UK street artist Sickboy will take over a vacant George Street premises in Stroud from 11–21 June, as part of Site Festival 2026, the annual programme of artist-led projects presented by Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA).
Traditionally trained as a fine art painter, Sickboy turned to street art in 1995, pioneering the use of a visual logo in place of the stylised tag, a then-radical move that helped define the aesthetic of the British street art movement. His red and yellow Temple iconography is now recognised across the globe, and his work has featured in galleries from San Francisco to Tokyo, Munich to Paris, as well as in books, documentaries and film. For Site Festival in June, Sickboy will present a new site-specific installation centred on his signature Temple symbol, reimagined not as a monument to permanence, but as a provisional, transient form visible from the street, exploring themes of impermanence and cycles of use and renewal.
The work will be presented in an empty retail unit on George Street, continuing SVA’s long-standing ‘Meanwhile Use’ empty shops programme. Over 30 years, SVA has activated more than 50 vacant shops across the district, creating accessible, street-facing spaces for ambitious art that, crucially, reaches people who would never visit a purpose-built gallery, meeting them in a familiar retail environment that already forms part of their daily lives. This light-touch approach makes creative use of existing infrastructure and footfall and has consistently driven renewed interest in the properties themselves, generating both cultural and economic benefit for local communities. The result is art that feels genuinely relevant, woven into people’s sense of place. For local residents and visitors alike, this is public art at its very best.
Fluorescent Smogg featuring Sickboy will be in residence for Open Studios in Chalford alongside 60 other artists in the Stroud Valleys over 2 weekends: 13th – 14th and 20th – 21st June.
Sickboy’s installation is one of over 160 artist projects taking place across Site Festival between 3–30 June, alongside Open Studios and a full programme of exhibitions, events and talks across the Stroud district. The opening night of the Festival and of accompanying exhibition takes place at Lansdown Gallery on Thursday 11th June at 6pm.
