gal-dem x Eastbank | Stratty Support Structures | Erin Aniker Illustration

Stratty Support Structures was part of a series of artworks commissioned by gal-dem as part of their Getting Back to Normal: Utopia/Dystopia exhibition on display in Summer 2022 in the Olympic Park, Stratford to celebrate the start of Eastbank, a new cultural hub in Stratford. "Erin Aniker’s illustrative work encapsulates community and belonging in its entirety with unmistakable colourful flair. Her work prior to this project had also centred around such pursuits, exploring her British-Turkish heritage and its intersection with community, with a particular focus on east London. From vibrant tiles celebrating rollerbladers, swimmers, dancers, and beekeepers, to spotlights on the aunties that are such cornerstones of solidarity in the area, her artworks in this exhibit celebrate the many varied walks of life that surround the former Olympic site. The breadth that Aniker’s work portrays is made most apparent in her large-scale wraparound image on the West Ham stadium screen, which depicts over thirty individual characters drawn from observations of east London. " - Leyla Reynolds, art director gal-dem The artworks are made up of a series of thirty illustrated tiles depicting various people and communities from east London which can be joined together to create a digital style tapestry of east Londoners. The series aims to create something positive and hopeful to show some of the ways that east Londoners have supported one another before, during and after the pandemic. Exhibition details The artwork was on show on the screen at London Olympic Stadium and in three large scale easel scaffoldings which are dotted around the Olympic Park situated near The Timber Lodge Cafe. Some of the tiles were also projected onto some of the new Eastbank buildings including V&A East on 22 September, during a series of dance performances choreographed by Danielle Rhimes.