MIKE GIANT

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(1971, New York, US)

Acclaimed worldwide for his prolific work in graffiti, illustration, design and tattoo, Mike Giant is one of the most complete artists of his generation.

As a child he moved to Albu­querque, New Mex­ico, where he stud­ied archi­tec­ture and later he landed in San Fran­cisco, where he was offered a job as a graphic draw­ing artist at Think Skate­boards. Even when he was very young, he worked as a writer in the world of graf­fiti and skate sub­cul­ture, becom­ing at the end of the nineties a tat­too artist, motor­cy­cle and bike cus­tomizer and, lastly, cre­ative mind of the lifestyle brand REBEL8. 

Mike Giant, who defines him­self as an “old hip­ster”, is known inter­na­tion­ally for the extreme pre­ci­sion and rig­or­ous black and white of his lines, that is affected by the influ­ence of pop­u­lar Mex­i­can art and Japan­ese illus­tra­tion. In his pro­duc­tion, that mixes styles and sym­bols of dif­fer­ent nature, we see a con­ver­gence of reli­gious iconog­ra­phy and death alle­gories, tribal sym­bol­ogy and Bud­dhist doc­trine, let­ter­ing and old school ele­ments, in a con­tin­u­ous inter­sect­ing of sacred and pro­fane, love and death. Seduc­tive pin ups and wink­ing femme fatales, BMX bikes, skulls, snakes and Cal­i­forn­ian urban visions pop­u­late his work, all made with extreme care, regard­less of the sup­port, whether it’s leather, paper, metal or cement. His draw­ings and mul­ti­ples have been shown in numer­ous spaces and gal­leries all over the world, from WDWA Gallery in New York to Mis­an­thropy Gallery in Van­cou­ver, to Magda Danysz Gallery in Paris to Mon­ster Chil­dren Gallery in Aus­tralia. Fur­ther­more, his works have often been used by lifestyle and cloth­ing brands, among which the bike com­pany Cinelli and the brands Tribal Gear and Upper Playground.

Watch this video by LandOfChrome:


MICHAEL SIEBEN

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(Austin, Texas, US)

Michael Sieben is a professional designer and illustrator whose work has been exhibited and reviewed worldwide as well as featured in numerous illustration anthologies. He recently took over the managing editor position at Thrasher Magazine and has a monthly column in Juxtapoz Magazine. He is also a founding member of Okay Mountain Collective in Austin, Texas, as well as the cofounder of Roger Skateboards. He lives and works in Austin, TX with his wife Allison, son River, and daughter Eve.

Watch Michael Sieben's Internet Shack Episode 1 by Volcom:


MCCLELLAND

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(1980, Toronto, Canada)

Niall McClelland spent many of his summers in Northern Ireland, went to school in Vancouver and eight years later returned to Toronto where he now lives. His work has been published in Adbusters, Arkitip, Color, Design Anarchy, Hunter and Cook, I-Live-Here, Lowdown, Made, and The Walrus among others.

Recent exhibitions include “In The Dark” at Eleanor Harwood (San Francisco); Resurrection at Cinders Gallery (Brooklyn); Sails, Cubes and Folds (CR). McClelland was also included along with Jeremy Jansen, Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Serra in the group show Black To Back And Light at CR in 2009. Of that exhibition the Globe and Mail surmised that “..the works of Jansen and McClelland are plenty gritty enough to hold up against the Serras and the Kelly. Indeed they demonstrate the same kind of uncompromising bravura.”

Watch this video by MOCCA, Toronto:


MAYA HAYUK

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(1969, Maryland, US)

With their symmetrical compositions, intricate patterns, and lush colors, Maya Hayuk’s paintings and massively scaled murals recall views of outer space, traditional Ukrainian crafts, airbrushed manicures, and mandalas. The artist weaves visual information from her immediate surroundings into her elaborate abstractions, creating an engaging mix of referents from popular culture and advanced painting practices alike while connecting to the ongoing pursuit of psychedelic experience in visual form. She has painted her iconic outdoor murals all over the world and, when not traveling, maintains an active studio in Brooklyn, sketching in paint to inform the large-scale works. Maya Hayuk sees her studio painting practice and mural making as both inversely relational and symbiotic.

Maya Hayuk earned a BFA in Interrelated Media from Massachusetts College of Art in 1991 and has studied at V.C.U. in Richmond, Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, the University of Odessa in Ukraine and at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. 

Her work has been the subject of one person exhibitions and commissions at venues including The Hammer Museum, LA (2013), The Museum Of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto (2013), Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht (2012) and Socrates Sculpture Park in New York (2011). Aditionally, Maya Hayuk has curated numerous exhibitions, is a member of the Barnstormers collective as well as the Cinders Art Collective and she frequently collaborated with other artists and musicians. She has created album covers, hand-made screenprints, videos, stage sets, photographs and posters for famous musicians such as Rye Rye/M.I.A and The Beastie Boys. Furthermore, she has curated “This Wall could be your Life” (2005 - 2011) on the exterior walls of the now legendary and recently demolished Monster Island/ Secret Project Robot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Watch this video by Hammer Museum:


MATZU

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(1976, Tokyo, Japan)

Tomokazu Matsuyama’s work is similarly influenced by both the austerity of post-war contemporary art and the rough extravagancy of popular culture. Perhaps the most intriguing and insightful in terms of cultural study, his work is a more conscious and introspective response to the tensions of bicultural experience. An upbringing split between Japan and America spurred the questions of national and individual identity that figure prominently in the style and subject matter of his paintings – attempting to parse the “natural chaos” of our social environment, Matsuyama pushes viewers to confront their conceptions of cultural homogeneity, which seems to contradict notions of Japaneseness.

Discerningly appropriating influences from modern art and Japanese art from the Edo and Meiji eras, Matsuyama’s paintings are an aesthetically exciting and culturally fascinating facet, which portrays the lifestyle of this time.

Tomokazu Matsuyama lives and works in NY. As a contemporary artist, Matsuyama exhibits his work internationally showing in galleries and in institutions in cities from Tokyo, Osaka, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Vancouver to institutions such as Asian American Arts Centre.

Watch this interview by plus81:


MARS-1

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MARS-1 (aka Mario Martinez) is an artist who spends most of his time in the right side of his brain, communicating through a visual language. His unique imagery explores possibilities of otherworldly existence through highly developed, multi-layered landscapes. Often employing a fuzzy-logic aesthetic, Mars-1’s artwork has a sentient appearance, like a tulpa—which in mysticism, is the concept of a materialized thought that manifests into physical form. His unique style has been described as urban-Gothic, sci-fi abstracted, quasi-organic form.

Early inspirations include: graffiti, animation, comic book characters, ufology, extraterrestrials, unexplored life, mysteries of the universe, alternate realities and the abstract quality of existence. At the age of 13, Mars-1 began writing graffiti in his hometown of Fresno. He later attended Academy of Art in San Francisco, where he currently lives and works, remaining heavily active in the city’s contemporary art scene.

The true meaning of Mars-1’s imagery is ultimately left to the viewer’s interpretation. The artist feels this brings his creations full-circle, encouraging his audience not only to decipher the messages he wishes to convey but to receive thoughts and ideas of their own, as well.

Watch this video of his studio visit in San Francisco by Friends We Love:


MARIO WAGNER

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(1974)

Mario Wagner lives and works as an artist and illustrator in Berkeley, USA.

His work has been published in renowned anthologies, including 3x3 Magazine and Illustration Now! He also contributed work to advertising campaigns for clients such as ABSOLUT VODKA, Cheerios, IKEA and his work regularly appears in publications such as the New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal and WIRED Magazine. His fine art has been shown in numerous exhibitions in Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London, on art fairs like SCOPE, NADA and Art Basel Miami.

Watch this video of Mario Wagner making an art installation:

MARCO ZAMORA

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(1981, California, US)

Marco Zamora received a BFA from California Institute of the Arts in 2004. His work is inspired by the working class, the chaos of city life, and personal discomfort.

He uses photographic reference for the landscape in his paintings and afterwards improvises figures. The desired result is ‘a beautiful and complex tension between humankind and the urban landscape,’ he says.

Zamora currently lives and works in Los Angeles California. His work has been exhibited across the west coast and in Barcelona, Miami, and Copenhagen.

Watch this video by Converse:


LUCY MCLAUCHLAN

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(1978, Birmingham, England)

Lucy Mclauchlan is a contemporary artist from Birmingham, England. She is part of the "Beat 13!" collective.

In the era of extensive preparation using digital tools, Lucy is noted for her use of permanent materials and a one-take philosophy. In her deft hands this unedited process still results in considered and surprisingly slick executions. While working mainly in black and white she creatures a world rich in experience, and ruled by a passionate instinct.

Lucy's art combines ancient, almost prehistorical influences with a graphic modernist sensibility. The creative epoxy that binds these two disparate references together is Lucy's clear personal vision, resulting in the immediately recognizable style that is a hallmark of many memorable artists. A diaspora of other influences including art deco, psychedelia, naturalism and contemporary female figurative work consolidate its spellbinding charm. Four artworks from Lucy are featured in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert museum.

Watch this video by Walrus TV:


LUCIANO DURAN

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(Kansas, US)

A graphic designer by trade, the well-traveled and always mysterious Duran was born in Kansas, raised in Mexico, and spent time living in Japan before landing at the California College of Arts in San Francisco in 1995, but if you ask him where he’s from, he won’t hesitate to tell you, “Planet Dyatron”. 

In 1983, he got his start spinning records for teenagers at his uncle’s club in Mexico, and has now been on the scene in California for over a decade blowing people’s minds with his massive, rare collection of electronic vinyl, and his equally extensive and arguably outrageous, eclectic cache of vintage eyewear.  He spins with Miami bass champions Soundchasers, has played with Tokyo’s AE35 and Dutch electro’s Legowelt & TLR, and this summer, he will be opening for minimal wave heroes Xeno & Oaklander in Los Angeles before heading back to perform in Japan later this year.

LONDON POLICE

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(1998)

The London Police started in 1998 when big English geezers headed to Amsterdam to rejuvenate the visually disappointing streets of the drug capital of the world.

The motive was to combine travelling and making art to create an amazing way of life not seen since the days of King Solomon. From 2002 onward TLP started sending missionaries into all corners of the globe. Known for their iconic LADS characters and precision marking TLP have recently celebrated 10 strong years in the art world and their work has graced streets and galleries in 35 countries during this time.

London policemen have come and gone but founding members are still known to walk the streets of every city in the world spreading love with pens and stickers.

Watch this video of The London Police painting a mural at Art Basel 2007:

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LOGAN HICKS

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Logan Hicks is a New York-based stencil artist whose work explores the dynamics of the urban environment. Originally a screenprinter, Logan's work has gained notoriety due to his ability to capture the sometimes mundane cycle of city life in a haunting, yet refined way with his hand-sprayed stencils.

Stenciling started as a substitution for screenprinting, but quickly morphed into Logan's medium of choice. A perfect union was conceived by spraypaintingstencils his subjects: the dirty and gritty nature of the spraypaint thoroughly depicted the decay of the city while the muted shine of metallic paint mirrored the faint glimmer of hope and life within it. It is this symbiotic relationship with the city that fuels his work.

With his photorealistic style, Logan draws a parallel between the cold, harsh city and a warm, vibrant organism. It is alive; a breathing creature where the ebb and flow of people washing over its sidewalks act as cells circulating through its veins. Buildings block passageways, walls block views, doors hide openings. The outside world is effectively shut out while the city creates its own reality. Confined spaces on subways, honeycomb living structures; it is a labyrinth of working systems limited only by its border, its 'skin'.

Logan uses his art to explore the microcosm in which he is a cell, just part of a whole. The nuances of city life that epitomize the urban existence are what he dwells upon.

Watch this video of Logan Hicks exploring the nautical in his latest stencil paintings:


LISEL ASHLOCK

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(Northern California, US)

After graduating with a BFA from California College of the Arts in 2002, Lisel Jane Ashlock exchanged West for East, moving to Brooklyn, New York where she currently lives and works as an illustrator & designer. 

Painting on birch panel, drawing with pencil and watercolor or working digitally, each project is executed with a sensitivity and celebration of the natural world. When she's not busy on an illustration project, Lisel can be found designing, photographing, styling, hand-crafting and creative directing for Moomah the Magazine. 

Lisel has received several illustration awards and accolades and her work can be seen in various national publications, books & advertising projects. She received her MFA from School of Visual Arts in 2009.

LAUREN YS

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(Colorado, US)

Lauren YS' work seeks to translate chaos into visual terms, combining graphic and painterly styles to populate various dream-worlds of her making. After receiving her BA from Stanford in English and Art Practice, Lauren moved to San Francisco to become a freelance illustrator, muralist and artist. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area and in Europe, including a solo show and artist residency in Vienna, Austria.

Watch her paint a mural in this video by Street Candy:

LANCE DE LOS REYES

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(1977, Texas, US)

Lance De Los Reyes was born in Texas and studied painting, performance, sculpture and video at the San Francisco Art Institute. After moving to New York City he assisted artist Donald Baechler and has exhibited with The Journal Gallery and Peter Makebish

De Los Reyes is a believer, for what it’s worth, and believes that painting can communicate sacred truths, powerful ideas or important complexities. The artworks feature symbolic imagery, inventive forms, color patterns derived from alchemical tables and beliefs. Many works feature archetypes or concepts that have a pan-global mythological inspiration and take from many archaic belief systems to imbue meaning. Like Julian Schnabel he believes in man, myth and magic in painting and has the power, energy and almost manic intensity to create with similar ambition. Though an emerging artist, he is unafraid to try to “stand on the shoulders of giants” to stretch himself to new heights.

KRUSCH RHOADES

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(1982, US)

Krusch Rhoades spent the formative years of his youth in the “armpit of New York, the shoulders of New England and on the polluted teat of New Jersey.” Since then, Rhoades has travelled all over the country, and currently calls Santa Cruz his home. He has painted, drawn, molded, and scrawled for as long as he can remember.

Rhoades enjoys large scale work, especially when working with spray paint, which he calls the “closest synthesis of dance and paint.” That being said, the artist produces work of all scales regularly, and even paints bicycle frames.

“Paint and bicycles have been the most consistent relationships in my life and have therefore becomes the pillars of my existence,” said Rhoades.

KOZYNDAN

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(Los Angeles, US)

Kozyndan are husband-and-wife artists who work collaboratively to create highly detailed paintings and drawings for both illustration and fine art. 

The pair met while majoring in illustration at California State University, Fullerton. Since then, their projects have included CD covers for bands such as Weezer and The Postal Service, clothing (including lines of illustrated shoes), and posters for companies such as Nike, Inc.

Kozyndan care deeply about the topic of shark finning. In December 2012, Dan Kitchens posted a controversial statement about finning to accompany an Instagram photo of shark fins for sale. He referred to those who engage in the practice of finning as "Chinks" due to Chinese consumption of the shark dorsal fin.

Watch this timelapse video of them painting:


KORALIE

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(1977, Montpellier, France)

Koralie belongs to a new generation of boundary-breaking French artists that has emerged since the turn of the millennium and is now carving its mark on the global scene of street art.

Koralie—originally spelt with a “c”—did not plan to become a street artist. She graduated with a degree in architecture and worked for advertising agencies. But when she moved to Toulouse, in southwest France, graffiti was part of the local landscape and she began mingling with emerging street artists. “They told me: ‘You paint on canvas. You should paint on walls.’” At 22, she traded the canvas for the wall. “I used to think that street art was a lack of modesty: Why should I force people to see my art? Who am I to do that?” she recalls. “But then I thought: Architects do the same thing. They create buildings without asking anyone.”

She went on to become one of the most promising artists of her generation, also dabbling in graphic design and recently creating a highly prized Dunny, an action figure made of soft, smooth vinyl released last year. Her work has been seen on the streets and galleries of Tokyo, Paris, Rome, Munich, Barcelona, San Diego, and San Francisco to name a few. In New York, her work is showcased at the Joshua Liner Gallery in Manhattan. She has collaborated on numerous projects with clothing brands like Billabong, Etnies, Upper Playground, and Carhartt, In addition she has done illustrations for magazines and CD covers.

Watch this video of Koraline and Supakitch: