Homegirl London’s Shop Snoop: Atom Gallery. This lovely little gallery is located in Stoke Newington, London N16, along Green Lanes near Newington Green. They specialise in contemporary limited edition prints, which include screenprints, relief prints, monoprints and digital prints. What’s great about this gallery is that they sell affordable art alongside a few niche art magazines, stickers and cards. Join me in a shop snoop around Atom Gallery.
Stickers, Zines and Cards
Atom Gallery Artists and Prints
Atom opened its doors on Green Lanes in December 2016. Before that, they were located on Stroud Green Road for two years, and that’s how I’d heard about them. The original owner is Mark Perronet, who was a corporate photographer before becoming hooked on screen printing which he made from his garden shed! Richard Pendry has now joined Mark in the business. He was previously a games developer who also has a passion for screen printing.
Shibuya in the Rain by Gerry Buxton ©
Although Mark and Richard have different tastes when it comes to art ascetics, luckily, there’s a mutual overlap. They agree on work with a sense of humour and quality of execution without being twee or highbrow. The predominant style is street art, urban and contemporary, which is often colourful and sometimes fluorescent. The work is mainly from UK artists, with a few from America. Mark and Richard find new talent through Instagram by searching online and attending exhibitions. The focus is on affordable art, with prices starting at £30 and going up to £500, which makes art accessible to more people.
Mr Freeze by Hasworld ©
To give you an idea of what’s available, I picked out a few of my favourite prints to share with you below and have added a few more within this article. I’ll start with Heath Kane, who is a UK artist born in Australia. His work features striking bright colours, which often have a dark and subversive theme. I love his ‘Rich Enough to be Batman’ hand-pulled screenprint in fluorescent pink. The iconic batman mask is laid on top of our queen. You can also buy this in fluorescent orange or indigo versions. The price is £150 for a limited edition of 50, which are numbered and signed by the artist.
Rich Enough to be Batman by Heath Kane ©
A commercial illustrator and teacher Ben Rider is also obsessed with fluorescent ink. His work is loud, raw, punky and energetic. His ‘Lovers’ screenprint has humour and a fifties comic book feel. Available in three colour options, the price is £45 for a limited edition of 50, which are signed and numbered by the artist.
Lovers by Ben Rider ©
David Shand’s series of abstract collages made from photographs of decayed posters and adverts are stunning. I picked out one titled ‘You Want This’ as an example which is a four-colour screen print. It’s a limited edition of 20 numbered and signed by David, which are priced at £85.
You Want This by David Shand ©
Ben Allen is a leading pop, abstract and graffiti artist. His work often has a collage style which are mash-ups of popular culture. I was drawn to his ‘Too Flash to Die’ print featuring guns, a skull and thunder flashes. It is priced at £50 for a limited edition of 45.
Too Flash to Die by Ben Allen ©
Keep an eye out for printed work by the gallery owners. Richard has a collection of work featuring banknotes for the fictional ‘International Bank of Popular Culture’ such as Prince. Mark’s work includes ‘The Last of the Heroes’ and a retro Fender concert amp.
Atom Gallery Services
The new premises on Green Lanes was formerly home to an old-school printing business. They have a print studio in the basement, thanks to some equipment left by the previous owners. This was rather handy, seeing that the equipment had to be lowered down into the basement via a hole in the floor. Don’t worry, and the hole has been covered up with reinforced glass, so you don’t have to watch your step! Both Mark and Richard are screen print fanatics, so you’re in good hands if you need exhibition-quality digital printing. They offer professional screen printing and digital giclée print service.
Gallery Interior
You can also get your printed artwork professionally framed. My friend bought me a fantastic Chairman Mao print from Atom when they were based in Stroud Green Road. I took it back to get it framed, and Mark did a splendid job. I’d previously bought frames off the shelf, and now I’ve had a handmade frame, I can see and appreciate the difference. My Chairman Mao now has a beautiful black wooden frame, and the print is ‘floating’ inside rather than lying flat. The gallery space is also available to hire for private events, which are useful to know. Keep an eye out for their exhibitions which are always enjoyable.
Atom Gallery Information
Gallery Exterior
You can find out more information on the Atom Gallery Website. If you want to visit in person, the address is 127 Green Lanes, London N16 9DA. It’s located near Newington Green and Clissold Park. The nearest public transport is Canonbury Station, or you could walk from Dalston Kingston, which are both on the London Overground. Bus options are 341 or 141. Opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 11 am until 6 pm, and by appointment at other times. Do pop in and browse if you are passing. There are quite a few good restaurants in Newington Green, so you can grab some brunch and then buy yourself some decent art for your home. Happy shopping. For more information on the area, read my Newington Green and Stoke Newington guides.
Author: Homegirl London. Thanks: Mark and Richard, for the information. Photographs: From the Atom website and copyright of the artists as detailed above in the article. Additional photographs by Homegirl London (exterior and main interior image).
