Stencil graffiti
Encyclopedia
Stencil graffiti makes use of a paper, cardboard, or other media to create an image or text that is easily reproducible. The desired design is cut out of the selected medium and then the image is transferred to a surface through the use of spray paint or roll-on paint.
The process of stenciling involves applying paint across a stencil
to form an image on a surface below. Sometimes multiple layers of stencils are used on the same image to add colours or create the illusion of depth.
Those who make and apply stencils have many motivations. For some, it is an easy method to produce a political message. Many artists appreciate the publicity that their artwork can receive. And some just want their work to be seen. Since the stencil stays uniform throughout its use, it is easier for an artist to quickly replicate what could be a complicated piece at a very quick rate, when compared to other conventional tagging methods.
One of the best known graffiti artists who uses stencils extensively is Banksy
.
Stencil graffiti subculture has been around for the last thirty years. John Fekner
is one of the first artists to place his work outdoors, starting in 1968. Fekner's stencil Wheels Over Indian Trails greeted motorists and international travelers arriving in New York City
at the Pulaski Bridge Queens Midtown Tunnel from 1979-1990. The message remained untouched for 11 years, until Earth Day 1990, when Mr. Fekner, feeling the piece had run its course, painted over it.
Famous French artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest
's stencilled silhouette of a nuclear bomb victim was spray painted in the south of France in 1966 (Plateau d'Albion, Vaucluse)
Hugo Kaagman (from Holland) started graffiti in 1969 and spraypainted his first street stencil in 1977.
Blek le Rat
's first spray painted stencils were seen in Paris in 1981 and Jef Aerosol
started in Tours in 1982.They continue to work outdoors. Le Rat was influenced by the graffiti artists of New York City but wanted to create something of his own.
Australian photographer Rennie Ellis
documented some of the earliest examples of stencil art to appear in Sydney
and Melbourne
in his 1985 book The All New Australian Graffiti. In the introduction to the book, Ellis noted that US photographer Charles Gatewood had written to him and sent him photographs of similar stencil graffiti that had recently appeared in New York City
, leading Ellis to speculate that:
Over the years this form of graffiti has become a worldwide subculture. The members are linked through the Internet and the images spray-painted on the urban canvas they place throughout the world. Many of its members connect through blogs and websites that are specifically built to display works, get feedback on posted works, and receive news of what is going on in the world of stencil graffiti. Stencil graffiti is illegal and many of the members of this subculture shroud their identities in aliases. Banksy
, Above
, Jef Aérosol
, Bride Campaign, Blek le Rat
, Vhils
, 157, Skeczh, and Shepard Fairey
are some names that are synonymous with this subculture. As for local stencil artists, they are fairly veiled and are hard to reach.
The process of stenciling involves applying paint across a stencil
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
to form an image on a surface below. Sometimes multiple layers of stencils are used on the same image to add colours or create the illusion of depth.
Those who make and apply stencils have many motivations. For some, it is an easy method to produce a political message. Many artists appreciate the publicity that their artwork can receive. And some just want their work to be seen. Since the stencil stays uniform throughout its use, it is easier for an artist to quickly replicate what could be a complicated piece at a very quick rate, when compared to other conventional tagging methods.
One of the best known graffiti artists who uses stencils extensively is Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
.
John Fekner
John Fekner is an innovative artist who created hundreds of environmental and conceptual outdoor works consisting of stenciled words, symbols, dates and icons spray painted in New York, Sweden, Canada, England and Germany in the 70s and 80s...
is one of the first artists to place his work outdoors, starting in 1968. Fekner's stencil Wheels Over Indian Trails greeted motorists and international travelers arriving in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the Pulaski Bridge Queens Midtown Tunnel from 1979-1990. The message remained untouched for 11 years, until Earth Day 1990, when Mr. Fekner, feeling the piece had run its course, painted over it.
Famous French artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
Ernest Pignon-Ernest is a Fluxus and Situationist French artist.-Overview:His first work was done in 1966. It was a reaction to France's Nuclear Strike Force. In 1971, he exhibited posters depicting scenes from the Commune. In 1978-1979, his posters of Arthur Rimbaud could be seen all over France....
's stencilled silhouette of a nuclear bomb victim was spray painted in the south of France in 1966 (Plateau d'Albion, Vaucluse)
Hugo Kaagman (from Holland) started graffiti in 1969 and spraypainted his first street stencil in 1977.
Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” .-Early career and Influence:...
's first spray painted stencils were seen in Paris in 1981 and Jef Aerosol
Jef Aérosol
Jef Aérosol is a French stencil graffiti artist. He has been one of the main urban art proponents in France since 1982. He was born in Nantes. He belongs to the very first street art pioneers of the early 80s like Blek le Rat, Miss.Tic, Jérôme Mesnager, Speedy Graphito.He spray painted his first...
started in Tours in 1982.They continue to work outdoors. Le Rat was influenced by the graffiti artists of New York City but wanted to create something of his own.
Australian photographer Rennie Ellis
Rennie Ellis
Reynolds Mark "Rennie" Ellis was an Australian social and social documentary photographer who also worked, at various stages of his life, as an advertising copywriter, seaman, lecturer, and television presenter...
documented some of the earliest examples of stencil art to appear in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in his 1985 book The All New Australian Graffiti. In the introduction to the book, Ellis noted that US photographer Charles Gatewood had written to him and sent him photographs of similar stencil graffiti that had recently appeared in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, leading Ellis to speculate that:
- "... unlike our subway-style graffiti, which is nothing more than a copy of a well-established New York tradition, the symbols of Australia and America had originated separately and unknown to each other."
Over the years this form of graffiti has become a worldwide subculture. The members are linked through the Internet and the images spray-painted on the urban canvas they place throughout the world. Many of its members connect through blogs and websites that are specifically built to display works, get feedback on posted works, and receive news of what is going on in the world of stencil graffiti. Stencil graffiti is illegal and many of the members of this subculture shroud their identities in aliases. Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
, Above
Above (artist)
ABOVE has been creating public art since 1995. Above is an international street artist who keeps his identity concealed. Above is known for his multi-layer/full color social and political stencils, spinning wooden "arrow mobile" installations, and large mural "word play" paintings. Above started...
, Jef Aérosol
Jef Aérosol
Jef Aérosol is a French stencil graffiti artist. He has been one of the main urban art proponents in France since 1982. He was born in Nantes. He belongs to the very first street art pioneers of the early 80s like Blek le Rat, Miss.Tic, Jérôme Mesnager, Speedy Graphito.He spray painted his first...
, Bride Campaign, Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” .-Early career and Influence:...
, Vhils
VHILS
VHILS is the tag name of Portuguese graffiti/street artist Alexandre Farto He gained prominence when his work of a face carved into a wall appeared alongside a picture by street artist Banksy at the Cans Festival in London in 2008...
, 157, Skeczh, and Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
are some names that are synonymous with this subculture. As for local stencil artists, they are fairly veiled and are hard to reach.
Further reading
- Smallman, Jake; Nyman, Carl, Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne, West New York, NJ : Mark Batty Publisher, October 1, 2005. ISBN 0-9762245-3-4
- Tarantino, A (2011): Seattle Street Art - A Visual Time Capsule Beyond Graffiti, Createspace, ISBN 061545190X
See also
- AboveAbove (artist)ABOVE has been creating public art since 1995. Above is an international street artist who keeps his identity concealed. Above is known for his multi-layer/full color social and political stencils, spinning wooden "arrow mobile" installations, and large mural "word play" paintings. Above started...
- BanksyBanksyBanksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
- BorfBorfBorf was a graffiti campaign seen in and around Washington, D.C. during 2004 and 2005, carried out by John Tsombikos while studying at the Corcoran College of Art and Design...
- Faile (artist collective)
- John FeknerJohn FeknerJohn Fekner is an innovative artist who created hundreds of environmental and conceptual outdoor works consisting of stenciled words, symbols, dates and icons spray painted in New York, Sweden, Canada, England and Germany in the 70s and 80s...
- MeekMeek (street artist)Meek is a notable street artist operating out of Melbourne, Australia, and specialising in the sub-genre of Stencil graffiti....
- Alexandre OrionAlexandre OrionAlexandre Orion is a Brazilian graffiti artist and photographer.He gained attention for his exhibition Metabiotics in 2006, a graffiti/photography project in which he painted graffiti pieces with white and black latex paint and photographed people interacting with them...
- Posterchild (street artist)Posterchild (street artist)Posterchild is the nom de plume of a street artist based in Toronto, Canada who may be best known for his Mario Blocks project, the purpose of which is to install homemade Mario blocks in public spaces...
- Reverse GraffitiReverse graffitiReverse graffiti, also known as clean tagging, dust tagging, grime writing, green graffiti or clean advertising, is a method of creating temporary or semi permanent images on walls or other surfaces by removing dirt from a surface...
- UndenkUndenkUndenk is an underground street art group based in Germany and Australia, operating worldwide. Due to its conspirative nature, an exact number of members remains unknown....
- VHILSVHILSVHILS is the tag name of Portuguese graffiti/street artist Alexandre Farto He gained prominence when his work of a face carved into a wall appeared alongside a picture by street artist Banksy at the Cans Festival in London in 2008...
- Red goats of KingstonRed goats of KingstonThe red goats of Kingston is a controversial public art display which appeared in the stockade district of Kingston, New York in October, 2011. The artists responsible for the goats, which were stenciled on newly-installed planters in front of area businesses, were apprehended and charged with...