Mystery Over Blockbuster Monster Posters

Work by 'Slovenian' artist briefly appears on window of empty shop

Picture: Carrie Reichardt

The former Blockbusters store on Chiswick High Road was brightened up for a short time over the Christmas holidays when it was festooned with posters of monsters.

The art work was by artist Bortusk Leer who has exhibited his distinctive child-like drawings of cartoon monsters at the Saatchi Gallery as well as many other leading exhibition spaces. His true identity remains obscure and articles about him describe him as being from Slovenia working from a studio in Holland but well-placed sources in the art world say that he is actually from Deal in Kent.

He said on his Instagram page, “So this just happened on Chiswick high street! Blockbusters got Blockmonstered!!.”

He also thanked local celebrity art duo Carrie Reichardt and Bobby Osborne for their support.

Bortusk told us, “I have friends who live in Chiswick who I stayed with over the Christmas period. Whilst I was there they told me that all these shops have been left empty for many years. So we decided to try and brighten the place up a bit and do something positive with the negative space.

“Blockbusters was the most famous of all the closed shops and seemed the funniest and most iconic to put work on.

“Unfortunately it seems like the council or whoever owns the spaces think an empty shop is more pleasing to the eye than some art.”

To the dismay of some local art lovers the posters disappeared shortly after the were first displayed on 30 December.

It is not clear who removed the posters. We have asked the Council for comment.

January 5, 2019