Sleeping Man 

Editor: So, here we have *Sleeping Man*, a stencil piece – it looks like spray paint on brick – by Blek le Rat. The pose of the figure is very classical, but the gritty medium brings it crashing back to earth. What do you see here? Curator: Well, it makes me think about visibility, or perhaps invisibility. Someone sleeping rough, rendered with such graphic immediacy, is literally 'on the street,' yet so easily overlooked. It’s as though Blek le Rat is forcing us to confront a reality we'd rather ignore. The floating rat, is it an alter ego? Or simply highlighting the urban landscape? Editor: That tension between classical and contemporary is fascinating. The sleeping figure is timeless, almost beautiful, but the rat… it’s a jarring reminder of urban decay. What’s with that rat? Curator: Indeed! And this rat makes me smile - Blek le Rat almost certainly chose his nom de guerre as a pun, or a 'tip of the hat', towards the older and better-known New York graffiti artist Keith Haring! I bet Haring would love to be remembered this way! Don’t you think there’s a touch of ironic tenderness here? This rat is a knowing wink towards other street art pranksters! But getting back to the artwork: do you think it challenges traditional notions of art and its place in society? Editor: Absolutely. It takes art out of the gallery and puts it… well, wherever someone might sleep on the street. It demands a reaction. It *is* the people's art. I find myself appreciating how something so simple in its execution can provoke such thought. Curator: Exactly. It's rough, it's raw, but undeniably thought-provoking. Next time you pass someone sleeping rough, maybe you won’t just walk on by… and isn't that art doing what it does best?