Featuring three amazing, generation-changing artists from the Bronx and Bristol; The Collaborations which has just opened on the 21st of July, 2017 at Above Second feature the works by graffiti writers Crash @crashone and BIO @biotatscru, and a stencil master from Bristol, Nick Walker @nickwalker_art.
Walker, who is now one of the world’s leading stencil master, is recognized by his Vandal character, which came to be because he was “dressing inconspicuously in a pinstripe suite and bowler hat in order to paint multiple stencils without attracting attention” in the 1990s. Continuing to hand cut his stencils to this day, his flat style which depicts realism and architectural scenes not only responds to social and political issues with a twist of humor, they also “embrace both the precision of stencils and the fluidity of spray paint… (and) meshes conventional graffiti with the crisp and duplicative properties of stencil.”
Crash, whose name came from the incident of how he crashed the computer at school, became highly recognized after he curated for “the ground-breaking “Graffiti Art Success for America” at Fashion MODA, launching the graffiti movement that has remained very active through today”. He has also successfully pushed his own train yard bombings straight into numerous museums and galleries as permanent collections.
Bio, who is a part of the globally known graffiti collective Tats Cru, is not just a street artist, but also an artist recognized for merging graffiti art with fine art. His heart motif, which became highly successful due to his solo show “Heart” at Wallworks NYC in April 2016, is now his signature. Not to mention, he is also known for “his mastery in lettering and intuitively developed sense of colors and composition, as well as his organizational skills.”
Incorporating their strengths in colors, symbols, and motifs; the exhibition combines each artists’ signature style together to create a visually stimulating show. “From the moment we started, we all felt that this was a special moment- that these pieces were going to be strong, creative, and fun. We pushed each other and the results speak for themselves… The pieces came to life from the beginning, and we are proud of our accomplishments,” said Crash.
Photo Credit: Arrested Motion March 8, 2017
