Didcot street artist @Athirty4 opens first public exhibition

In March 2018, thousands of drivers on a busy Oxfordshire road were met with something unexpected on their daily commute. Signs on the A4130 near Didcot had been altered - directing traffic not just to Wallingford and Sutton Courtenay, but to Narnia, Middle Earth and Neverland. The prank quickly gained national attention, drawing delight from locals, praise from the town's mayor and even a telling off from Emily Maitlis on Newsnight. Eight years on, the anonymous artist behind it - known as @Athirty4 - is staging his first public exhibition in the town where it all began. "It was like snow falling in July. It was really exciting," said Jessie Dhah from Didcot's Cornerstone Arts Centre, which is now displaying the artist's work. "It's become part of the town's story and part of our shared folklore." The road sign intervention marked a turning point for the artist. "It was the moment I moved from a previous alias to a new one," he said. "I regenerated like Doctor Who and became this new character - one that was a little bit more daring than previous incarnations." Since then, @Athirty4 has carried out a series of guerrilla-style artworks across Oxfordshire - altering street signs, in