Martins work features with festivals, projects and walls globally. whether immersing entirely or embellishing a detail, the images disappear beneath expressive, spray-painted strokes of assorted colours and textures. True to form, no gray space stays gray for long in Martins presence. The ashen tones of the compositions and vacant backgrounds are reminiscent of his alternative canvases, the concrete. Almost stylised, these minimal figures are constructed of a few layers of hand-cut stencils. Delicate and organic characters feature butterflies, ballerinas and animals all rendered in empty grayscale space. With as many works on walls as on canvas and paper, the relationship between vulnerability and strength remains constant in each work. This balance would come to define his creative approach. The evolution moved him closer to a simple yet effective aesthetic he believed could bridge the gap between the passion and spontaneity Graffiti held for him, with the fragility and transience of nature. In the early 2000s, this interest in layers became more literal with the introduction of stencils into his work. The same deconstructive processes can be seen in his creative influences of Jose Parla and Cy Twombly. The physical architecture of the city was a constant inspiration, the elaboration and destruction of each generation contributing to the urban infrastructure. Growing up in Oslo Norway, Martin was an active part of the emerging graffiti scene of the early 90’s which at the time maintained zero tolerance. His works can be seen to mirror the rise and fall of the streets, as he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then vandalises it to reveal his vibrant transformations. Over the past decade, Martin has developed an unmistakable aesthetic combining abstract movement with figurative stencilled compositions. His solo exhibitions have been shown in cities such as Tokyo, Los Angeles, London and New York.Īrt Shortlist is proud to present a selection of works by artist Martin Whatson.Martin Whatson (b.1984) is a Norwegian street artist best known for his calligraphic scribbles in grayscale voids. Gradually, urban artists have entered the art galleries. We find delicate and organic characters such as butterflies, ballerinas, animals all placed in a space that seems empty on a gray background. Martin Whatson creates as much on wall as on canvas or paper, the relationship between strength and vulnerability remains constant and present in each work. From this balance comes his new artistic approach. In the early 2000s, stencils were introduced into his artistic work, an evolution that brought him closer to a simplified but more effective aesthetic that, according to him, could bridge the gap between the passion and spontaneity of graffiti on the one hand and the fragility and transience of nature on the other. Martin Whatson is also very sensitive to the processes of deconstruction carried out by Jose Parla and Cy Twombly. At that time, there was zero tolerance by the government and police, so it was difficult to create walls without taking risks.Īrchitecture is for him a constant inspiration, the evolution and deconstruction of cities fascinates him. Growing up in the city of Oslo, Norway, Martin was an important part of the emerging local graffiti scene in the early 1990s. Martin Whatson's pictorial world is filled with anomalies and contradictions that require the viewer to linger over the work. The artist considers his works as a reflection of the rise and fall of the city streets, in his creations he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then personalizes it in his own way. His style is unique and recognizable, Martin has developed an aesthetic that combines figurative stencil compositions and abstract movements. It is in Oslo that the artist made his weapons, he studied art and graphic design within the school of communication Westerdals.įor more than ten years, Martin Whatson has been collaborating with some of the biggest names in his field and has managed to make himself known and appreciated by important collectors all over the world. Today he is considered one of the key players in contemporary urban art, more commonly known as street art. Martin Whatson was born in Norway in 1984.
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