POW was started in 2003 by a loose collection of artists, graffiti writers and illustrators who were shunned by the controlling influencers of the day - so we set about producing and distributing our own art. The invention of the internet and the cardboard tube enabled us to circumvent the centuries-old grip of the established art world and we laid waste to their cronyism and vested interests and good taste. We delivered a new generation of art directly into people’s homes - well, the Royal Mail did most of it.

Somewhere along the way we mastered our craft and many POW prints have become benchmarks within the industry. We pioneered the use of foil block, patterned embossing and we were the first in the industry to use non-solvent based inks. We never put anything down the drain except effort. Throughout it all POW has remained an independent artist-run operation, hosting landmark exhibitions and pioneering the concept of a shit pop-up shop long before it became fashionable.

However, inevitably disaster struck - and many of our artists became successful. Street Art was welcomed into mainstream culture with a benign shrug and the art we produced became another tradeable commodity. Despite attempts at price fixing regrettably some POW prints have become worth tens of thousands of pounds. Either unable or unwilling to become part of the art market we once so self-righteously denounced - we called it quits. Here are some of the things we made...

x POW