STREET ARTISTS TO KNOW

BY: Ines Valencia

Street art and graffiti have always been controversial in the art world. Although this type of art may be illegal or an act of vandalism, it is often an excellent tool for protest and social change. While both terms do not refer to the same thing (street art may be commissioned and legal, while graffiti may be illegal when splashed across public property), they tend to fall into the same category. It is a complex topic since becoming mainstream and predominant on the gallery scene as an art form known for its free and anti-capitalist essence. It’s also partly because of social media and artists like Banksy, who many say is one of the greatest artists of all time.

Street art’s power is more visible in the past year due to its prominent role in the Black Lives Matter movement, with artists taking to the streets to protest and express themselves. The following list includes street artists with different backgrounds, visions, and art world status, with a significant impact on their communities and the world by using their talent to communicate and create change.

PEETA EAD

Peeta (Manuel Di Rita) creates large geometrical designs on architectural structures that mesh with the surrounding environment, then morphing into an optical illusion. As the artist himself states, “my aim is to create a dialogue with the structural and cultural parameters of the surrounding context, either architectural or not.”

VHILS

The Portuguese artist, whose real name is Alexandre Farto, is best known for his street art carvings and relief portraits, chiseled into plaster and brick walls across the planet.

Vhils became known when a carved portrait was revealed alongside Banksy at London’s Cans Festival in 2008. He also works with other mediums such as collage, wheat paste, wood, metal, installations, etc.  Vhils uses different processes to penetrate the walls he works on, never knowing what is beneath each layer. He believes that we are all made up of social and historical layers, as is our social and political system. If we eliminate some of our superficial layers, we may find something better. Vhils is an artist who destroys to create and may go down in history as a revolutionary.

 

DALE GRIMSHAW

During a difficult childhood, art was vital to Dale Grimshaw. He is one of the most recognized artists in the UK street scene thanks to his impressive and deeply emotional figurative murals, inspired by his firmly held humanitarian beliefs. His work always contains an important message or social commentary. Today, he supports the work of the Free West Papua campaign, opposing the illegal occupation of West Papua by Indonesia. He has also had his work exhibited in numerous galleries across the world.

FABRIKA OUCH

Fabrika Ouch is based in Brooklyn and led by Russian artist Denis Ouch from St. Petersburg. His use of upcycled materials like maps as canvases makes him stand out. Ouch also uses multiple mediums such as stenciling, spray painting, and silk screening on canvas. He began his creative practices in Russia when it was emerging from communism. The political changes deeply affected his worldview. Images from popular culture are standard in his extraordinarily unique and identifiable creations, which deliver powerful societal messages.

YOSEBA MP

Yoseba MB (Joseba Muruzábal) is an artist based in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. His large-scale realistic (and at times surrealistic) works portray aspects of daily life. Still, he is known mainly for his depictions of Spanish grandmothers with superhuman powers, which he creates as an honor to women (sage, loving, and hard-working women.)

TVBOY

Tvboy is an Italian artist based in Barcelona. His works stand out in almost every part of the city. Like the artists, he has exhibited his work on the street and in some of the world’s most prestigious galleries. His most recent creations consist of celebrity images plus historical and political figures altered and transformed to be funny but cynical and politically incorrect.

  

HYURO

Hyuro, born Tamara Djurovic, was an Argentinian artist based in Valencia, Spain, who created large murals that frequently featured women and criticized society by highlighting gender-based violence and abortion issues.

MENTALGASSI

Mentalgassi is a trio of German artists who paste large photographs (primarily portraits) onto public outdoor objects such as fences, recycling bins, or walls to make people smile. They consider their work to be “urban entertainment,” which can improve someone’s day. The works are found in cities all over Europe. For legal reasons, the artists are anonymous, and their works are often removed right after they are finished.

MANUEL SKIRL

Manuel Skirl, an artist from Vienna, has a distinctive style, defined by the organic structures of black and blue lines. His works are mainly large-scale and done on walls.