My Dog Sighs to launch Portsmouth's first ever street art festival with stars including Phlegm, The London Police, Hera, Kashink and Gary Stranger

The brainchild of Portsmouth’s own star street artist, My Dog Sighs, it will take place in locations across Portsea on September 9 and 10 when it is hoped it will attract thousands of people to see the art take shape.

When My Dog Sighs held a city-wide treasure hunt to mark his 20th anniversary it attracted an estimated 35,000 people, and his Inside exhibition in July 2021 had a sell-out run, shifting 10,000 tickets.

Alongside big names from the street art world such as Phlegm, The London Police, Hera, Kashink, Gary Stranger and My Dog Sighs, organisers anticipate around 100 artists taking part – and they are inviting local artists to get in touch so they can join in too.

My Dog Sighs said: “Having spent the last 10 years painting at street art festivals around the world, I wanted to bring some of that excitement to my own city and create a festival that will entertain, inspire and rival some of the best street art destinations in the world.“I’ve persuaded some of the worlds leading artists to come and create awe-inspiring works that will showcase the city as the creative hub it is and create a destination for art fans. We already have an incredible creative community in Portsmouth and the festival plans to give local artists the opportunity to work alongside and learn from established and leading contemporaries in the street art field.“’But it’s always in Southsea!’” people cry. Not with Look Up! It was important to us to engage with the entire city with the festival so there will be murals going up right across the city. Our small team have had so much support from Arts Council England, Portsmouth City council and the local community who’ve helped us find walls and supported us in trying to make this happen.

"I can’t believe some of my favourite artists will be creating incredible works across the city.”

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Portsmouth City Council is supporting the Look Up festival by agreeing to include council housing blocks and walls to be considered as part of the festival. Charles Dickens ward councillors have agreed to invest £10,000 from their CIL Neighbourhood Fund to support the festival. This will be match-funded by the council in order to secure a £30,000 investment from Arts Council England.

Cllr Steve Pitt, leader of the council with a responsibility for culture, said: "It's so important that we support creativity in the city, and we're always looking for opportunities to work with partner organisations like Articulate Sage. This primarily Arts Council-funded festival is set to create a lasting legacy in the city that will inspire people for years to come and put Portsmouth on the international art map. The use of our council-owned properties also ensures that art will be accessible in communities across the city, bringing street art to new audiences and involving our residents in some ground-breaking decisions."

Cllr Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness said: "Art can brighten up an area if it's done right. Yet too often, ordinary people feel it's not for them. The key thing - as we have recently done with the Pompey Pelican mural on Arundel Street - is to give people living on council estates a real say in whether they want it and, if they do, want they want. By applying those principles to the Look Up Festival, we give artists and local people a chance to have something that is long-lasting and a real boost to the built environment. Art and culture should be for the many, not the few.

"Our design service already works with schools and other public buildings in the city to include artwork that inspires our residents, and we continue to look for opportunities to add public artwork to as many of our buildings as possible, creating access to art in communities across the city that residents may not otherwise have."

Local arts consortium Portsmouth Creates is also sponsoring the event.

There will also be opportunities for the public to get hands on at painting workshops and activities for children.

The organisers are also looking for volunteers to help over the weekend.

For more information and the link to apply as an artist or volunteer go to lookup-portsmouth.co.uk.