A legal battle is under way to ensure an artist who was deported days before an exhibition was due to open can still take part.

John Grider, also known as Broken Crow, was refused entry to Britain after he arrived from America with the wrong type of visa.

The 28-year-old, from Minneapolis in Minnesota, was due to take part in the Stencil History X exhibition which opens at the Ink_d gallery in North Road, Brighton, today.

But immigration officials detained him at Heathrow on Friday after discovering he had no work permit.

He had already travelled to Britain in May to take part in The Cans Festival, an art exhibition held in a tunnel beneath Waterloo Station, London, organised by Banksy and featuring 29 other artists.

Ink_d studio director Dan Hipkin said: “At the moment we have a blank space on the wall waiting for his work to be hung on. We are having some of his work couriered over in case he can’t attend.

“John has been travelling around the world to take part in and attend exhibitions but never had a problem until now. But I understand the British immigration service has changed the laws on visa applications, which has affected artists in particular.

“He wasn’t aware of the new rules when he arrived so they kept him in a holding pen in Heathrow before sending him home.

“We are in talks with his lawyer in England to see if he can still make it to the opening.

If he can’t make it he will be sorely missed because all the artists will be painting the walls of our garden courtyard and the gallery space as well.

His work lends itself to large-scale spaces.”

The exhibition, which runs until September 28, charts the origins and history of stencil-based street art.

Exhibits include original works by French artists C215 and Sadhu and their American counterparts Adam5100 and Koleszar.

Broken Crow is known for his large and colourful depictions of animals on the sides of buildings.

The Home Office confirmed the rules had changed slightly although it was unable to comment on individual cases.

A spokesman said: “All applications for entry are considered on their merits and in accordance with the immigration rules. Where an application does not meet the requirements of these rules it will be refused.”

  • For more information about the Stencil History X exhibition visit www.ink-d.co.uk.