The Globe Gallery Blank Canvas featuring Mark-one-87, Cack-Handed-Kid & Graffiti Artist ‘SUNE’
Mark-0ne-87 embarks on his first Street art Exhibition show at The Globe Gallery. The Newcastle based independent art Gallery, which has been going for around 29 years, aims to create a fresh platform for local artists including Cack-Handed-Kid and newcastle Graffiti mural artist ‘SUNE‘ The gallery space was to be called ‘Blank Canvas‘. The concept behind the exhibition is not just to display art but to breathe new life into the gallery by highlighting the raw energy of street art.
Building further on the themes of community and collaboration, Mark recounts his experience organising the Elements Art Festival in Newcastle, which focused on bringing together local artists and engaging the surrounding communities. He highlighted how important it is to connect with those outside the Ouseburn area, often perceived as inaccessible. Through outreach projects and creative workshops, the festival aimed to include everyone and to celebrate the artistic talent within the region. Mark believes that fostering connections among artists and working collectively instead of competitively can significantly enhance the local art scene.
As the conversation deepens, Mark shares personal insights about his upbringing and his path to becoming a full-time artist. He candidly discusses the lack of encouragement he received in school regarding pursuing Art & Design and how Graffiti became his true passion. The episode sheds light on the evolving perception of street art from its underground roots to a respected form of expression, affording younger generations the chance to envision art as a viable career.
Continuing the peep exploration of his artistic style, we take a virtual walk around the Globe Gallery where Mark-one-87 describes several pieces. He explains how he combines elements of nature with street art techniques, such as in his large-scale bird artworks. This fusion not only showcases his technical skill, but also speaks to his appreciation for the environment and local culture. The gallery walkthrough gives listeners an authentic look at the collaborative works of himself and fellow artists, demonstrating the power of co-creation in the art world.
Through his experiences, SUNE Graffiti Art illustrates the belief that art should be accessible and engaging, transforming how we view creative expression within public spaces. Don’t miss this peep magazine conversation that showcases the beauty of street art in Newcastle, the journey of an artist, and the potential for art to transcend boundaries. Subscribe to peep, share your thoughts, and engage with the vibrant community around street art. Discover the vibrant world of street art through the eyes of SUNE, an international graffiti artist who blends creativity with community outreach. From unforgettable portraits to impactful collaborations, SUNE shares his fascinating journey with peep Newcastle.
peep this is an interview for peep magazine. We’re here at the Globe Gallery in North Shields. We’re joined with Graffiti Mural artist Mark-one-87 at his first gallery show, his first art show at the globe gallery. Mark, I was going to say thanks for coming, but you were always going to be here. Have you taken your name from a police term – 187.
Mark One-87 yeah, of course no, but it’s all nice to chat to you. No, not really. Mark one was just something I doodled loads as a kid and I was born in 1987. So I eventually started a design business called one87, and then eventually, that kind of developed into sort of just mark-one-87 as an artist alias. It didn’t really come from the the 187 Police associations.
peep This is your first art exhibition show. How did this come about coming to the Globe Gallery and having your first show with um, with Graffiti artist SUNE and stencil graffiti artist Cack-Handed-Kid
Mark One-87 So, the Globe Gallery approached ‘SUNE’ with the opportunity. They wanted a three different artists to come in and take over the gallery with ‘SUNE’ and Cack-Handed-Kid. Basically, they wanted to just kind of hand it over to us, give a free rein hence the Gallery show – ‘Blank Canvas‘ and allow us to just do our thing in the space. They wanted to really bring in the raw side of Newcastle Graffiti Street Art, into the place. So they just handed it over and said do as you want with it. We had a really tight time frame to accomplish all the work. We only spent about two weeks putting it all together, so it was a little bit of a rush job, but it’s all come together nicely in the end.
peep Yeah, because this Globe Gallery has been open for about 29 years?
Mark One-87 – It has yeah, it’s been established a long time. It closed for a little while. This is its second exhibition since it’s reopened, but it’s been going a long time, and it’s had ties with the graffiti scene in Newcastle for a long time. The Graffiti TTK crew did an exhibition here back in 1985 with Mr ZEE Mane and all of those guys, the older guys in the crew, they all did an exhibition here. So it’s really good for me as well, being part of TTK Graffiti Crew, to come here and do a show as well.
peep Yeah, because it seems like you’re really big on community arts inclusion with artists here in Newcastle. The last time I saw you was at Elements Arts Festival down at the Ouseburn. Could you maybe talk a little bit about Elements and how long that took you? I mean, was that three years in in the making ?
Mark One-87 what elements? No, no, much shorter time frame. Um, we’ll actually, we spent about a year developing it from the first conversations to then, you know, developing a pitch and going through. So, yeah, organised Elements Art Festival, you know, alongside um ‘building culture‘ who supported us, So they’re a community interest organisation, and they support with local organisation side of things, connecting all the dots together in Newcastle upon Tyne. So, I just really wanted to bring something to Newcastle to showcase the sort of Graffiti in Newcastle, Street Art Scenes, all the talented artists that newcastle have to offer. But yeah, I’m really big on community arts and the benefits that can have on lots of different people and communities. So ‘Elements Art Festival at the Ouseburn’ had about five different outreach projects, which went all around the surrounding communities into St Annes, Byker and different places around the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. We try to connect people into the area who don’t usually get involved in the Ouseburn community within Newcastle. Some people feel a little bit outside of it. So, we want to bring them in through creativety, you know, workshops and different projects and we work with a few outreach projects as well along with charities and all sorts of different people.
peep How important is it for you as an artist to keep keep these connections with local artists and the local art scene in the north east? And, Have you got any projects in the future?
Mark One-87 – I’ve got lots of projects. So I think it’s a really important thing that the art scene works together and is connected, I think being overly competitive with each other. If we all work together, we’re going to make the scene in Newcastle thrive. I think that’s a really, really important point to follow from. But yeah, I’m working on lots of different community projects all of the time in and around murals and things like that. So I’m currently working on projects with Carbon Homes in the Byker estate. So we’re working with their initiatives, trying to bring some positivity to the area of Byker estate. You know, places like ‘Byker’ I have problems, but there’s also a lot of community spirit there as well. So we’re working with the young people in the schools and youth organisations, just to give them a chance to try something creative. I think when I was young art wasn’t like a career path, like you know, being a ‘Graffiti Artist’, or Mural Artist, anything like that, but I’ve managed to luckily make a career out of it. Just, you know, persistence, hard work over time, and I think over time, it’s become more and more accepted as an art form. So then you can show young people that art is an actual career path – if they want to go that way as well.
peep We always talk about this with graffiti artists and writers and street artists. I’d say about 80% of artists from Newcastle haven’t had a positive experience from school, because ‘art’ is kind of perceived to be like a bunking off school. How was your childhood and how did your teachers inspire you to do pursue a career in art?
Mark One-87 They didn’t really, if I’m honest. Um, I enjoyed art, but it wasn’t necessarily quite the kind of art that I that really inspired me. You know, I did have one art teacher who inspired us generally with art, but it wasn’t really the kind of thing that I wanted to do, and I think, I didn’t really discover my full passion for like creativity until I found graffiti-art. But I just found that off my own back really and, you know, engaged with sort of older lads that were doing it, they encouraged it. But at school at that point, art was not pushed as a career whatsoever.
It’s getting a little bit better now, but I think over back then even my family were kind of like you need to get a real job, this and that, you know, and until you’re successful with it, that’s when people start to appreciate what you’re doing. But it was a bit more of a battle sort of thing coming up like, oh, you’re gonna have to just do something proper. I actually started out as a graphic designer and, yeah, I worked through, I worked in that industry for a while, I qualified as that. You know, I did a degree in graphic design, worked in the industry for a little while, but then kind of flipped it on its head. I’ve always done commissions, but now I’m kind of full-time doing mural art commissions, things like that,
peep Are you all encompassing with your graphic design. Do you use all the programs like final cut and indesign and all that?
Mark One-87 I use a lot of sort of photoshop, illustrator, that sort of things. So, depending on the project I’m working on, I kind of bring all those skills together. So I still utilise a lot of my design, illustration skills, whether it’s promoting a project, like elements art festival, which I did all the branding and the promo for – that sort of stuff as well.
peep I think I’ve already asked this, but is there, is there plans for another Elements Art Festival for 2025?
Mark One-87 hopefully fingers crossed. Obviously we’re very, very lucky to get the sort of the funding that we’ve got from, you know, northeast combined authority other investors. So if we can get the backing again, and we can get the support – then we’ll definitely be looking for a round two next year. We’ll be having talks about that very soon. We’ve just wrapped up the final community project for it, so it’s taken a little bit longer to get those all wrapped up. But yeah, we’ll be having chats about that next round. Everybody seems really keen for it so we want to try and bring it again to the Ouseburn Valley
peep How do you feel you’ve you’ve been received with local artists and local graffiti writers and street artists. Have there been open arms or have you had any resistance from any of them?
Mark One-87 There’s always a little bit of resistance from the graffiti scene in Newcastle. You know there’s there’s always the competitive edge and things like that. So there’s always a little bit of resistance but on the vast majority, I would say 99 percent was extremely positive. All of the artists that got involved in the Elements festival were really positive, supportive, helped out everywhere that they could. I think it showed the positivity that can be there if we choose to go in that direction. I think there can be a lot of animosity can come from the graffiti scene. You can get a lot of a lot of beef, a lot of sort of egotistical wars and things like that going on. But I think once you get to a certain age you’ve got to kind of leave that bit behind and I think there’s a lot of positives we can do with it in the world, sort of accepting graffiti, street art more as the art form that it is, and I think we need to be focused on pushing that, rather than any kind of conflict.
peep yeah, man, of course. I think it would be a great opportunity to have a little walk around and maybe talk about some of your key pieces. Would you be up for that? Ok, So we’re just going to have a little walk around. We’re going to have maybe a tour of the gallery. It’s the first time I’ve been here and I didn’t realise it was so big.
Mark One-87 Yeah, the Globe Gallery is a really cool space. Like I say, it’s been here for a long, long time but really lush opportunity just to be given a gallery with white walls and say here you go, sort of thing. So, like a lot of the times I’ve spent my time doing a lot of commercial works, things for clients, businesses that sort of thing. So, this has really given us an opportunity just to explore my own creativity, self-directed. So, this was the piece I had kind of sitting for a while. I’ve been really enjoying painting birds for some reason, at the minute, obviously the magpie with a local reference.
Magpie Picture
Growing up I was football, mad newcastle, all that sort of stuff, but I like to kind of mix a bit of nature with a bit of like graffiti and the rawness of you know, that sort of thing, all the graffiti, sort of techniques and textures and all of that, and just bring two different worlds together and I love just exploring sort of big colour combinations, contrast things like that. this is all spray can work. I tend to spray on the vast majority of work. I might use a little bit of emulsion for a base coat or a bit of brush work here and there if I’m doing a bit of mixed media, but vast majority is just free hand spray
peep Can we just have a walk through mark. whats the idea behind the skull picture here ?
SKULL picture
Mark One-87 yeah, this is a collaboration between all three were involved. So myself, SUNE and ‘Cack-Handed-Kid’ so, ‘SUNE’ marked out an idea with a skull. He painted two pieces, then left the two other bits for us to kind of fill in. So we couldn’t quite see what was there and we all just added our own bits to create a kind of collaborative piece.
peep I’m seeing this like shrimp or something, is that?
Mark One-87 he’s probably best to talk about that one. So this is another one of my pieces here, and again, another bird. I absolutely love owls. I think they’ve got a really sort of like mystic vibe about them and so I really wanted to kind of capture that in this piece, and I’ve been wanting to do a large-scale bird for a while, so I wanted to kind of bring that in, and make it look mystic, sort of magical, with a little bit of evil mixed in there as well.
And then I’ve got a selection of prints and canvas works as well. So these are just a bit more sort of abstract stuff. I love working with sort of you know, different sized caps and nozzles and all the fat caps and things like that, things that stem from sort of graffiti, tagging in different ways, and you can see a little bit of me sort of design illustration background coming in there as well. And I love things with symmetry. I’m into things like sort of sacred geometry inspired by things like cymatics, which is like the visuals of sound waves and things like that. So all these random things kind of influence the things that I do I’m also.
peep I’m also seeing another skull mural painting behind you there.
Mark One-87 So, you’ve got two different images in there. SUNE has painted one image and he’s kind of masks areas off so you can kind of see the two and it kind of plays with your eyes a little bit as well. Really, really creative guy.
peep Love his work. For anyone reading this and wanting to look out for this guy who we’re talking aboutplease follow this link – Graffiti artist SUNe talks to peep
Mark One-87 So I’ve got a few sort of original original pieces on paper here as well, all prints. I’ve also got some limited edition prints available as well, so I’m doing a short one of those and a few originals on paper as well, if anyone that wants a sort of original piece, and canvas is on sale as well. It’s been cool to meet you eventually, because I was wanting to have an interview with you at the Elements Art Festival and unfortunately, we just didn’t catch each other. Yeah, I didn’t stop over that weekend so I didn’t get a chance to stop, it’s fine, thank you for chatting anyway, thank you for coming along to the show, really appreciate it and keep up the good work with the peep agency and everything you do about documenting the scene in Newcastle
If you would like to watch the full interview follow the links below
Full walkthrough of Globe Gallery with mark one 87 OR, if you would prefer to listen on the move follow this link – Street artist Mark one 87 talks to peep at the globe gallery
