now open to the public at Saatchi Gallery. The all-new exhibition brings together more than 100 international artists across more than ten rooms, tracing six decades of street culture through graffiti, photography, music, fashion and protest. The first installation photographs are available today.
A recreated New York subway carriage takes visitors inside the world of subway graffiti, while Goldie brings his Metalheadz label into the gallery with a recreated record shop and three decades of his short films and music videos playing across stacks of vintage televisions. Elsewhere, Paul Insect’s Rubbish Stuff Puppet Shop and a spray paint Infinity Room turn familiar objects from the street into large-scale installations.
The exhibition features new commissions, historic works and rarely seen material, with contributions from JR, FUTURA 2000, Invader, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Martha Cooper, Jenny Holzer, Shepard Fairey and the Guerrilla Girls.
Exhibition highlights
2 Tone.
A dedicated room celebrates the music, politics and graphic identity of the movement that grew out of Coventry in 1979. Founded by Jerry Dammers, 2 Tone Records fused Jamaican ska with punk energy and an explicitly anti-racist message, helping to bring The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat and Madness to a wider audience. Highlights include the suit Dammers wore in the first issue of The Face, displayed alongside the original magazine, clothing from the personal archive of The Selecter frontwoman Pauline Black, and early photographs of The Specials by Janette Beckman. Original storyboards for the A Message to You Rudy video sit alongside badges, artwork, posters and flyers from the Mott Collection. From the sharply dressed Walt Jabsco, inspired by Peter Tosh, to Hunt Emerson’s Beat Girl, the room shows how the movement developed a visual identity as distinctive as its sound.
From New York subway graffiti to London’s Freestyle ’85.
Work by FUTURA 2000, LADY PINK and ZEPHYRappears alongside a celebration of Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s Subway Art. In London, recovered photographs and film revisit Freestyle ’85, the youth-organised Covent Garden event that brought graffiti writers, DJs, MCs and dancers together. Graffiti pioneer Errol Donald, aka PRIDE, brings a first-hand perspective on the scene.
Art as protest.
Neil Kenlock’s photographs of the British Black Panthers and radical feminist posters by See Red Women’s Workshop sit alongside Jill Posener’s photographs of feminist graffiti, work by the Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer and Shepard Fairey, and a film by Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova. A display of 35 covers from The Big Issue marks the magazine’s 35th anniversary.
Hip-hop in Polaroids and snapshots.
Rare photographs from the archive assembled by Paradise Gray and Pete Nice capture hip-hop’s formative decades, from the artists and parties to the clothes and communities that shaped it. Normski’s photographs of early UK hip hop scene, the Hip-Hop Connection archive and BreakBeat Lou’s Ultimate Breaks & Beats extend the story across music, style and street culture.
Women claiming space.
GG the Illustrator makes her major gallery debut with work from her project to document more than 100 London council estates. In Shred the Patriarchy, photographer Chantal Pinzi documents women challenging convention through skateboarding in India, Morocco and Ethiopia.
BEYOND THE STREETS runs from 11 November 2026 to 5 May 2027 at Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY. Tickets are on sale now. Saatchi Gallery members go free.
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019 Saatchi Gallery became a charity, beginning a new chapter in its history. Registered Charity Number: 1182328 Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY
About BEYOND THE STREETS
BEYOND THE STREETS is a global cultural platform that activates the world’s most influential cities through graffiti, street art, contemporary art, street culture and creative co-authorship. Rooted in graffiti and street art, we collaborate with legendary and emerging artists to create large-scale exhibitions, citywide takeovers and immersive public programs that reflect the cultural pulse of each place we enter. Our work extends beyond exhibition walls into publishing and education. We don’t license relevance or borrow credibility. We build it alongside artists, institutions, and partners who understand the long game of culture. BEYOND THE STREETS is where art becomes infrastructure and cities become collaborators.
About Rifflandia
BEYOND THE STREETS is supported by Rifflandia, a Canadian entertainment and production company that delivers high-impact projects across arts and culture both at home and abroad. Rifflandia designs and delivers large-scale events that spark emotion and bring people together through unforgettable shared experiences. The company most recently co-presented BEYOND THE STREETS Paris 2026 at the Grande Halle de La Villette, and now brings its support to the exhibition’s return to London.
