ITSLIQUID Group is pleased to present “…and we hired a bloke to fix the wall”, a solo exhibition by Italian street artist Beast, curated by Luca Curci, on view in London from March13 until 21 March, 2026 at ELEMENTS Contemporary Art Space, in London.

The exhibition brings together a selection of works from Beast’s most recent series, exploring the relationship between memory, history, and the physical traces of time embedded in urban surfaces. Active since 2009, Beast has realised over 200 urban installations across more than 40 cities in Europe, the United States and Japan. His early practice focused on political and social themes, often presented through satirical mash-ups of contemporary figures framed in gold and placed directly in public space. Over time, his work expanded in scale, moving towards large-format paste-ups and monumental interventions on abandoned buildings.

Throughout this evolution, the street has remained central to his practice, conceived as an open and democratic space for artistic dialogue. In recent years, Beast has turned his attention towards history and memory, developing an ongoing body of work that places portraits of cultural figures on the walls of abandoned historical centres. These locations – often damaged, neglected or left to decay – are not treated as neutral backdrops, but as integral components of the work itself.

The series “…and we hired a bloke to fix the wall”, which also gives its title to the exhibition, presents portraits of influential figures from culture, philosophy, literature, art and psychology. Among those featured are Carl Gustav Jung, Philip Roth, Jackson Pollock, Albert Camus and Noam Chomsky. Rather than functioning as celebratory images, these works present the subjects as enduring presences emerging from the material history of the places they inhabit.

The technique behind the works is central to their meaning. Each piece begins with the wall itself, which is first photographed in detail. The texture of the surface—its cracks, stains and signs of erosion – is digitally overlaid onto the portrait of the chosen subject. The resulting image is then printed and installed on the same wall, aligning imperfections so that the figure appears to surface from within the architecture. Image and wall merge, creating the impression that memory is embedded in the structure itself. The conceptual foundation of the series is inspired by a statement from historian Howard Zinn: “If you don’t know history it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything, and you have no way of checking up on it.”

For Beast, historical awareness represents a form of resistance against manipulation and collective amnesia. The title of the exhibition introduces a subtle but deliberate irony. “…and we hired a bloke to fix the wall” evokes the idea of a practical solution to decay, suggesting that damage can simply be repaired or concealed. In contrast, Beast exposes the wall rather than fixing it, treating cracks and erosion as carriers of meaning rather than flaws to be corrected. Installed within the gallery space, the works retain their connection to the street and to the abandoned environments from which they originate. Fragile and materially charged, they invite reflection on the relationship between physical decay and intellectual endurance, and on the role of memory in shaping our understanding of the present.

OPENING
March 13, 2026 | 06:00 PM
ELEMENTS Contemporary Art Space
253 Hoxton Street, N1 5LG, London, UK
Opening hours | Tuesday – Saturday . 11:00 AM – 05:00 PM