AK47 is one of those artists who doesn’t shy away from controversy. In fact we’d say he relishes it. Head of ‘Art Kieda’, a self-proclaimed art terrorist group, Andy Link aka AK47 has announced his first show in two years titled ‘I AM NOT’ which opens on 3rd February at the Graffik Gallery in London.
Now, after that introduction, we’d love to go into lots of detail of what to expect from this new exhibition but, when we spoke to the man himself, we were informed it’s all a bit hush hush and he wants to have that element of surprise on opening night. Now although that makes it a little tricky to try and write something it certainly does create a sense of intrigue.
You see, if you didn’t know, AK47 is the man behind the ‘stealing’ of Banksy’s ‘The Drinker’ sculpture back in 2004, so it’s pretty clear we’re talking about someone who isn’t a shy wallflower. The heist, and proceeding events were cleverly and rather humorously documented into what became ‘The Banksy Job’ documentary which is available on SKY.

This one cheeky act certainly put AK47 in the spotlight and he’s someone we’ve talked about before when ‘The Drinker’ without the original cone was due to be sold at Sotherby’s auction house.
What we do know of his new exhibition is that it will feature a mix of original work and prints including a fresh new take on ‘The Drinker’.
We were also informed that a piece titled ‘Love Bullets’ set in mirror and neon will be revealed and available in three sizes, plus a selection of canvas work incorporating slogans such as ‘I AM NOT’, ‘LOVE’, ‘TAKE THE PISS’ and ‘BE AFRAID’.
Even though a lot of the information regarding the show is still being kept top secret, if Andy’s CV is anything to go by, we think this latest body of work will certainly be worth checking out.
‘I AM NOT’ will open 7pm on 3rd February (private viewing, invite only) and will open to the general public from the 4th – 17th at Graffik Gallery, 284 Portobello Road, London, W10 5TE