All Alone in A Crowded Room explores themes of grief and loss

You don’t have to look far to see that street art has entered the mainstream.

Gone are the days where councils would paint over beautifully crafted murals, and people with spray cans and stencils were considered vandals.

The most valued public works are now preserved behind perspex and graffiti gallery shows are the norm.

Leading street artist Ant Carver, 30, is exhibiting at the Copeland Gallery in Peckham.

His show, All Alone in A Crowded Room, explores the themes of grief and loss through 22 portraits of young Londoners.

Having lost his friend to a brain tumour, Carver had difficulty processing his emotions, discovering first hand peoples’ reluctance to talk about death and bereavement. The body of work was born out of his own healing process.

These are striking images. Ant’s depiction of his subjects conveys a depth of feeling rarely seen in portraiture.

The bright colours offset the pain of their facial expressions, suggesting that loss can engender a spectrum of emotions.

Ant said: “I started producing this body of work as a way to explore feelings of loss that I didn’t know how to express in words. I hope my exhibition will help people discuss grief, a topic that can feel really isolating especially for people who might feel they are facing it alone.

“This project has been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster but in the end has really helped me express my feelings. I hope the work can help others come together and express their own.”

The pieces that comprise All Alone in A Crowded Room combine street art and contemporary styles with references from art history and European portrait traditions.

He uses the symbolism of flowers, dice, playing cards, skulls and empty chairs, which is often found in Dutch still life paintings. These are all references to mortality.

This is not the first time Ant has dealt with the subject of death.

He is best known for his huge mural of a woman with a skull in Brick Lane – the street art capital of London.

All Alone in A Crowded Room is showing at Copeland Gallery Peckham, September 7-11.