If you're in London in the next month, don't miss the mysterious master of miniature photography.
In The Jetty, shot on the South Bank, a melting ice lolly transforms into a sunny lido
If, like us, you're a fan of Slinkachu, the mysterious artist who creates adorable little scenes on the street featuring tiny model people, photographs them and then just leaves them there, you'll be delighted to learn that there's a chance coming up to see his work on show.
His new exhibition, Miniaturesque, opens on 13 March and features 17 brand new images – as well as sculptural pieces. It's the latest instalment in his ongoing Little People Project, in which he remodels and paints miniature train set characters and places them in unlikely locations.
The Glade's seems pastoral, but it's really set on a concrete step in Crystal Palace
Over the years he's created his gorgeous little tableaux in locations all over the world, but Miniaturesque sees him returning to London, where he first started the project back in August 2006. His new pictures, shot throughout 2014, feature scenes of bucolic idyll that, when you see the wider picture, are in fact dingy corners of London that you normally wouldn't look twice at.
We love the tiny graffiti being created on Parliament Hill in Landscape Painting
In Slinkachu's new images you'll see bathers frolic in the puddle of a melting ice lolly in the shadow of the London Eye, a young lady swings on a broken match suspended from a weed growing from a concrete step in Crystal Palace, a daredevil street artist tags a leaf hanging from a tree on Parliament Hill, and a young couple skip across a stream on tiny stepping stones, a discarded beer can in the background, at the Royal Victoria Dock.
Slinkachu describes his work as playing with the notion of surprise, and he hopes to encourage city-dwellers to be more aware of their surroundings. "The scenes I set up," he says, "aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed.
"But underneath this, there is always some humour. I want people to be able to empathise with the tiny people in my works."
Born Free sees a mounted riot cop strike a heroic pose against the sunset... on Wandsworth Bridge
The stepping stone action of The Stream is lovely and playful...
...and here's the full scene, with Royal Victoria Dock and the O2 in the background
The exhibition opens at the Andipa Gallery in Knightsbridge from 13 March until 11 April, with pieces on sale from £650 to £7,800, but if that sounds a little steep for you there will also be a special limited edition exhibition set available for £150. For more details visit the Andipa Gallery site.
Words: Jim McCauley
Jim McCauley is a writer, editor and occasional podcaster, and is available for children's parties.
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