Lady Aiko has been a hugely influential force in the "urban art” scene for significantly longer than there has even been an “urban art” scene. Since moving from Tokyo to New York in the early 90s Aiko has been a constant presence and has collaborated with or even played a pivotal roll in the early carriers of industry giants such as Takashi Murakami, Faile, Banksy, and Martha Cooper just to name a few. Her solo work focuses primarily on hand cut stencils for which she has developed an instantly recognizable technique. Mixing Japanese aesthetics with images from her travels and life experience as well as pop culture, her work speaks to themes of Feminism, innocence and love. It was a great pleasure to sit down with Aiko during her short trip to Berlin to paint a collaborative mural with Martha Cooper on the facade of the Urban Nation Museum. The post EP 131 – LADY AIKO appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

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EP 131 – LADY AIKO

It is not at all an over exaggeration to say that Paradox (Mr. ParadoxParadise) is one of the most prolific, most unique, and most visible graffiti writer in Berlin, a city full of prolific and unique graffiti writers.  Because of that however, they are extremely secretive and anonymous which is why this episode of VantagePoint is so special.  Paradox exploded into public consciousness through the development and implementation of a special technique of painting graffiti that involves repelling down from the roof of a building and hitting parts of walls that are otherwise completely inaccessible.  Because of this special (and insane) technique his graffiti is vertical rather than horizontal which only adds to it’s uniqueness.  Furthermore, the lettering style Paradox has developed is unlike any other.  What appears to most people as a long lost alien language only reveals itself as letters and words to those who take the time to decipher the code. Recently Mr. Paradox has branched into new methods of output including apparel and fine art sculptures as well as self producing and directing a new feature length film documenting his story (four years in the making) titled “SPIRITUAL LETTERS”.  It was an extreme honor and thrill to finally get to talk to the person behind the mask for this VantagePoint exclusive. The post EP 130 – MR PARADOX PARADISE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 130 – MR PARADOX PARADISE

For some people, turning your hobby into your career can suck all of the fun and passion out of it.  For others, it allows them to do what they love every day and adds an extra level of excitement and motivation.  RAWS stands confidently in the second group.  As a teenager he discovered his love for graffiti.  At university he studied graphic design.  But it wasn’t until after finishing his studies that he realized his true calling fell somewhere between the two.  By blending his design and graffiti aesthetics RAWS has created a specific and unique artistic voice  that can be appreciated by people across a wide spectrum.  His decision to shift his focus from commercial work to fine art has proven to be a wise one with galleries and collectors seeking him out and solo shows lining up one after another. The post EP 129 – RAWS appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 129 – RAWS

Kkade discovered his love of letters while writing graffiti in his youth.  His love became an obsession when studying graphic design at school and realizing that the middle point between letter styles and design is typography. From his small city in Switzerland, Kkade as gained global recognition for his ultra clean and stylized typographical designs and logos as well as his graffiti and murals both individually and as a member of the Schwarzmaler Crew.  Continuing in the rich history of Swiss designers and typography heavy-hitters, Kkade has cemented his place as the ‘go to guy’ for logos and corporate identity from tattoo and streetwear companies to high end restaurants and beyond. The post EP 128 – KKADE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 128 – KKADE

Krimsone and Scott Nagy formed a friendship as kids and dove headfirst into the local graffiti scene together. Years later they casually joined forces and have spent most of the past few years painting full time as a mural duo.  Their explosive use of bold colors and beautifully composed scenes depicting a wide range of native Australian plants and animals have the strange effect of feeling both surreal and familiar at the same time.  The two young artists have had a ton of success acquiring walls and projects across Australia and beyond while developing their skills and artistic voice and are poised to be a real force to reckon with on the mural scene moving forward. The post EP 127 – SCOTT NAGY & KRIMSONE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 127 – SCOTT NAGY & KRIMSONE

I am driving with windows down late at night through the sticky Miami heat to meet an artist who has the name of a sci-fi creature and who’s work deals with portals and dimensions of time and space… I have no idea what to expect.  When I arrive at HOXXOH’s house what I find is a super laid back guy with a lot to say and a small but aggressive dog who wants me to know right off the bat who the real boss is.  As we sit and talk about his work and journey through the art world I realize this space creature’s super power is his drive and thrust for experimentation.  Known mostly for his large-scale murals depicting abstracted colorful circular portals painted with his trademark “flare” marking, it’s actually his studio work where the real magic is found.  Countless hours of experimenting with mechanisms and techniques lead to discoveries that eventually turn into beautifully complex works of art.  Over the next 60 minutes HOXXOH walks me through his fascinating story including a moment of intense tragedy on the job a few years ago and how that moment and all the others in the past decade have lead him to this exact moment in space and time. The post EP 126 – HOXXOH appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 126 – HOXXOH

Li-Hill was born and raised in Canada but it was while living in Brooklyn that he made his bones in the art world. His rare ability to translate his work across mediums and scale and from 2D to 3D sets him apart and makes him the envy of many artists. From small studio paintings and sculptures to massive murals and public art installations, Li-Hill's work illustrates the intersection between the natural and man-mad world through a beautifully unique and energetic visual language. Although the subject of his work is the relationship between opposite forces such as technology and the natural world, or man vs. animal, ironically it is the beautiful symmetry and symbiotic relationship between these opposing elements that the viewer experiences through his work. The post EP 125 – LI-HILL appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 125 – LI-HILL

In the late 90s Akut together with two friends formed a crew that would become one of the most influential crews in one of the largest art movements in the history of art.  It sounds like an insane statement to make, but the fact is that Akut and the MaClaim crew were expanding the boundaries of what could be done with a spray can and inspiring countless numbers of artists who would later go on to form the beginnings of the new muralism and urban contemporary art scene.  In just 4 years they managed to introduce a level of photorealism into the graffiti scene that hadn’t been seen before and even had a hand in designing one of the most popular and respected spray paint brands in the world.  In 2004 Akut transitioned into a new chapter of his career when he linked up with fellow german artist Hera and formed the powerhouse duo Herakut which quickly became one of the most respected and sought after names in the urban contemporary world.  With high profile gallery shows and landmark murals across the globe and a 20 year career under his belt, it was an incredible honor and pleasure to sit down with Akut in his Berlin studio for a coffee and a chat. The post EP 124 – AKUT appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 124 – AKUT

Brad Eastman, better known as Beastman, has spent the past decade cementing his place as a leading figure in the Sydney art scene. Although murals and studio work have always been the core of Eastman’s career, the diversity of his work and output is perhaps his most impressive superpower.  His ability to balance high-profile commercial campaigns with international brands against intimate gallery exhibitions and community projects is a  skill often overlooked in the art world.  In the past 10 years his work has slowly evolved from very illustrative creature based paintings with strong black outlines to bright geometrical abstract work seemingly void of figure at all.  The diversity of his visual world is paralleled by the diversity of media he uses to create it.  From aerosol and acrylic to sight specific installation with found objects and a wide range of digital work including video and mapping, Eastman remains consistent and authentic across the board. The post EP 123 – BEASTMAN appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 123 – BEASTMAN

To say that Mode2 is a pioneer of graffiti is a monumental understatement. His aesthetic in the early 80s and the crews he formed and associated with would influence the way that graffiti and especially graffiti characters would look for the next 40 years. In 1987 his work was chosen to be on the cover of Spaycan Art, a book that would become something of a bible within the graffiti world and helped spread the art form around the globe making Mode2 a household name within the scene. His experience and intellect have him widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on graffiti and hip hop culture and when speaking with him one gets a sense that he has forgotten more about painting and writing than most of us will ever have the chance to learn. The post EP 122 – MODE2 appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 122 – MODE2

Fintan Magee has often been referred to as one of Australia's leading muralists but the truth is he’s been at the top of the heap globally for nearly a decade and gets nothing but the utmost respect from every other painter around the world.  Although humans are the central imagery in his somewhat surreal paintings, the thought and meaning behind each piece go far beyond portraiture.  With themes touching on a wide range of social and environmental topics Magee’s work is powerful and meaningful without being overt or accusatory.  Through his uniquely beautiful technique of mixing loose suggestive brushstrokes with tighter fully rendered areas, he allows the viewer to have a reaction to the underlying themes while still experiencing the beauty and skill of the artwork.   Mysteriously Magee somehow maintains a thriving studio and gallery practice with shows all over the world, while perpetually having one of the busiest travel schedules in the scene.   The post EP 121 – FINTAN MAGEE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 121 – FINTAN MAGEE

Born in the Netherlands, raised in Australia, and educated in New York City, the diverse backstory of Kaili Smith parallels the diversity of the work he makes.  He first entered the VantagePoint radar a few years ago when his large narrative paintings of urban youth began popping up all over social media.  The work had a strength and confidence about it and brilliantly straddled the space between contemporary and classical painting.  Upon further investigation however, one quickly realizes that painting is just one aspect of this multifaceted and accomplished artist.  At the ripe age of just 25 he has experience in writing and directing films, installation art, oil painting, performance art, graffiti, photography, acting, and documentary films.  The future is bright for Mr. Smith and it was a pleasure to sit down with him for a transcontinental interview coinciding with the opening of his current solo show “A Utopia Where The Problems Art Not Fixed” at Thinkspace Gallery in LA. The post EP 120 – KAILI SMITH appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 120 – KAILI SMITH

Southern California legend Jeff Soto found big success in the early 2000’s with his mashup style combining graffiti and illustrative imagery with traditional painting techniques.  His very distinctive artistic voice eventually caught the attention of Juxtapoz magazine and in 2004 landed him on the cover which introduced the world outside of California to his work and things really took off from there.  High profile gallery shows and murals coinciding with the rise in popularity of street art blogs and magazines put Jeff in the drivers seat as one of the leading artists of the movement.  Over a 20 year career Jeff has weathered the ups and downs of the art market and weaved in and out of various parallel careers such as commercial illustration and teaching at Universities.  One thing that has not changed over that time is his love for and devotion to creating art.  His work continues to evolve and inspire and it was an honor to finally have him on VantagePoint. The post EP 119 – JEFF SOTO appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 119 – JEFF SOTO

The work of Los Angeles based painter Augustine Kofie is visual jazz… an improvised expression of a moment in time, and possibly the artist himself, laid down with a technical precision and delicate subtlety only he is capable of. His paintings are an amalgamation of experiences and influences absorbed over decades of being acutely tuned in to his environment. With no formal training, Kofie found his entrance into the arts through graffiti as a teenager, eventually feeling the limitations of the letter forms he began to expand and abstract his work. Before long the letters were nearly unrecognizable if not gone all together, replaced by undefined fields of colour washes and geometric structure. In the early 2000’s it became clear that artists all over the globe were having similar thoughts… to take this one common influence of graffiti and twist it and blow it out into something completely different. By 2010 Kofie and a handful of other artists were at the helm of a driving movement known as Graffuturism inspiring a new generation of artists to approach art making in a whole new light. With an impressive catalogue of international exhibitions and an ever expanding collector base Kofie continues to push his work and keep it fresh experimenting with materials and textures in his own ‘retro-futuristic’ way. The post EP 118 – AUGUSTINE KOFIE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 118 – AUGUSTINE KOFIE

Psychedelic spiritual journeys in the Mexican jungle… beach bumming on the Australian coast… snowy vandal missions blasting 2 story high fire extinguisher tags on Brooklyn rooftops, to ELLE it’s all part of the same story, a mission to compile a life and livelyhood out of a continuous string of momentous adventures.  A keen eye will notice the same evolution in her work over the past decade.  Years of experimentation and absorbing techniques and ideas has lead ELLE through various stages and styles in her career.  A few years ago however, her true artistic voice began to emerge and as no surprise to anyone manifested itself into what can only be described as collage… just without any actual collage.  A collection of visual elements from a vast range of influences brought together to form a single image painted almost exclusively with spray paint on walls and large canvases.  With powerful feminine themes and an intensely bold color palette, ELLE’s work is deeply biographic but to the viewer remains universal and anonymous, a feat not easily accomplished. The post EP 117 – ELLE appeared first on VANTAGE POINT RADIO .

EP 117 – ELLE

Urban Art , Post Graffiti , Graffiti, Street Art, Contemporary Art

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