Mick Hartley

So who's the joker who's putting these silly little cartoon characters all over East London?

They're signed Bortusk Leer. A likely name.

At Prescription Art you can purchase original works from the man, and we learn something of his background:

The fruit of forbidden love between a gypsy and a communist party official, Bortusk Leer was forced to find his own way in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia.

Though his early years are shrouded in mystery, by his teens Leer could be found joyfully daubing the walls of his homeland with fantastical childlike characters, psychedelic vermin & inhuman collages. ‘Art Comedy’ was born, and Leer never looked back.

The Brick Lane Gallery tell a slightly different story:

The fruit of forbidden love between a Lion Tamer and a Candy floss seller Bortusk Leer was forced to find his own way in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia….

Whereas this interview tells a more plausible tale of an art and design course at Canterbury Tech followed by a degree in studio ceramics at Falmouth College of Art.

Whatever, you can't escape his colourful little offspring around the Shoreditch area.

And now he has his own show at Tony's Gallery, off Brick Lane. As a taster – and for those unfortunates unable to make the show – here are three from the ever-expanding Leer oeuvre found this morning in Blackall Street:

 
Not likely to be featured at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.