We finally had the chance to visit the current exhibition ‘DORMANT’ by Belgian artist ROA at the Stolenspace Gallery in the East End and are exceptionally glad we did before this excellent show ends. ROA’s murals of monochromatic animals – depicted dead and alive – can be seen the world over, often on a large scale, and it’s impressive to see how well his subjects translate into the studio environment. Through his work ROA sets to question the relationship and conflict between mankind and the animal, the urban and natural realms, the means by which nature is forced to adapt in order to survive. This is most notably reflected in how ROA’s creations are set in such stark contrast to their urban surroundings with a predilection for painting his subjects in derelict or remote settings to mirror humans cruel treatment of natural world.

In the gallery setting ROA has made excellent use of the space with a series of interactive works that can be seen and presented in a number of different ways to view the exterior and interior of each of his subjects and highlight the unbalanced relationship between man and beast in this excellent body of works which were all created on site prior to the shows opening. The ‘DORMANT’ exhibition runs until October 21st at the Stolenspace Gallery, which can be found at 17 Osborn Street, just off of Brick Lane.