My London Street Art Book
Is Finally Here For You 🎉
Ciao,
How’s your summer going?
I’m writing to you outside our regular 1st-of-the-month catch-up because I have something exceptional to share: my London Street Art Book is finally out! 🥳
When I started self-publishing last year, I jumped in with nothing but ambition, a DIY spirit, and an overly optimistic to-do list. The gap between vision and reality was humbling, but it’s this grassroots approach (learning, experimenting, listening, and adjusting) that’s brought me here, with a new chapter in the As Seen on the Streets of… series.
One year ago, some of you joined me for a series of five street art walks across London.
Those walks weren’t just unforgettable, they became a form of crowdfunding for this entirely independent, self-published, DIY series. No publisher or marketing team backing up this wild project, only the readers who walked those streets with me, and those who will now bring this book to life by ordering their copy.
🗺️ What’s inside
This book weaves together the voices of 11 London-based street artists, each sharing their own vision of London, from the neighborhoods they call home to the places where they meet friends, find inspiration, and experience the city that continues to shape their art. Unlike the Paris book, this time you’ll also find shorter contributions from other local artists, adding their own perspective on the city’s walls and streets.
You’ll wander into neighborhoods that rarely make it into guidebooks, uncover the stories behind some of London’s most striking murals, and get a taste of the city’s graffiti and street art history, seeing how cultural and social shifts have shaped, and are still shaping, its evolution.
Alongside almost 300 pages of Paolo Giannotti’s stunning art photography, you’ll have my handpicked recommendations for must-see works, alternative spots worth the detour, and a detailed Google map to help you find your way around it all.
More than an art book, it’s a travel companion that will take you off the beaten path and into the creative heart of London.
Two ways to enjoy it
The content is the same in both versions (298 pages of words and photograph) but you can choose between:
📖 The Art Photography Book
📗 The Travel Guide
Update February 2026
Big news! The e-book format is now available! 🥳
The ebook format is for those who want a copy right away, without the delays of print-on-demand or international shipping. It arrives in your device immediately after purchase: you can start planning your itinerary, mapping out your days, and organizing your time in London right away.
How to get it
For now, the London book is only available directly through me.
I’m not sure when it will reach bookshops, so if you’d like to have it in your hands and start leafing through its pages, the best place to get it is right here with me.
What they’re saying about the book
I’ve been so touched by the kind words and thoughtful reviews that As Seen on the Streets of London has already received.
Here are a few highlights:
“I’ve met, curated, and worked with literally hundreds of street artists over the last 25 years. And for every artist, there’s been a handful of supporting actors, bloggers, photographers, writers, academics, journalists, filmmakers, vloggers, the list goes on. People caught up in the passion and revolutionary potential of a democratised public art form, where individuals from all walks of life have the opportunity to stake their place in a movement that offers alternatives to the traditional networks of power that define and shape a city, and, by extension, the people who inhabit and move through it.
The same can be said of specialised fields, including publishing, hence the surfeit of cash-grab “street art” books, often produced with little knowledge of the scene, designed as city guides offering tourists a “splash of colour.”
But this, this book, is different. This is a book with heart, from the soul, written by an author who recognises the core tenets of what makes “street art” such a powerful movement and medium. It wrestles back that which is in constant danger of being lost. Giulia has been a mainstay in the culture for over a decade, and it’s been an honour to witness how the culture has shaped her as much as her research and writing, in turn, have helped shape us.
Buy it, read it, reflect on it. This is street art.”
Martyn Reed, Founder Nuart Festival
“In this enchanting book, Giulia Blocal Riva offers a detailed guide to the art on the streets of London, veering off the tourist track to reveal lesser-known gems. She interviews key figures, including Remi Rough, Dotmaster, and Carrie Reichardt, and brings her urban adventures to life with arresting in situ photographs.”
Susan Hansen, Professor Middlesex University London, Editor Nuart Journal
“This well-written and thoughtfully designed book, featuring numerous high-quality photographs, offers a comprehensive study of contemporary graffiti and street art in London. Written by a respected subject matter expert, “As Seen on the Streets of London” is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in this vibrant urban visual art form.”
Jeffrey Ian Ross, Ph.D., Editor of Routledge Handbook of Graffiti and Street Art
“Meticulously researched, Giulia Riva’s “As Seen on the Streets of London” reaches across the city. She ventures into places where not even most Londoners have been. As a result, she has created a guide to London street art that is as informative as it is indispensable. Each area receives intimate attention, interspersed with stories from the artists who call it home.
Giulia’s writing brings London to life alongside the photographs of Paolo Giannotti, which capture the art and the context—so vital in the world of the street. Every image is intentional, each telling its part in a story that leads us into London’s streets, inviting the reader to join them alongside canals, into studios, under bridges, and through the varied spaces of the city.”
Stuart Holdsworth, Editor Inspiring City
“Giulia embraces the diverse contradictions of street art ideology and practice in London. Her passion for street art, combined with a flair for the written word, results in a compelling survey of the city’s street art scene—its origins, locations, and ongoing evolution.”
Dave Stuart, Founder Shoreditch Street Art Tours
“A photo-guide–street art book that reaffirms the relevance of the genre, from one of Europe’s most well-informed and keenest observers of the scene. As exciting as the city it lovingly portrays.”
Sabina Andron, Postdoc Fellow in Cities and Urbanism, University of Melbourne
From my hands to yours 🤗 order your copy of As Seen on the Streets of London here:
About the series As Seen on the Streets of…
As Seen on the Streets of… is my independent, self-published tribute to the world’s most inspiring street art cities, printed on paper you can hold, leaf through, and carry with you while exploring them.
Now you can get your copy and use it to discover London, just like many of you did with last year’s Paris book.
From next year on, our journey will continue to Lisbon, Rome, New York, Athens, Madrid, Berlin, São Paulo, and on to many more cities.
…we’re just getting started 😉
🥰 Thank you for being part of this journey, whether you joined a street art trip, read the first book, or simply open these emails every month. Your support is what makes it all possible.
Got questions, thoughts, or just want to say hi? Reply to this email, I’d love to hear from you.
Until September 1st,
Giulia
This is such a nice project – wow!
Just ordered! Finally! The perfect present for my London street art loving friend! Grazie!