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TRISTAN MANCO

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 IN MEMORY O f JULES BACKUS

In 1993. attracted to Ihe cracked and crumbling walls 01 Pans and the
stencilled images he encountered Illere, Ame,,,,,n art,st and photographer
Jules Backus began a !ioerles of photographs 01 Pans stencils that was the
focus 01 hIS work for the last loul years of hIS 1,le. HIS legacy 01 beauhlul
p hotogr aphs was kIndly made avarlable 10' th,s book by Ma.y Peacock. hIS
partner and curalor of the tourmg e�hlblh(l(l of hIS WOfk "Ambush ,n the
SIIet!ts',

p. I TypeWriters by Pablo Fiasco; artw ork by Nicola Medhk

p. 2 To p row, Steps. GreenWich V il lage, New Y(lfk, Pawpnn\s on pavement.

New York: 3·D stencil by Pafls. BedmInster Skate Park. 811$101: Op Ar!.
Brighton, 2nd row; New Underwear pavement stenc,1. New York: Anti·
Abortoon, New York; I love Porno. New York; Sex: All You Can Eat, New
York; 3rd row: Sodomy Forever, New York: Easter tstand Statue, Bedminster
Skate Park, Bnstol; InSider or OutSider?, Art Act,vism by eec, Balt,more;
Deslgnatee MU5eum, Art ActiVism by eee, Baltimore: 4th row: Ant"
AbortIOn, New York; Figure on pavement, New York; Venal LA. Los Angeles;
F ly bclamatlOn, Barcelona; Souom row: S how Oft, Bllghton: Art Actwism
by eec, Baltimore: Thret! hgures, Bedminster Skate Pa,k, Bristol; Robbie
the Robot, Bedmln&ler Skate Park, Bllstol

p, 3 Cutting board

ThiS page: To p row: Bus numbers, East Thailand; Electroolcs company Sign,
Thaitand: 2nd row: Bus, East Thailand; Men at Work, stencil on trUCk,
Thailand: 3rd row: Ta�1 company, East Thailand; 'Dange" Death', electllclty
warmng, CamOOdia: Bottom row; Danger notice, Angkor Wat, CamOOdla,
Bus company, Tha ilan d

OpPOSite: Che stenc,I, Chlapas, Me�lco

Any copy of this book issuee by the pub lis her as a paperback is SO ld
sublect to the co ndi tion that It shall not by way of trade or otherwi5e be
lent. resold, hiree out or otherwi5e cllculatee Without the publisher's prior
con5ent in any lorm 01 bl OOmg or cO'Ier other than that in which It is
pubhshee and Without a Similar condition including these wordS being
imposed on a subsequent purcha5er.

Fllst pubhshee in the Umtee Kingdom ill 2oo2!:1y Thames & Huds on LId,
181A High Holborn, London W C I V 7QX

C 2002 Tristan Manco

All Rights Reser�. No part 01 this publlcatloo may be reproducee or

HC[SS transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical.
including photocopy, recording or any ot her mlormatlOn storage and
I\IIErTEll�
�,,� retrieval system. Wi thout Prior permission in wrltong trom the publisher

HCES 8,it,sh library Cataloguing·m·Publicat,on Data

A catalogue record lor thiS book is avaitable from the 8r1\1Sh library

INTEH::IT ISBN 0·500·28342·7

Printed and bound in China

 [: II N T F. N T 5
INCOMING 7

history of stencil art· history of stencil graffili . stencil style

liN TilE !iTllEET 16

ROP ART 18

objects· sex objects· comicbook heroes' cult heroes

music legends· screen stars· tribal· zoo

MAKE YOUR MARK 34

blek . nerno & jerome mesnager • miss-tic· nylon

bananensprayer . figures· faces· life & birth· good & evil

on the edge . skates . djs . comics . soccer . protest

obey campaign. codes· the toasters· words· poetry

liN •• IIFF TilE !iTllEET

banksy . bonehead· nano4814 . gerardo yepiz • bernie reid & paris

IIFF TilE !iTllEET 88

swifty & ian wright· logan hicks· sunil pawar • nick walker

milch· christopher beUig • shepard faifey • chris francis

dave kinsey· steff plaetz • chris stain

 IN A WORLD SATURATED THE IDEA OF USING THE URBAN

WITH HIGH-PRICED CORPORATE WRITING GRAFFITI IS ABOUT lAND';CAPE ACo A r;ANVA�

IMAGERY, BEYOND JUST HAVING THE MOST HONEST WAY YOU REMAINS C )N; AW IF YC �

A CHARMING CAN BE AN ARTIST IT TAKES NO WANT Tl GET yl)UR PIJINT

AESTHETIC , THE STENCIL IS MONEY TO DO IT, YOU DON'T ACR(,S, HERE S ONLY )NF WAY

A CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE WAY NEED AN EDUCATION TO TO DC IT GET V' �R MESSAGE

FOR AN ARTIST OR ACTIVIST TO UNDERSTAND IT AND THERE'S TO WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN SEE

PUT THEIR WORK IN FRONT OF NO AOMISSION FEE_ IT POSTER, STICKER, STENCIL

THE PUBLIC AND LEVEL THE AND COVER THE STREETS

Banksy
PLAYING FIELD SIGNS, WALLS ANO WHATEVER

ELSE IS OUT THERE

Shepard Fairey

MY DRIVE IS THE NEED TO SEE Dave Kinsey

ART ON BLANK SPACES, TO

BREATHE LIFE INTO OERELICT

SITES IT OFTEN MAKES PEOPLE

STREET STENCILS ARE THINK TWICE ABOUT

BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BOOBY-TRAPS VANDALIZING THEM, UST AS WHAT INTERESTS ME IS THAT A

OF INFORMATION LYING IN WAIT; YOU WOULDN'T THROW A PIECE STENCIL IS 'OPEN' ONE

AESTHETIC GIFTS LEFT BEHIND OF WOOD OWO THE FIRE IF PERSON WILL SEE ONE THING ,

AS URBAN fOLK ART, IT WERE CARVE[ INTO A ANOTHER SOMETHING ELSE

SIMULTANEOUSLY REVEALING BEAUTIFUL FIGURE C'R ANIMAL THE MORE PEOPLE SEE

AND CONCEALING THEIR OIFFERENT THINGS IN M V

Nylon
PURPOSE POCHOJRS, THE MORE I 'WIN',

Western Cell Division Nemo

Street art IS both an expression of our culture and a counterculture in paints, in ever-mutating and creative ways. Showcased here are over 400

itself. 'CommunicallOn' has become a modern mantra: the city streets examples of contemporary stenCilled works, their innovation and Vitality

shout with billboards, fly posters and corporate advertising, all vying for achieved With new materials, methods and approaches.

our attention, They almost invite a subversive response. As high-tech Many of these photographs are time capsules of city walls, a great

communications have il'lCreasecl, a low-tech reacllOn has been the recent number of which have since been kllOCked down or the images on

explosion in street art. them been destroyed. Each City's street architecture has ItS own colour

The street is a unique and powertul platform; a frontline on which and feeling, and each wall tells a unique story. Settings and situations

artists can express themselves, transmitting their personal visions directly give a flavour of a location, and there is always a beauty in the ghostly

to the public at the same level as official messages. No other art form quality of the stencilled image against the tints and textures of a town's

interacts in this way With our daily lives, using our urban space as its decaying walls,

surtace. The aim of the book is to lake a worldwide look at stencil art, its

In parallel With the accelerated communications of modern techno­ history, its applications in commercial art, its relationships to street

logy, images and ideas are spreading like viruses over walls across the signage, the urban environment and other forms of graffiti.

world. These walls are experimental, uncensored and collaborative The book is dedicated to the pioneers and to the new movement of

spaces, and the simple and effective beauty of stencilled graffiti offers street and graphiC artists who are pushing the form with new styles and

great scope for expression, Irom protest art to poetry. There is a global techniques, both on and off the streets.

new wave of artists who are discovering and expanding the possibilities

of the medium. ThiS new work IS strong in both form and ideas, using
HISTORY OF STENCIL ART
humour and irony to convey important and thought-provoking messages

about today's society. A stel'lCil is essentially a template which can be painted through With a

Street arts are hybndiling, too. Inspired by street works, artists are paint-brush or spray-paint. It is thought to be one of the earliest art

Increasingly using stencils on canvas, metal, T-shirts, textiles, paper and techniques and ItS origins go back to cave paintings produced around

in the digital realm. Designers of all kinds, fine artists and graffiti artists 22,000 years ago. Alongside silhouetted anthropomorphic figures, hand

are expanding horizons With mixed media applications. Often multl­ silhouettes were produced by blowing paint around a hand placed on a

diSCiplined, today's stel'lCil graffiti artists are using stencils With fly surtace to create an inverted imprint. This simple idea prOVed very

posters, SliCkers, collage and freehand painting, using spray- and other adaptable throughout history and across the globe.

Oppos'te Jeh to ngh!. Peter Gabr,elfhghtcase: Space Invader, Pans: Hand stenc,l,london, Obey Star by Shepard falrey and Radlohead stencil, Melrose, California, Hand 01 Fatima,
Pall$, background , PDflrlllt 01 Nylon Below left 10 nght Viva Zapala, Ba,celona, lOUIS Armst rong, Pans, 'Post No 8illS', Paris, Heart, Bllghton

7
 ,
-�-
. , .

If:! �fJ:IJ�\iII(iE

Above left \0 fight: BUSier Keaton by Blek. Paris: £1 ChoqUlt o (The Squid) by Nan048J4, Bflx\on, Loodon; Obey G;an\ by Shepard Fairey. Hong Kong

leather and papyrus templates were used to decorate the inner walls By the late 19505 and '60s, American artists like Robert
of the Egyptian pyramids. The Chinese cut stencils from paper to decorate Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol had developed new screen·printing

silk with Buddha figures and ornamental devices. The method travelled techniques and visual ideas that had a great impact on art and design.

from Asia to Europe and was used as a decorative technique from the Warhol, in particular, was a Pop art pioneer: his work used the flat, vivid

medieval period through to the 19305 on church walls, floors, furniture, colours of product packaging to make iconographic images inspired by
textiles and wallpaper. commercial art and popular culture. Rauschenberg also used mass-media

During the Art Nouveau and the Art Deco periods, the technique of imagery, as well as found and personal photography, but his work was

pochoir (the French word for hand-colouring by means of stencils) was more expressive and hand-made than pure Pop. In his screen-print work
developed in France for limited-edition prints and posters. The pochoir he experimented with different textural surfaces, adding hand-painted

method was an extremely costly and laborious process in which a design areas and collage-like overlays to create new fusions. Even if they did

was built up with metal stencils, each coloured by hand using gouache not use actual stencil templates, both Warhol and Rauschenberg, with
paint, creating the illusion of watercolour or oil paintings. their hybrid of techniques and Pop imagery, are forerunners of today's
In the 1930s the more sophisticated stencil process of screen printing stencil artists.

was developed as a means of mass-producing artwork. Screen printing Stencilling is still used as an interior decoration method and, more

uses a silk screen which allows ink to go through mesh; blocked areas functionally, as a graphic method for printing and signage, from
are resisted. Chemical and photomechanical processes enabled artists packaging to traffic notices. Appropriating this technique, graffiti artists
to create more complex designs than was possible with ordinary cut- also use stencils to communicate their ideas in a free and ephemeral
out stencils. form of artistic expression.

8
HISTORY OF STENCIL GRAFFITI

The origins of stencil graffiti are often associated with the Latin countries Blek painted works on the Leo Castelli Gallery and other strategic points,

of Southern Europe and South America. During the Second World War, and Mesnager plastered them everywhere.

Italian fascists used stencils to paint images of II Duce as propaganda. As a movement. stencilling and other forms of street artwork took off
The Basques and the Mexicans used the same technique in protests in New York in Ihe early 1980s - a result of the boom in gallery art and,
during the 19705. From these roots, stencil graffiti developed into a true in part. the arrival of the art school new wave and punk. The modern

art form. concept of graffiti was conceived in New York and the term is still most

In Paris, in the early 1980$, the strong traditions of protest art strongly identified with 'hip·hop' or 'New York style' graffiti. The first 'tags'
combined with an Art Deco decorative tradition and many other factors (usually names or nicknames) appeared around the city in the late

to produce something completely new. One of its originators and innova­ 1960s. By the '70s these had become bigger, turning into 'pieces', short
tors was Blek Ie Rat, who came across the poehair method while studying for 'masterpieces'. They then began to include more pictorial elements, as

at the Ecole des Beaux·Arts, famed for its role in the 1968 Paris strikes. well as increasing innovations in typography and style. The movement
The Atelier Populaire was formed there by the faculty and students of the soon became international and its styles and forms continue to develop
lithographic department to produce the first poster of the revolution. and mutate. Today it is the dominant form of graffiti and so has appropri­
Blek felt himself connected to this legacy but his inspiration came ated the term.

when he and a friend, Gerard, were working at an adventure playground Graffiti, however, is a vast subject with its own references, languages
for youngsters. The playground was just behind a supermarket. from and forms. In this book I describe graffitied stencils as 'stencil graffiti' but

which aerosol cans were being 'liberated' and used to decorate the cabin not everyone would agree with Ihis definition. Graffiti art, as an idea. has
where the pair were storing their gear. Having been bitten by the bug, always existed alongside other artistic endeavours, the difference being
Blek and Gerard decided to get themselves some cans. Their first that it is a mode of self-expression using methods that are seen as
attempts at spray·can art were crude, so Blek, who remembered seeing criminal, or outside the conventional art world, rather than specifically
the image of Mussolini on walls in Italy during his childhood. suggested sanctioned or commissioned art.
stencilling. They chose the name 'Blek' as a reference to a cartoon book. Graffiti (sgraffiti), meaning drawings or scribblings on a flat surface
At the time Paris was like a blank canvas. From 1982 onwards the and deriving from the Italian sgraffio ('scratch'), willl a nod to the Greek
duo became bolder and bolder in their sorties, and on New Year's Eve graphein ('to write'), originally referred to those marks found on ancient
they hit that shrine of the art elite, the Pompidou Centre, with a plague Roman architecture. The term is now associated with the twentieth­
of rats, tanks and figures. At the end of 1983 the partners separated and century urban environment, where it covers anything from simple marks
Blek took the pseudonym for himself. to compleK and colourful compositions. This broad definition includes all
Blek's enthusiasm for the art form soon ignited a whole movement. styles from tags to political graffiti, and all methods from spray-cans.
During summer 1984 other stencils began to appear in Paris. The first paint-brushes and marker-pens to stickers and stencils.
were signed 'Marie Rouffet' and 'Surface Active'. Blek describes this Within all graffiti activism there tend to be both destructive and
development: 'It was a new kind of language and a dialogue developed creative forces. Some graffiti is over-ridingly about defacement - window­
between us. This is now one of the main reasons that I work in urban scratching, tagging and throwups (usually rapidly eKecuted bubble letters
space. I had a presence for thousands of people who I didn·t know and or simple pieces using few colours). These are specifically aimed at
would never meet. and yet I had a firm feeling of eKisting and speaking getting the most coverage possible. Although some defend this activity as
to them out of the anonymity and isolation of urban surroundings.' an issue of free eKpression or claiming of public space, most people would
Blek and Jerome Mesnager, another Parisian pioneer of street art, condemn its destructiveness. With the more creative forms, such as
went on to spread the idea, travelling across Europe and to New York. graffiti pieces and stencil graffiti, there tends to be more respect for

9
 •
PARIS ALGE�
r.�'XTtH TUNIS
HM EM G1f\CtM
uLE �_uE' �'- •

S'[I�L[
OpPOSIte Laugh Now by Banksy. Ladbroke Grove. london Above lell to right Alriean cottee sack, Apartment signage. PariS: NYC ta�i. New York; 'Soclal War', Paris

private property and culturally significant or beautiful buildings, which who the audience is and what impact the piece has on the environment.

amounts to self-policing on the part of artists as to choice of location. Many stencil artists feel strongly about this issue of location and make

In the 19805 graffiti legislation and policing was in its infancy. Today, quite conscious decisions about where and to whom they want to

in cities across Europe and the USA. council policy-makers have more communicate. Jerome Mesnager and Nemo choose to make work in living

control of the streets, with the power to create legal sites or to legislate communities, such as their own in Montreuil on the outskirts of Paris,

for zero tolerance. For many stencil artists this results in participation in rather than the more bourgeois and commercial arrondissements. They

a cat-and-mouse game to create illegal acts of creallon in the name of art aim to bring visual life to the local inhabitants - working people, school-

and freedom of expression. children - of run-down areas,

At the present time, stencil graffiti is enjoying a resurgence. While Stencils are more self-conscious than the spontaneous tagged gralliti
,
some of the first generation of Parisian artists, such as Jerome Mesnager messages or the coded confidence of hip-hOp style. A stencilist will have

and Nemo, are still creating new works in increasingly far-flung territories, a location in mind for both aesthetic reasons and for an audience. �,
•

in the last few years a new generation has discovered the technique and Generally the artists have an allinity with the place they choose, they

made it their own. Stencil art has spread far across the glObe, finding new know Its aspect and have considered its qualities of colour, shape and
•

footholds in South America, Eastern Europe and Africa. It is the immedi· surface. Some choose a humble spot. perhaps an old. disused door With

acy of this art which keeps it fresh: its ability to communicate to people, aged and peeling paint. The audience in thiS case will be small but. when

freely and With good humour, that makes it an antidote to mass media stumbled upon, the piece will feel like a hidden treasure. Other stencilisls

and corporate advertising. pick locations for their associations, for example Serge GalOsbourg's

Though stencils are essentially ephemeral and wear away With time, house in Paris (see p. 29). Fashionable districts are also popular sites for

they tend to have a longer lifespan than other forms of graffiti. as they are art-based stencils since they will be seen by young people. the media and

found in more considered locations - in older neighbourhoods or .o

perhaps galleries. Stencilist activists tend to want to c mmunicate 10 wide

condemned buildings. They often survive council clean-ups, left alone, not audiences so they target shopping districts or government buildings.

seen as graffiti but perhaps as public notiCes or murals. This is not to say that Hlp·hop graffiti artists also create community pieces but, due to space

stencils are more permissible than any other graffiti, but It does point to the restrictions. their more experimental works tend to be in locations that are

Issue of placement of street ar!. Placement is crucial for the artist to be difficult for the public to access. However, It 15 not always useful to

able to communicate symbolically, politically and artistically to an compare 'graffiti' and 'stencil graffiti': they are very different. although

audience. Various factors come into play, such as the size of the piece, stencil artists are not necessarily a breed apart.

II
 Stencil graffiti IS nol an exclusive realm. Some graffiti wllters use it

simply as an element - a feature or a detail - in their pieces: Balli in Sao

Paulo uses It along With collage and free painting. For other artists, like

Nano from Vigc. it is lust one method in an experimental repertoire of

graphIC techniques. Sometimes graffiti writers have alter egos as stenCil

designers. Nylon. for example - a well-respected UK graffiti writer -

makes stencils under the names of 'Sucre' and 'Shar'. Different

techniques are simply tools for different kinds of work.

I refer to people making stencils as stencilists, but this does not mean

that these people necessarily affiliate themselves With any particular

movement. Graffiti artists and stencil graffiti artists coexist and influence

each other, and as the pieces and messages of both genres develop and

expand beyond recognizable boundaries, much of tQ(jay's work is best

described in more general terms as 'street art'.

STENCIL STYLE
The attraction for all stencil artists - old and new, on the street and off­

is that, as well as being a great method of communication, stencilling

also has an enduring aesthetic appeal.

Stencil style is graphically associated with the sort of functional type

long found on packaging, and is thereby also associated with authentici­

ty, natural materiats and an authoritative message. In the twentieth

century. this utilitarian lettering process influenced typeface fashion, With

professional typographers imilatlng the vernacular style. Tea Chest, a font

designed in 1936 by Stephensoo Blake, was an early example. In the

Bauhaus school. Josef Albers developed the Kombinatlonsschrift

alphabet - a utilitarian set of typefaces, consisting of ten basic permuta­

tions of the circle and the rectangle, which were by design ideal for

stencilling. Today's UK type designers Swifty and Mitch continue this

tradition. taking stencil type as practical inspiration, and creating hybrid

fonts of retro, future and non-latin forms with rough stencilled edges.

Functional stencils are a good introduction to stencil graffiti. They

both share the same urban space and have similar visual properties.

Unlike stencil graffiti, however, functional stencils are seen as legitimate

communication, not as damage to property. Looking at the usage and

aesthetic of this work is therefore a good point of comparison between

graffiti works.

12
 l'tJlITlJIIFl.UJ IIU !.(lNI"I/(.

., " . .

-"'J�)j
·IIZ·Z·
t! .� .H , t• .
....

OpPOSIte: HOOV(!r Dam, Nevada Above leU 10 righi' Deco.allve stenCil, P\)rlobello Road, LooOOo; Road 5ign. Morocco; Trashcan. Morocco

As public signage, stencils are well-suited to the physical properties Words get noticed because they convey information. Words inform,

of the city and the man-made structures of stone, metal and wood. Stencil record, forbid and direct us. When used lor official notices, stencilled text

Signage is an art form in itself, with its own graphic language and conven ­ - the spacing, the aesthetic of the letters and numbers - tends to have a

tions of colour, form, design and typography. It is also specific to a city's precise, military authority that blends with street architecture.

own architectural. cultural and design history. Street names and direction Stylistic conventions, however. also make up a language referenced

signs are vital components of a location. Public lettering is not just a and plundered in other forms of stencil art. Utilitarian style has been

question of large type but is a relationship of lettering to buildings or appropriated by British artist Banksy in his messages parodying official

immediate surroundings. Signs need to be read but, for any sign system, city council notices. These messages have included 'Beware Trapdoors in

an aesthetic integration with the environment also has to be considered, Operation' and 'This Wall is a Designated Graffiti Area' (see p. 77), the

Stencils are often used as a low-tech practical method 01 signage lor latter so convincingly rendered that newly whitewashed London walls

temporary sites like roadworks or more permanent sites when economy have, within days, become covered in graffiti.

and materials dictate them to be the easiest method. These stencils need Stencils have a long association with rebellion and punk. The punk

to be clear and instructive - arrows pointing out directions; messages in movement used stencils because they fitted the general D.I.Y philosophy

simple, sometimes single words. Consistency is also important. So the and were a reference to utilitarian and military style, which punk

New York taxi numbering system (see p. 111, lor instance, is consistent appropriated to subvert symbols of authority. The movement also flirted,

in t he positioning and size of type and numbering. in a subversive way, with images and ideas of fascism and communism;

13
 i' I � '-t'l '
�,
..
�' .
, . -
I \

Top row, Emergency e�11

wIth Keith Haring tag,
Barcelona: Brg Issve
magazine �tch. Bath,
2nd row: Recyclmg
sklP. New YOlk:
(aboYe) Slgnage,
warehouse, Ba"eIon�.
(below) Numbe"ng,
bUilders yard. Pails;
3rd rOw: Baseball pItch
raIl, Te�as Rangers Ball
Park, Arlington, Texas:
Bottom .ow; 'Post No
B,lls'. PailS; Pavement

... �
Slgnage. New YOlk

10 light
'7-
Oppos'te Jeft
FIgure WIth EckO
cloth,ng brand rhIno
stencil, New York: rnn
Varrous advertiSIng
stencIlS. London;
Doodlebug promollonS
'W' ;HER
by Barney Barnes.
Manchester; S&H lotO
by Stoloff to HopkJnson.
Bristol

14

, r =______
 �I
· \c\-p.
\:..... fHt
JERICH.
� llUNGE

anarchy became the punk philosophy_ This rebel spirit accounts for stencil and record labels to websites and even multinational companies.

activism in cities with strong countercultures such as Berlin and Barcelona. Corporate advertisers see stencils as an inexpensive and alternative way

Protest stencils tend to be rough and urgent, with typically bold red of spreading information, while having an element of street credibility. It

lettering and strong iconic imagery, such as the raised fist. The reductive is debatable whether, by adopting street tactics, brands become in any

iconography necessitated by the stencilling process means that artists way more credible but this method can target particular groups very

generally try to get their message across with one simple image, its line effectively - if one hits the right locations. Particular hot spots are in skate

and construction carefully considered. parks and near nightclubs. There is, for example, a particular style of

The other important stylistic feature of stencilled art is its immediacy. commercial stencil to be found on the streets of New York: it is sprayed

which is part of the general compositional over-layering that occurs with on the pavement. The advantage of this approach is that it does not

graffiti. As San Diego artist Shepard Fairey puts it, 'the image is integrat­ vandalize privale property and. with the huge amount of pavement traffic,

ed with the texture of the street'. it has a very short lifespan. Promoters and advertisers often employ

Designers and artists in all fields use stencils for their various associ­ stencil artists to undertake the covert campaigns - which is ironic as they

ations and for their textural and design Qualities. Off-street artists also are often the most disparaging towards corporate stencils encroaching

take inspiration from the patchwork surfaces and random compositions of onto their creative territory.

the urban environment by layering processes of their own with paint and Manchester-based designer and promotor Barney Barnes produced a

other materials or with reprocessing techniques such as digital manipula­ campaign for his club night ·Doodlebug', which began on pavements, with

tion. Fine artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jean Oubuffet, for dotted lines leading to an image of an explosion. Days later these lines

example, were directly inspired by the textures and symbols of street art. started creeping up walls leading to Ihe venue's name.

Others, however, agree with Blek's comment: When this art is taken Bristol-based experimental electronics act Stoloff & Hopkinson use

away from the streets, somehow it dies.' stencils to poke fun at global branding by turning their initialS S&H into

In recent years stencils have become the de rigueur medium for logos that look like those of powerful corporations. and into the dollar sign

promotional campaigns. In terms of fashionability they may already have (see above).

passed their sell-by date as they become more ubiquitous. White graffiti In the end, whatever the message or motivation, all stencils become

has been used on the clothing and accessories of today's most desirable part of our environment. As they become absorbed into the city walls and

fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton and Luella Bartley. stencils in as we discover them, they become part of our experience; they become,

particular have been used to promote everything from club nights, bands ultimately, part of us.

15
 Prev,ous pages: Wall. london
Oppos'te: Moped, Mad"d
Left Repealed Model, Prague
Below: Sucre Models by Nylon, Broghton

Whereas hip- hop graffiti evolved f rom the written letter, the majority of from finding an image of, for example. a cow or a toaster or any number

stencil graffiti is essentially ic onographic or pictographic, T he physical of obscure items on a wall, and from the fact that these images have

limitations of stencils mean that simpler shapes are more definitive, fewer been produced in the public arena. where most messages tend to be

areas bleed and the end result is more effective, This reductive process in corporate or functional. There are many visual twists in these appropria­

terms of image focuses the artist to the essence of an idea. In this way tions and a subversion in even the most innocent images. On the whole,

single iconic representations best suil the medium. though. the sele ction shown here is a li ght-hearted celebration of iconic

Stencilists have appropriated the idea from Dada and Pop that images imagery,

of popular culture or commonplace objects can be art. A cultural phenom· The other reason lor artists ch oos i ng icons is th e affinity that they

enon ollhe late 1950s and '60s, Pop art rejected the supremacy of 'high share with their subject: it is the passion for the icon that inspires them

art' and the pretensions of the avant-garde, Its iconography was aimed at to share it wit h the world. This is Pop art from the heart, inspired by, say.

narrow in g the distance between art and life by celebrating the mass­ a favourite animal or vegetable. Everyone is passionate about so mething .

produced objects of the lime. Pop art is sometimes seen as i mpersonal - For many artists, this is the first kind of stencil they try out. It may be the

presenting images without praise or condemnation - or as social criticism. one and only stencil they make, Or they may simply do it for the

Warhol's repetitions, for exampte, can be viewed as a commentary on enjoyment of creation.

mass-production. This collection, sh owing influences from cult films like Blade Runner,

Today's stencilled Pop art is usually rather Quirky and humorous, and enigmatic heroes like Salvador Dali and style·conscious totems like record

does not necessarily stem from the same motivations as the original decks, is an insight into global heroes and obsessions. The stencils range

Popsters' work. StencilS take Pop out of the gallery and into the world. from very slick, streamlined. multi-coloured designs to crude. simple

where the art plays with its surroundings. The surprise element comes ideas with an anti-fashion charm.

19
 II ILlF. I: i S

20
,

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tap_ tap.
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OpposIte, clockwIse from top 1eI1: Computer Operator, arostol; Skeleton CyclIst, Pans; Telephooes by Circa. Brighton; Motorcycle, London; Robot, Bristol
�. clockwrw; from 1eII, Typewnter by Pablo Fiasco, 6fighIOf1: lego Bnck by AnIty Stolt. Brostol; llghtbulb by Pablo RISCO. a"ghton; Record Deck lind Dynamite. London

21
 . ..,

Clockwise from left: 'We Love You' by TNT. PailS; Cove, Guls. Bughton; Mandy Walpole by &umluck, BnghtCfl; Model.
Pans; KIss. SIISiol

SEX II 11.1E I: T S

OpPOSite, above left \0 nghl: Nude. Pans; Embracing Couple.

Paris; K,ss by TNT. Pans; Model by Nice Art. Paris
Below Underwear Models by CIrca. Broghlon

22
_ -4l--_ --.
'---
 r Opposit e lett to right: Storm Troope. ,
Bristol; Flash by Par 3, Brj�tol: Frankie
, .
r > Say Revolt, Blighton; Hulk by STR
Crew. Bristol: background, Bii Boss by

I
.: '
. t ! STR Crew. Bristol
• This page. lett; lillie Nemo by N�mo.

I . ..
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.
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Pari�: Below: Silver Surfer, Paris

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1: IIMI I: lllIlIl{
tlEIUIES

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25
To , Jean-Michel B·� Ulal. BI>slol: Abov.·. Bruce Lee
p '
"" an d Geo e by Circa. Brighton
Pans, Righi-, G,I'"-"
om fg
opp o" te. clockwise tr top leU; S alvador 0 . a
Samuel Be<;kelt b s�:�e Art. PariS; Wilham Bur �g s fby
� � ls;
'

"
Loony. Pails: Hall: ss,e. Paris

26
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27
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OpposIte. clockwIse hom lop left: Jack,e Opel

by Hao. Pails: ElvIS by Wack. Manchester: Jotlnny
,
Rouen e"5101: Bob Marley by Chou, Aachen; Tommy
McCook by Hao. Pails:
Laurel AItkin by Hao. Pails Atxwe: Serge Gamsl)Qu
rg's house. Pans
 ,
•
• S[: IHF.N S Hlll S

"

" ,

" ,

�.'� Clockw,se!rom lOP leU Jac�

N,ellols.on. The SlImmg. by Nylon.
Mght of the Hume r. by Laszlo.
PailS; A Clockwork Orange.
eflghlon; Robert De Nom. Tim BJI�loI; Rachel, Blade Runner,
Oliver. 8"ihI0l1; Robert �hlchum . 8"$101
" . '�-.
J . < '

,. ,- }'

30

-- ,.,.. " _'¥h

i _.
 .
THIn n. I _

Clockwise from top lell: Bah mask by Jaspa, Goodhall. Brightoo; Maori-style ,igure,
Montpelhef; Japanese-style mask by Jaspar Goodhall. Brighton: Crocodile moli' by
Jaspar Goodhali, Brighton; North West Indian-style mask by Jaspar Goodhall,
Btightoo; (centre) Dragon by MurMur, PailS

31
32
- •

Tout candldat
-- -- .
-

!1 . "'1:) YOUS 0''''

.

Z IIII

OpPoSlle Zoo by ViI"OUS

a.IIMS. PailS
b
Above, Ze fa by Zao.
PailS
Lett. top row. Ants,
Barcelona Beatie.
Barcelona
2nd row Bune,fly. Rue
de Pap,llon. Pails;
Jumbo by r"5lan Manco.
6"5\01. L<lilrd. Paris
Bonom row: Dog.
Lisbon, Cats, Barcelona;
Panda. BnstOI

Following pages

rjff'..
Banksy spray,nR artwork
. .

," J
... " .

33
 n n
" Y[]UH " ]{
are as many approaches to cilling as there are Stencil art poses many questions. Who was the creator?
to any other art form. The possibilities are only limited by the When did the image appear? What is the concept behind it?
human imagination. Stencil makers produce art that is It makes us reappraise OUf surroundings. It turns the street
expresSionistic, impressionistic. situationis!, surrealist, satiri· into a gallery but, unlike in a gallery, there is an engagement
cal and poetic. It is a medium that the artist can make with the environment. which is the canvas as well as the

entirely individual. What comes through are the ideas artwork. The strength of stencil graffiti is its ability to
behind the art as well as the unique expression, draughts­ captivate people - off guard - as pari of their day·to·day
manship and style. Different artists respond to different experience.

inspirations. and an artwork can be interpreted in multiple Graffiti is also a uniquely criminalized art form
ways by Its audience. Some stencil ideas work emotionally, in some ways this also gives it an edge: the audience
some conceptually: and some work equally on both levels. part of something which is both personal and subversive.
ClockwISe from top left, Seated ligures; Seated ligures on COtner; Standing Moo<;
Seated hgure under arches; all M"r,kesh, Morocco

36
• •

IHEH
On a trip to New York in 1971 Siek saw art graffiti for the first lime. Tags

hastily finished with crowns, letters spray-painted with scrolls in the

subway and colour generally pushed into every corner of the city. This

etched itself in his memory but it was another ten years before he took it

up himself. Meanwhile he studied architecture and engraving al the Ecole

des Beaux·Arts in Paris: architecture made him realize the contrived

nature of the city space, and engraving made him realize the creativity in

illustration of the ancient master engravers.

A combination of ideas led to a /lash of inspiration as Siek experi­

mented and pioneered the use of stencils as a street art form in the early

19805. One of his influences was the finely detailed poster wan art made

by Ernest Pignon. But Slek's own work was soon to inspire a whole

generation 01 stencil artists.

Blek describes his early excitement: 'I was alone in the city and the

city belonged to me, After each night's work I would revisit the scene in

daylight and sometimes spend hours at a time there, looking at my

images and the people who passed them. Even the most furtive of
glances at my work filled me with joy.'

Blek's earliest trademark stencils were of rats - which gave him the

nickname 'Ie Rat' As an image, rats were symbolic of urban decay and
_

of an alternative street culture. They were life-sized and easily

mistaken for the real thing. Blek's work progressed to life-sized human

figures.

In 1984 he had the idea of stencilling an old man wearing a cap (see
p_ 8). This character was soon to wander through dozens of towns in
France, leaving a Irace of his own passing. He was known as Buster

Keaton, Charlie Chaplin or The Old Man, and he soon became a phenom­
enon. When Blek began to find his creation gracing newspaper articles,

he knew he was lasMg success. He continued his work as an urban artist

with a gallery of characters who were identifiable as his and with whom
he in turn identified.

-There was Tom Waits, Andy Warhol, Marcel Dassault, a Russian

soldier. President Mitterrand, Joseph Beuys, a faun, a prostitute, a

running shouting man, several pregnant women, and others. About forty­

odd characters in total. They are my creations and 1 resemble them all in
some way or other: Above: Marcel Oasuult, PartS

37
 BLEK

Fa. lett: Faun,

Chateau de Bagnac
Lell: RU$SIan soidll!f.
Ll!IPZI&
Opposite: Botterlly·
catCher by NMlo, Paus

Blek placed these ligures on street corners to create an element of

surprise for the viewer. On turning a corner, the public would be fooled

into thinking there was a real person there.

Slek's workS are site specific. He draws inspiration from the locations

he paints in: in Morocco, for example, he painted silhouettes of street

traders, and in Paris mythological or classical figures with some local

association or representation of the neighbourhood.

'They presented me to the world in the way that one person

introduces another. I have always had the feeling of leaving something of

myself behind on the walls of e:very city I've been able to visit.

'My intention was simply to speak oul through imagery, to address

the collective with a commentary on love and hate, life and death, Irs a

kind of therapy for me. I highlight the finer things in life by covering the

walls with images that delight in distracting passers-by from their own

concerns. Despite the police's underhand campaign to clamp down on

graffiti. I continue to strike in dark streets because for me it's a vital part

of the evolution of art. The scope for public paintings becomes more and

more restricted as urban space is compartmentalized. and graffiti derives

increasing meaning from its relationship to the surrounding architecture

and social environment.

'And yet. despite the reduction in scale, the surface of any wall -

whether stone, plaster. cement: dented, scratched, cracked, fissured -

carries graffiti that transcends dimensions in all of its minute details.

In this form it is like a painting hanging in a unique and extraordinary

environment: and perhaps the galleries of the twenty-first century will

engulf city dwellers, situated on the routes that they use for their

daily buSiness, and they will shun the temples to art reserved for the

purpose,'

38
» •

NEMII interact with natural and architectural features. He also experiments with

other f01Jnd surfaces in his gallery art, and has produced public works in

RN]] .1EIiUME MESNRliEIi cities around the world, including Bogota and Lisbon.

JerOme Mesnager's work is not stencil art, th01Jgh there are some

Sharing a studio in a converted cinema in Montreuil, Paris, Nemo and echoes 01 the form in the way his drawn figures are broken into parts. His

Jerome Mesnager are well-known international street artists who often trademark white figure is freely painted. made by the artist posing against

collaborate together. They have continued to produce work since the a wall and then quickly painting the remembered pose in a very gestural

beginning 01 the Parisian street 3rt boom in the early 1980s. Their work act. Mesnager uses this in a poetic way, sometimes combined with words

is distinclly different but each compliments and interacts with the other. and always reflecting the environment and location of the piece. In

Nemo's art is often on a grand scale, making strong use of black Burkina Faso his white figures reflected the lives of local people, with

silhouettes. His life-sized, bowler-hatted characters and supporting dancers and musicians painted on the adobe walls. Mesnager has also

flowers, birds and hippopotamuses are part of a dream-like world that he taken his work to walls in the USA, Morocco and India - even to the Great

has developed in response to his own children and to public arts projects Wall of China. He enjoys a unique partnership with Nemo, and his work

with schools and the community. His pieces are site specific, designed to illustrates comparative methods of creating street art.

..

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 e

e'.
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- ,

CIOC�wls.e 'rom lOP left: Bowler·hatted togures by

N�mo; Dancing white f'gures by J�r6me Mesnager with
Hippopotamus by N�mo; N�mo �nd Jerome
Mesnager's gallery, Rue de la Ouee: Bowlef-hatled
figure ," doorway by Ni!mo; all Paris

Opposite: figure with Tiger by jl!r6me Mesnage., Pans

40

-
• •

41
 (file.
tAI/G
Ile.rll(
De. LiT
I.>"A VAI/
ee.

C(WIMer \ ClockwIse from \0 lett-' 'Too cowardIy to De \00 happy':

'Finish everythmg p e���'P I des"e': 'WordS Siolen from the
.
.A-' "thug", : 'One l anguo.
hI I am the VfYoNel in the w",,,
,.
. a head' ('Iangueur • is an alluSIOn
mli:bed
of . 10 'Iongue u•.
.., .- all !'aus
/ meanmg'len Mh')
 •
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MI S S - T il: J •

Miss-Tic's stencils have become legendary in Paris. She first began

making stencilled street art there In the early 1980s. Her stencils are
poems, and sometimes slogans, whose word-play works on many levels:
'Belle au Rebelle' - 'Beautiful or Reber: 'A Ma Zone' - 'Amazon' or 'To My
Zone', Sometimes Miss-Tic asks questions: 'Les actes gratuils onl-ils un
prix?' - 'Do free acts have a price?' The texts don't translate perfectly into
English as they allude to nuances In the French language. However, their
Spirit does come across al the Simplest level of translation and in the
elegance of the stencil. Whatever the message, they are always recogniz­
able. Although Miss-Tic's work IS not Intentionally political but rather
personal and confessional, there are olten underlying feminist themes in
the pieces.
Mlss-Tic's imagery often takes the form of stylized self-portraits but in
2000 she created a Paris-wide campaign of stencilled versions of famous
paintings like Courbet's Sleep. Although she now exhibits regularly in

galleries, she continues to work on the urban canvas by night.

ThISpage, lop lelt 'I'd look hot on the stleets ot alt h'story'; Centre' 'Amuon'no M�
lone', R'ght fjgure ....,lh gul; all PailS
[-

, ,
N Y J. I l N

Nylon IS a UK artist who works in all forms of aerosol art,

from wal ls 10 paintings on canvas, His first stencils were for
punk band Crass in around 1 9 8 1 . During 1992 to 1993, ,

I
he pa inted around 2000 stencils in Brighton, including a

series of portraits 01 friends called 'Sucre Models', He also

experimented with sets of stencils thai could be used in
dlfierent composilions, the most acclaimed being a set of
clock parts, mainly cogs,
Nylon's stencil work is strongly influellCed by 19505
Illustrations and outdated advertising slogans, Through these
Images, given a tWISt. the viewer can evaluate changes in
society's attitudes lowards consumerism and gender issues.
(The name Nylon is a reference to modern life. )
' '

Opposite. Clock....,se from lop left OofTle$toc Lite 50s slyle. Church ot Bob DeviL 50s·styl! ad�r\lslng, Sucre Baby; SUO! DIsco Pun�s; background. clock par iS
ThiS page, above Sophia loren and VOgue model, Below 5Os·style stencil cotlage

...... -
 IJR N R N E N S JlII R Y E II

For the German artist Thomas Baumgartel, the banana stencil has taken

the place of the paint·brush.

Baumgartel sprayed his fll'Sl banana in Cologne in 1986. The

reception was rather cool. People look this symbol for a defacement of

their doors and walls. Claims for damages rained in on him . . Yel, within

Above; Thomas Baumga!tel sprayong R'eht Spraybanana. Musetlm Ll,I(\w,g.

the watt 01 a wett·known Ge.man CoIoene 2000
hrm. Cologne Fa! fIght Spraybanana. MUSl!tJm ludwig.
Above flgIll: Eh,enst,asse. Cologne Cologne 1989

46
.. •

the Cologne art scene, there were other voices

to be heard. More and more insiders began to

speak up lor him, defining the banana as a

symOOI 01 something positive.

Museum directors started to ask

Baumgartel to spray outside their gallenes,

Identifying them as places for art. With the

banana's Pop Art associations and lis connota­

tions of freshness, it posed an Important

Question: what is the meaning of art today?

Baumgarlel's banana can now be found all

over the world. However, it seems as If the

artist has come to the end 01 his 'single banana

phase', Over the last fifteen years his imagery

has been conllnually developing and changing.

These days. whenever he has second thoughts

about an institution or a gallery formerly graced

With the banana, he simply 'confiscates' his

image - by 'exploding' it (see opposile)!

AboYe. BSE Banana. NeU55er$lrasse. CoIoene

Roehl- Roof lerrate. Cologne

47
 I
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• I •

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e
Top: Arab by Chou. Aachen
Above l ll \0 rlghl: SlmK$hot, PaflS, Whirlpool hgure. Pafls: Runnmg togures by Bonehead, London: Elecl.>c Haza,d, Barcelona
OpPOSite, clockwise from top lelt. Fallmg figure, Pans, Climbing loBu.e, Barcelona, Figure on all tours, Bllslo" T'asllcan Ilgure, Pans

F l liLl II E S

48
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OpPOSite: Spl�y·halred
portrait, Bath

Clockwise from top left ,

Segmented face. Pails:
PortrM on blue wood,
London, Scream, Paris:
Distorted Franz Kafkas.
Plague; Boy's head, London;
Lined head, Cologne: Porlrait
of Franz Kafka by Sniper,
London, Portrait on park
bench. Pans; Repeated
Scream, Paris; Optical Ar'
Eye, Par,s; [centre) Video
Nasty by Sniper, London

51
 J.I F E :l N l l I l I li T H
....... Ell l.'INi'1III1
"':JI/I&T ILL):
1111_ AI'1I
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Clockwise from lop lelt: Butterlly is a Ray of tigh!. Lisbon, Baby, Ba,celona: Infinity symbol. PaflS;
•

Growing Oak by Banar.ensprayer, Cologne; Inhmty symbol. Barcelona

52
•
•

[, II IIII

:l N l l E Va

Above, Smoklna Serpenl,D<agon by Seth

Tobocman. 'On the St.eeLOff the Street'
show, BaI1,more, Top "ght Eve·Patch
Angel. B"r.lot Ceiltre 1e!1. S�ull by Bob
Kathman. Balhmol'ec Centre ,'ght Angel.
sao Paulo. R'ghl. Angel. Pans

53
 li N HI E E Il li E

A�, M,xed med,a mural by Balli, � Paulo OpposIte, top lell 10 flgh!. Crowd, thought to reple5IIf1l Lech Walesa and the SOIKlanty Movement. f'ilflS; COClllne and M,ss·Tic!
MIStake! by xarrs. Pans; 'Hail Peace. PUCf! Salvahorl'. Pans; SucKlelGun to the Head. Pans; Bottom Couple. Bristol

54
 S HII T E S

Top: Skating the Ralls by TornIllO,

BII5tol; AIxM:!: Skater, Bnstol: Right:
I Want to Skate Every Day, Brighton:
Below nght: Skating Skeleton, Barcelona

56
 '�,. .

Clockwise trom lap left:

000' handle by TNT,
Paris: Creature. Paris;
Pumpkinhead, Milan:
Ollental Girls. Paris:
Stripy Trousers, PariS:
0011 heads, Bllslol:
tUCk Art, Let's Dance
by GIacomo Spazlo &
Laura Mars, MIlan,
Angry Robot. Brlgh10n;
C,owned Character.
Brighton

58
- •

Left La Gran Final. Barcelona: Below:

Full·colour Hand of God (DIego
Ma,adona's contested goal agams!
[ngland In the 1986 World Cup) by
JeH Row. Bristol: Bottom: Smgle·colour
Hand 01 God by Jeff Row, B"SIOI
 ti-
..... "
�'V."'D
N.U.P.E. Ur!'L
IANi .5i'1 o
::'-c.'" � -�,L

PI![) T F. S T From around 1970 stencils were used in confhcts around the wortd.
including Mexico, Nicaragua. Northern Ireland, South Africa and the
The motivation for stencil-makers is often a strong belief or message; for Basque region, and they continue to be used now as a cheaper and more
some it is a desire to make a statement of protest. Stencils are an permanent alternative 10 posters. Artists' approaches vary from blunt and
effective medium for political graffiti , being easily reproduced and of a brutal to subtle and enigmatic. Protest art tends to make heavy use of
powerful graphic simplicity. They are an immediate commentary on symbolS. Images like the waving lIag, the gun and Ihe clenched fist are
current issues with the message literally and symbolically on the streets. used in many permutations, as symbols of empowerment and military
There are accounts 01 stencils put to political use as propaganda force. These images have thell roots In historical war pamtmgs and early­
during the Second World War in Italy, and in post-war Germany they were twen\leth·century revolutionary arl - as in the work of the politicized
used in an attempt to reunite refugee families. The technique was Mexican muralists and the Russian revolutionary poster arlists.
probably adopted from the military usage 01 the lime. Another Iheme in protest stencilling is the iconic use of portraiture.
During the political and social protest movements of the 19605 there Figureheads, especially in the twentieth century. have come to embody a
was a proliferation of poster propaganda and poster art. Screen printing cause or a naltonal identity. Party leaders are portrayed as noble heroes
meant that mass print-runs were possible, and with art movements such through the dissemination of posters and other propaganda. If you
as Pop, Op, Fluxus and Psychedelia flounshing, this was a penod of great compare, for example, the most famous portraits of Lenin, Stalin.
experimentalion as well as social struggle. The 1960s poster art Ihat Chairman Mao and Che Guevara. they are all depicled as visionaries,
developed out of protest movements such as the 1968 Paris student their eyes looking to the distance. These icons are used either to
revolt inlluenced the imagery later found in political and issue-based represent thell own particular revolutionary ideals or thell style is
stencils. The Situationist slogans of the May '68 flotS - statements suCh appropnated for new heroes and new struggles.
as 'Under the pavmg stones, the beach!' - were graffitied freehand oo lhe As can be seen in the graffiti campaign to free American pflsoner
walls of Paris. ThiS combination of social conscience and mischievous Mumla Abu·Jamal, the walls of the world are, in effect, a free press. used
commentary has been a blueprint lor many stencils today. to express SOlidarity for causes and issues both local and global.

AIloYi! left to right F'fl'$ta,le,. BflSloI: 'Play II Good Clean Game ""th YOU' C,ty. NU.PE·. OppOS<te. clockw,se hom lap lell TAtI (,mage adapted from Pails 1968 prolestl. PailS
Ba,celona: Calalan,smo. Barcelona: lose YOUf Head by Sn,pl'!". Bflghlon: Anl,·Nal' ocon Arrest by 0.11'$, Ba,cetona. Ta nk . Ba,celona. Revotta. Ba,celona
by Zen. Lisbon

60
po
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SOO 3'�t.IDi:
ZIVILISA
OpPCI$1te, top <ow 'lilegais Deported, IIIe8'liS Assassmated', PalOs; CommunIst Maollesla.
lIsbon, Dll and Skull (commentary on war w'th Iraq), Pails: 2nd row. Barcode PrIson, LIsbon;
!'fo-squaillng statement. London, Ze,o Tolerance by M,s$e, 8"5101: bollom row' Barcode
E$<Cape. Cologne; (above) 810Gd & 0,1 (commentary on war ....,Ih Iraq), Bnghton: (below) I�u
MUSt Sum, 6115101: JunkIES Suck, New York

Th.S pail!. clockWIse from top lett '500 Yel's 01 C,y,l.zallo.f. Coioene. 'Mulhnatoonal
�Iahsm. No Tl\anJ,s!', Pans; 'Death' (<lntHlverea. messageJ. Cologne : 'Good N'ght" Pans
 JlIl II T E S T

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64
• •
 ..

·s �K�iJ(
'

._, . -, }.

" ­
.�

Above: Post Mo B,IIS by D.lM. crew, post. New York; SpIky head. lamp post.
California; Above fight. top row: Spotted New York
lamp post, New York; Obey Giant. lamp
post. New yo,�: 2nd row: Pork, lamp OpPOSIte left: Obey fist by Shepard
PO�1. New York: Head. lamp post. New Fairey; RIght Roof.top stencil by
York; bottom row; Ab�lract shape, lamp Shepard Fairey

66
 •

r
•.

,. .
. .
r .
"... .

I l I l E \, 1 : :lMI1:l I li N
Rhode Island design student Shepard Fairey
first use<! the Image of legendary Russian
wrestler, Andre the Giant. in 1989. His original
'Andre the Giant Has a Posse' slicker poked fun
at cliquey skate posses by creating an absurd
fictitious gang headed by a 7'4" wrestler.
The whole idea look off; stickers began to
appear in cities across the US and Andre
became a cult icon.
As the campaign became more of a
comment on advertising, with a hint of Big
Brother and a nod to the work of American
artist Jenny Holzer, Fairey began to incorporate
the word 'Obey' within the image. By creaMg
a parodic brand with a slogan of obedience, his
underlying message is that we should question
our surroundings and corporate culture.

67
 •

68
i •

1 : I l Il E S
Many stencils are codified and make use of symbols. Some are recogniz­
able, such as the @ sl gn; others are more personal and open to interpre­
tation. New York street artist Dan Witl's code is the 'Hoody', which
represents drug dealers in their hooded sweatshirt uniform. Wllz installed
75 H oo dy posters on the perimeters of drug-dealing areas. 'Besides the

ominous "pause" given to passers-by, I intended the Hoody posters as

warning signs, promoting awareness about a deepening problem in my
own neighbourhood: Although not strlctiy stencils, these Images give the
same eHect. being screen-printed and cui so that the viewer is not aware

'P// eltlj 01 the paper.

DECORATIN

Opposite. ckxkwlSl! ',om lOP lell

symbol. Barcelona; Cube, HoXlon.
Lonoon; 'H' by O,,",d HOplul'l5Ol'1. Busta!,
Elett,,, ForI. Oporto; Bdogocal symbol,
Balh, Coded Soul. London, TeflllOllal
SIgn by Clone, Ronerdam, Electric
SCorp,on, Bristol

Left and above Hoodles by Dan W,tl,

\.... Lo....er Eas! S,de, New York

- .�
\:
.-

69
 ! fI E T II:l S T E Il S

The Toasters are a UK-based collective who.

In January 1999. started an international
campaign using the streamlined image of a
toaster; 'an exercise in making something
famous that essentially promotes nothing other
than Itself'.
The image has been placed on lamp posts,
street Signs, shop shutters and the like. 'To
most: say the Toasters. 'these are Sites of
public practicality. To us they are areas for
potential urban intervention.'

70
- •

II�TERF -RENeE

�• \\I1 l ]l )]!;

OPPOSite. above letl Small Toaste., London, Above right B,g Toaster,
PailS; Lett B'i Toaste •. 'Poch' by Poch and Leek by POIfOt, Rennes

T hiS ��, clockwise I.om lop lett. N,d(o (sten c, 1 00 tent ), Glastonbury
festival, 2000; 'COleus Sthool', liSbon, Rot. London; Interle.ence,
london; New Media, New Arse!. LondOl1; WarnIng, london, Wall,
London; 'InsubOrdinatIOn', l!WOn; (centre) 'Free Pilns', Paus

71
= •

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IlII E T H Y

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PIlElwER I�LlV[ rS!LE

etllllB
jj�tir\tl).. , .
74
 Far lell: Hammerheads by Jeff Row: Left Rebel Alliance
by Andy Brown: Below: Doors lama Now by Jeff Row
(stencils on reiriserator doors at the 'O'!rost' show):
Bottom: Rhumba Glfl by Bob Kathman (stencil on
T·shlft at the 'On the StreeVOtl Ihe Street' ShOW)

•
-- -- --- - - ,

- - -

I tI E I I� E E I
Many contemporary graffiti artists are as active off the streets as on. The

artists shown in this section also use stencils on T-shirts, record sleeves,

envelopes and contents (mail art), canvases and skateboards; even on

discarded refrigerator doors.

Galleries worldwide are increasingly recognizing street art and are

working out ways in which 10 collaborate with the creators of an art form

that usually exists outside of traditional institutions. 'On the Street/Off the

Street', a stencil show held at Maryland Artplace. Baltimore, exhibited

street·speclfic and otherwise 'anti-gallery' or 'non-gallery' work as a

documentary of stencil activism and as a showcase of the graphic

possibilities of the medium.

Street artists' roots lie in the bricks and mortar of the walls that they

have sprayed, but they also know that there are other larums in which

their work can reach ou\. Oppos'te; 'The Cats are Watch,n8 Us' by Nan04814 (SleflC,ls on canvas)

75
IlR N IUi Y

Banksy was born in 1974 and raised I n Bristol,

England. The son of a photocopier engineer, he

trained as a butcher but became Involved in

graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of

the lale 19805.

Banksy got his first break when he was

asked to design tlyers for a sound system after

the printer went on holiday. In the years Since

then, he has relined a disllnctlve and iconic

style which he has plastered all over walls,

trains, bridges. cars, tunnels, books, records

and even cows.

Banksy is most renowned lor hiS strong

sense of the ridiculous. Inside the elephant and

penguin enclosures at London Zoo, he painted,

ClockWise hom to!) IIghl AchOfi Palollng Wllh Roc:Ienl,
'\ want out. this place is too cold; keeper Street palOMg, Ctuapas, MexICO, Central PolICe Slahon,
smells; boring, boring. boring' in giant Bfrf.lol: Tlge< ECOfIOrTIICS, Mallthesler

handwriting, which looked as II It had been

written by the animals themselves.

In stencils, Banksy fo u nd the perfect

medium, recognizing in them the potential for

strong images and a quality of line With the

strength to captivate an audience and twist

their perceptions,

'I started off painting graffiti in the classic

New York style you use when you listen to too

mUCh hip-hop as a kid: he says, 'but I was

never very good at I\. As soon as I cut my first

stencil, I could feel the power there, The

ruthlessness and efficiency of It is perfect.
,.
'I also like the political edge, All graffiti is
low, level dissent but stencils have an e�tra

history, Th ey' ve been used to start revolutions

and to stop wars, They look political just
through the style, Even a picture of a rabbit

76
 ,.----'9
• • •
, fi... UnUIil ,
I t��:t '
",- - - ....�

Above, illICit sHeet

·8iI�·. R,vlllglOO St.
t.-
fa, lelt Who Put the
RevQlutlQfl on Ice?,
london
let! Alternative
§lgnage. Londofl

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77
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78
 Above leU to righi' Setf.Ptlltrall (stenCil on canvas),
BRNI,SY Deride and Conquel ($ler.c;11 on canvas), Do ing Wilat
You're Told IS o,.errate d (stencIl on canvas)

playing a piano looks hard as a stencil. It's like

r •
, the charge of the light enlertainment brigade.'

• Banksy has pamted stencils from London to •

New York, In January 2001 he Iravelled to the
Zapatlsta-held autonomous zones in Chiapas,
MexIco, as part of a tour m solidarity with the
Zapatlsla movement. He painted a series of
murals that depicted the struggle and he
stencilled the walls of the town of San Cristobal
de las Casas with poetIC images for peace,
'A lot of people think that scuttling around
stencilling Images onto bUildings m the middle
of the night IS the acllon 01 a sad, frustrated
individual who can't get attention or recognition
any other way, They might be fight, but I've
done gallery shows and, If you've been hilling
on people with all sorts of images in all sorts of
places, they're a real step backwards, Painting
the streets means becoming an actual part 01
the city. It's not a spectator sport.'

79
 UK artist Bonehead uses many techniques in his
street art. including stencilling and sllckenng. but
one recurring subject IS the bone - which he also
uses as a pictographic tag. Bonehead works on
can....as, too, and incorporates stencils, free·painted
brush-strokes and spray-paint in a controlled
energy that reflects some of the chance marks and
compoSitions found on walls. The strong design
and humour of his stencils always stand out, as do
his unmistakable tags.

Lelt, "'tbull /I 83 (�Iencll$. aerosol and acrylic on card)

Above. Cafry.ng Decks (stencIls, aerosoIilnd .lC.yhc OIl card)
Oppo5,te. clockwl5e from lop teft. R"mmng Man wIth
SUItcase. London; BoneI1ead tal and Bone Wa,ll!fS. London;
Man Carry'"g Decks, Heinz Phat GlOM and Toaster; Bruce
lee. London

80
-

.---

81
N H N II41114

Nano4814 15 from Viga on the AtlantiC coast of Spain,

'I chose the spray-can as my medium of expression in around 1995:
he says. 'I think II was a natural evoluhon after spending all day
skateboarding in the streets - which I coosider to be my main influence
as an artist and as an individual. Seeing slreelhfe from on top of lour
wheels gives you another point of view of the clly - you see It as
something creative - and I think thai makes you want to be part of 1\; to
be in everybody's dally hie, watching them from the walls,

-
 OpPOsite. c loc k wo se hom
top left; EI ChOqu'to;
Bunny Rabbol and Flymg
CrOissants, [I ChoqUlto;
all BrI�ton Skate Park.
London

Far left: EI Galo (TIle

Cat; stenCil on found
paper); Left; EI Gato
(original stencil): Above'
Nan04814 Flame Logo
(stencil on paper)

'Another great influence on me was Dr Slump !a Japanese

cartoon! and the crazy world it portrays, which gets really close to

what I try to reflect in my work. Apart from that I get inspiration from

music, everyday life or Situations that make Ideas pop into my head.

'My work evolves around my own world of characters, whether

they be cats, rabbits, cows, kids or strange combinations 01 things .

I always try to give the viewer something that won't leave them
indifferent. Sarcasm and humour are important. and everyone of my

characters usually has some story behind them.

'''EI Cho quito " (The Squid( is my representation of myself and

the medium I use - swimming in the streets, spreading the ink - and
I use It most of the time I do something. as a signature .

'The first experiments I made with stencils were my own designs

on my skateboards. Aller that I started to take them to the streets as

an extension 01 my graff work . What I like about stencils is that you

can repeat the same design over and over, and experiment with it in

different contexts. either in the street or on anything you can find -

old papers, canvas, advertising posters, tracing paper.. Mixing

techniques and keeping an open -minded approach to painting is

really important for me to keep my mind working, trying to find the

best way of transmitting the idea I have in my head:

83
84
r

(; E IH: II ]] II Y E P)Z

Gerardo Yepiz was born in 1970 in Ensenada,

Mexico, and is now resident in San Diego. He
started cutting stencils in 1980 with the idea
of making a lightning bolt to spray-paint on
a bicycle. Now, over twenty years later, his
stencil art has branched out in many
directions, including fine art. mail art and
propaganda.
In around 1986, heavily influenced by the
skate punk subculture, he began producing
BONJOURJE M'APPEllE

surrealist, fine-art stencil works with a pre­

Hispanic influence. In 1995 he began to apply
his work to skateboard ramps and T-shirts.
'Acamonchi' is Yepiz's alter ego for his
propaganda projects. As Acamonchi, the artist
produces stencils thaI celebrate and satirize
Mexican popular culture by adapllng images of
well-known figures. These images made the
headlines when they began to appear in Mexico
City. having been downloaded from Yepiz's
webSite - something Ihe artist encourages.

Above: M,I Mascaras. Mex,can "'resUer (stencil on wood) Above· Donaldo Colos,o. assassinated Me..can
R'ght (above): Acamooch, postcard preSIdent,a l candidate. mutated 1010 Kf"C"s Cotonel
Oppos'te Pfe·Hlspan,e·,nsp"ed f,gure Istenc,1 on paper) Sanders (slencit on wood) Top and above Flyer deSigns wl!h stencil illuSlratlOns

85
H E ll lII I E ll E I ]]
:llll ]] Jl:l ll i S

'I spent some lime in Paris: says Bernie Reid,

'wandering around the city. collecting

references with my camera, and I discovered

stencil art. The i nt ricacy and style shown by

artists such as Miss-Tic and Nice Art were a

real eye-opener. I decided to try and bring a
little sp irit of the scene bac k to Edinburgh:

Reid's work has since appeared in fashion

spreads for 1·0 and Nova.
British artist Paris studied fashion textiles

and has applied his progressive, multi-layered

aerosol techniques to many different textural

su rfa ces. He uses various spray methods,

including stencilling. with found objects from Above left Stencil on metal Slide. by Bernie Reid, Above; Stencil on street sign by Be!o>e Reid
(stene,) fash,on story for Nova magazine)
the warehouses of his home city of Hull.

86
 r
-

ClockwIse hom left: No Malte, Where I Roam by ParIs (study for

texhle desIgn: collage on paper, oncorporatln� stencas and other
techniques); 3-0 stencil on T·Shirt by Pans: Te�hle study by Pans
(aerosol art on found paper)

87
Silf-EEi
,
 ST

-...wh at l;uctly IS the problein? The confusi.on in'a simple

gcstU{c: � Ch:ll'llGtenstic Indian shaking of the head mC_IS �s; to •

the Western eye it looks lileNo. Theaction is no. exactly $bking the
head. It's as If the lndi:ms h3ve In ClItr.I bone In thC'it necks �ich
,
.
a1\ilws the hea.d to glide ina sinuoos back-and-ronh.up-and.down-at" •

,-
 PreviOUS pages, NICk Wal�er's studio lloor
Aoolli!: Space IS the Place by SWIHy (stencil template)
Left: Po'lra't 01 King Tubby by Ian Wflght (stenCil on breadboard)
OpPOsIte: Posture by Suml Pawar (collage. stencIls. aerosol on hlhographic metal plate)

The process of stencilling is very flexible and these artists have exploited
this by applying stencils to many cuslomized and found surfaces such as
wood, metal. paper, canvas and wallpaper.
Stencils can be applied along With other spray-paint or collage
techniques, or they can be overlaid, distressed and destroyed until the
desired effect is reached. Repeatability means that different colour
combinations can be tried out. Stencils need not just be sprayed through
but can be cut. drawn and hand-painted through. Other advantages are
that work becomes more transportable and more readily used in commer·
cial applications. There are many secret techniques and recipes that
differenl artists make their own - motion-blurring. wet reverse prinling
and controlled dripping of spray-pamt to name but a few. Approaches
vary from rough to highly detailed and crisp.

I However. many artists - particularly those who also work in the

graphic arts and illustration fields - don't see themselves as graffiti artists
I
Stencils are associated with street art and functional applications. and
are therefore perhaps overlooked as a creative medium off the street. at all and feel uncomfortable with the label and tile expectations that

However. as can be seen in the work shown on these and the follOWing come with It. They don·t want their artwork to be limited by the political

pages, stencils can be used on an astonishing range of surfaces and in and artistiC connotations of graffiti.

myriad different ways, All the work in this section - expressive, experi­ What connects all the artists. however. is innovation. originality and

mental and groundbreaking has been created out of the street context. an appreciation of the medium.

91
S W I F T \,
li N )) IIl N WIHlHI T

Above: 'If Dolphms were Monkeys' by Ian Wright

(stencil illustration for Ian Brown CD sleeve):
Right: Installation lor Amsterdam coffee shop
by SWllty (stencils applied with dayglow pamO:
BelOw: Stencil templale by Swiity

London-based graphic designer Swifty is well-known for his typographic Rorschach blot-style symmetry, which works well with stencil cutting, as
innovations for groundbreaking magazines and record labels. He has stencils can be sprayed both sides to get a reversed image.
always stayed ahead of the pack by creating his own typefaces. Stencils
have long been a favourite form, along with woodblock type and other
traditional hand-crafted fonts. Swifty has also adapted his designs for the
computer and created some of the first postscript typefaces, which retain
the roughness of his hand-cut and sprayed letteri ng He continues to use
,

stencils, both as a typographic and illustrative element and as a way of

steppi ng away from the computer, to create something with more energy
and unpredictability.
For UK illustrator Ian Wright, stencils are pari of an ever-expanding
repertoire of techniques and materials. He is particularly well-known
for his portraiture having produced countless illustrations for the music
,
OpPOSite left: Nerves by Logan Hicks (stencil on metal)
i ndustry. His portrait of dub pioneer King Tubby (see p. 91) combines a
love of reggae with stencils applied to a favourite surface material - a
breadboard. One of Wright's trademark illustrative styles is his use of

92
1.III;:l N H II : IUi

Logan Hicks started using stencils after a move to

California. Having left behind an entire screen·printing
shop for the sunny skies 01 San Diego, and therefore
without his uSlJal means of producing art, Hicks turned
instead to the cut stencil alld a can of spray-paint 10
mimic the screen prlnting process.
·

Hicks enJOYS the challenge that the limitations of

spray· paint stencils offer. The lack of minute detail, limited
colour palette and blurry line Quality all add to the overall
feel of his work.
Hicks is a founding member 01 the fine arts press
Workhorse Printing . which carries out print work for
clients such as Blk/mrkt Shepa rd Fairey Dave Kinsey and
, ,

other contemporary artists.

Above, Temple by LOflin H>eks (stencil Ofl metal)

ClockwIse from IO!) left. JennV;
Heather: Red Porlfi'\. EVIl Guy:
Blue Portra.!. Deborah (stencrl
poIlra,ts on metal)
S Li N I I. imagery on them. I create stencils either on my computer or by using
found objects. I also print text in reverse then photocopy images in black
' j started painting at an early age. My work was inspired by the music and while. and transfer them onio metal using paint stripper. I take stills
from sound systems and pirate radio stations. Even now music is integral as the process takes place and scan the stills into the computer. Using
to what I do. them as layers, I can construct and deconstruct the finished piece within
'I starl my pieces by creating patterns using car sprays and emulsions a graphics programme, or I can turn the process into animation. The
to provide brilliant colour, spraying on old bits of lithographic metal viewer can watch as the painting evolves. This also enables me to add
plates, which I rescue from printers. They might still have abstract bits of music to the pieces, which gives an extra dimension to tile work."

-
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rEmiX
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'j=
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01"-
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Lett: Authent'c'ty; Above: M,key, Below; Maharalah
(stenc,ls an(! mIXed med,a on 1,lhograplHC plates)
 •

Clockwise I.om top lett: Space Ape: Star Child; The Monie Shot; Nozzle ($Iencils 00 can;!)

96
N I I : I{ WRJ.H E Ii

Nick Walker's work has moved on since the

days when he sprayed walls at 4 a.m. to

coincide with the shift changes 01 the Bristol

police. These days he creates dream-like

pieces on canvas, futuristic cityscapes and

portraits in a combination of freehand painting

and complex stencilling.

He has worked in the record, advertising

and film industries, his credits including

sleeves lor Roni Size, images for Snapple and

grallili for the films Judge Dredd and Stanley

Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

'It's definitely a labour of love: says

Walker. 'Some of my more intricate stencils

take days to cut.'

Lei!: Portrait of Cart Cox (slencil on canvas)

Above: Port rait (stent,1 template)
M I T l: tl

Mitch is a prolific designer, based in London,

who works mostly in music-related fields.
Stencils continue to inspire him and he uses
them as part of a bigger creative process for
illustration and typography.
'I use stencils predominantly as a layering
medium. They're like an instant screen print.
They produce some great colour overlaps and
rough offset edges. Also, the nature of spray­
paint itself can provide some bad-ass colour
fadeS/splatS/cracks, etc.
'II's rare, though. that the stencil painting
alone will constitute the final finished article.
I'll normally take it through another process -
or two - before I get what I'm looking for. This
"multi-process" gives me the freedom to
produce both futuristic and worn "old" styles of
work very quickly.'
Mitch has also created a personal series of
stencil fonts that typifies his retro future style.
-

'Overal l : he says, 'the vital fact that my

work must always have an organic overview
dictates that I'll always need the stencil. '

98
 I
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99
 1 : .l n I S T[)[lti E n
I l E T T l li
Chris Belttg is a graduate 01 the Maryland

Institute College of Art and has exhibited in

Amsterdam, Baltimore, New York City,

Philadelphta and San Diego. He has worked for

several US museums, and is currently in the

process of opening his own gallery in San

Diego. His work can be seen on streets from

Alaska to Iceland.

'Stencils work as an effictent repetitive

tool: he says, 'but they are also great tn that

there is a larger wtndow for quick and easy

change - for example, in line, texture and I

opacity. The final image depends on what type

of paint is used - oil, acrylic or enamel; !tat or

gloss - and on the amount of paint - the

saturation or light misting of the surface - or

even whether paint is used at all. A multitude

of variables can be manipulated in order to

create many different looks. Combtne this with

Above, There Are No SPies He,e (brush·palnted sten<:lts Opposlte left, A�rted Space Invader stld<ers (steflCll
OIl stlCke,S), RIght The New Japan (paper, acf)'hCS and
other methods of "street" art and automatlcal·
and screen punt), Above nght Jacques Y�es Cousteau,
Ambassador to the Undersea (sten<:lls and screen punt) stencIls) Iy It makes for interesting imagery.'

100
 -· -�
Above: Gran, Hend". (stenCIl on wallpaper), Rlghl-
Obey Dev,I (5teneri on Wallpaper,.. Below, ChInese
Sold ier (street stefl(:,I!'• backgrounil (thIs page and

A -I

102
 S fI E Jl :l ll l l
F :l I IH Y

') started skateboarding and listening to punk

rock at the begini ng of 1984.' recounts Fairey.
') had decided that the factory graphics on my
board were too slick and I wanted to do
something more punk. Sometime around then I
made my very first stencil.'
Fairey was later to become well-known for
his 'Andre the Giant has a Posse' campaign (see
pp. 66-7). 'This began with stickers but grew
to include stencils as a larger-formal. more
permanent way to spread the Giant imagery,
One of the struggles with the campaign was
balancing quantity and quality. Stencils were a
great way to faithfully reproduce my art quickly
\ while harmoniously integrating with the texture
of the street.'
Fairey later used stenci ls to make posters
on old wallpaper: 'a simple way to make
hangable art lor people who had seen my stuft
on the street and wanted a piece',
As demands on his time grew, Fairey needed
help disseminating his work, Gerardo Yepiz (see
pp. 84-5) helped make stencils of many of
designs, and also found a die cutter to
the two most used Giant icons.
'I am now able to send stencils with instruc­
tions to people around the world: says Fairey.
'This serves a two-fold purpose: first, it spreads
my work, and second, it teaches people a very
simple method of reproducing their own.
Beyond just having a charming aesthetic, the
stencil is a cheap and effective way for
an artist or activist to put thei r work in front

Above: Zapatosla (faux sten.cll IllustratIon) of the public :

104
l: fl ll l S F ln l N I : I S

Chris 'Shortstop' Francis was studying at

Maryland Institute College of Art when, fed up
with the system, he hopped a passing train. He
ended up riding the rails for several years.
Francis boycotted expensive art supply
shops and instead bought his equipment at
hardware stores. A utility knife. spray-paint, oil
bars and found cardboard became his tools.
After returning to Baltimore, Francis went
on to work with Logan Hicks (see pp. 93-4),

OpPOSite. clockwise f.om lOP lell Cla� Pride; Anti·

Capitalism, Railroad Worker (stencils on paper)
This page. above, U.SA out of Me�ico, R'ghl Jump,nB
the Ralls {stenCilS on paper)
 Ckx:��"se from lop Ief1 10e0_ Confront.Deny 01 A,
Conlront.Deny 01 B , R,tual; Time Capsule,
(Stenc,IS ,nd acryhc on can�n)

In l " E IU N S E Y

San Diego artist Dave Kinsey uses posters.

stickers and stencils to create his street aft
campaigns. which have made their mark
across metropolitan California.
HIS stylized figures are juxtaposed with
single word messages, such as 'Rethink' and
'Unlearn'. urging the onlooker to lake notice
and perhaps fe-evaluate their own perceptions.
Street art activism and messaging is central
to Kinsey's artistic philosophy but his output IS
not restricted to street works. He has taken his
artwork onto canvas, wood, skateboard designs
and record sleeves. His canvases share the
same boldness and techniques as his work on
the urban landscape, utilizing methods such as
stencilling and spray-painting. The composi·
lIOns afe also inspired by the over-laYing found
all street surfaces - unfinished brush-marks,

stencilled letters and dripping paint. The figures

in his paintings are urban characters that seem
to populate their own futuristic city_

106
S T E F F P I. Il E T Z
Steff Plaetz is a London-based illustrator with a

uniquely free line approach to stencilling.

Working with stencils on canvas or on

"
computer, he overlays energetic blocks of I
colour with sketchily cut lines, creating

dynamic figures in motion.

" really like the aesthetic of stencilling,'

Plaetz says. 'A precise but wreckable line.'

Plaetz divides his time between personal

,. �
arid commercial work, with recent solo exhibi­

" ..
l1on5 at Arc in Manchester and Bob In New

' ��
l' ;2
York, and design commissions lor Japanese

clothing companies Satan Arbelt and Doarat.

.1 '-- P' .-
., ,. �
.....
)�� 5
Clock ,se from lop left Stseet steoc� CIICI 1997,
Premon,III)I1 FfiUl! 2001 ISlenc� on canvas): Spar-IS
Suite IlIusll<1hOn 101' AdodWSlNu NiflOll 1999 (Slent�
on canvas) " A I.
�
"'
 l: fl ll I S S T Il I N

Baltimore artist and prinlmaker Chris Slain

began to use stencils because he could IlOt
afford his own screen-printing equipment.
The SWitch to stencils worked out well.
Slain immediately fell comfortable with spray·
paint arid was able to work on surfaces such as
sheet metal, which are less suited to screen
printing. The metal surfaces add another

n
dimension to the picture as Stain leaves areas
of copper and steel unpainted.
Stain·s images draw on family history and

\I
historical documentary.
'It is graffiti but on a different level: he
says. 'I cut stencils as a way of documenllng
life; as a proof of my own existence and how I
deal with that existence.'

108
 wEHAVE NOT;
�.

Y::Ol=iGOliEN
OpposIte tell: Slflke
(stencil on steen; RIehl
from The Good Earth
(stencil on board)

//
\
ThIS Dage, clockwIse
from far left: 8 Lancaster

f \ \ N�
Ave (stencil on copper):
Warsaw GheHo (stenc,1
on steel): WIlliam Casby
(slencil on steel); Hard

" \ '"J Travelling (stencil on

COIlpefl: In the Dream -
TIjuana (stencil on steel)
 II lJ i li II I N Ii
FURTHER READING
Cano, Genis, & Anile! Rabuflal, Barcelona
MUfS, AJuntament de Barcelona, 1991
Chalfant. Henry, & James Prigoff, Spraycan
Art, T hames & Hudson, 1987
Cooper. Martha, & Henry Chalfant. Subway

Art, Thames & Hudson, \984

Huber, Joerg. Pans Graffi/I, Thames &
Hudson, 1986
Kinneif, Jock. Words and Buildings:
The Art and Practice of Public Lettering.

Architectural Press, 1980

,
Metz Prou, SybiUe, & Bernhard van Treek,
Pocho;,: Die Kunst des Schab/onen·Graffl/i.

Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. 2000

Robinson, David, Soho Walls Beyond
Graffiti, Thames & Hudson, 1990

Left: The Naughties, New York

This page and opposite: Wall. Bristol

,
•
 •

WEBSITES •

Art Crimes. http://www.graffiti.orpj Shepard Jairef: www.obeygiant.com Toasters: www.toasterstoasters.co.uk

Jules Backus: www.cooper.eduJarVIubalin/ John Fekner: www.phoenix.liu.eduJ-jfekner/ Urban Artistes: www.kSurl.neV-armvr/index2.
ambush.hlml Fran(j;ois: www.onthewaIUree.fr/index_fr.hlml html
Balli: wwwJosLart.br Thierry Geffray: www.sitefun.com/lesmursmurs Nick Walker: www.apishangel.co.uk
Bananens prayer: www.bananensprayer.de logan Hicks: www.workhorsevisuals.com Dan Wilz: www.bway.neV-danwitzl
Banksy: www.banksy.co.uk Dave Kinsey: www.kinseyvisual.com World Stencils: www.cleansurlace,org
Gerardo Yepiz: www.acamonchi.com/gyepiz
•
Barcelona: www.bc:ngraffitl.com Tristan Manco: mfo@'stencilgraffiti.com and
Chnstopher Bellig: www.455ad.com www.stencilgraffiti.com
Siek Ie Rat: //blekleraUree.frll Sunil Pawar: www.iamslingshol.com
Brighton; www.graffiti.orglbrighlon Steff Plaelz: e·mail [email protected]
•
Bristol: www.bristol-graffiti.com Political Graphics: www.pol iticargraphics.org •

eee Cultural CryptanalysIs Collective: •

Bernie Reid: www.crealiveunion.co.uk
• •
www,talkback.lehman.wny.edu/lblissue3/ S&H: www.essenhallch.co.uk
gallery/eec.hlml Chris Stain: www.inthedream.com

•
Dave & Shep: www.blkmrkt.com SwHty: www.swifly.co.uk
•

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ThankS to &II the unknown artistS. Miss-Tic. Misse, Mitch, MurMur, Nan04814, Barcelona: Genis Gano, Isabel Chavarria
Thanks to all the artists alld photographers who Nemo. Nico. Nylon. Dries. Par 3. Paris, Sunil Grau, Francese Punsola Izard. Jan Spivey
contributed wOfldwide. Pawar, Steff Plaell. Poch. Polrol. Bernie Reid. Milan: Franco Brambilla, Giacomo Spazio
Thanks to everyone whO oontflbuted but due to Jeff Row. Sniper. Giacomo Spazlo. Chris Stain, USA: Shepard Fairey. Logan HiCks, Dave
space did not gel included. AIeJi; Sloloff, Andy Slott. STR. Swifty. TNT, Kinsey, Dave McElwalne, Mary PeacOCk.
Toasters. Seth Tolxlc:man. Tommo. Wack. Nick Peter Walsh, Peter lahorecz
Artists: Arnaud, Balzi, Banksy, Barney Barnes,
Walker. Dan Will, Ian Wright. Xar�. Gerardo
Le Bateleur, Thomas BaumgarteL Chris Bettig.
Yepiz, lao, Zen Translations: Simon Sleath
Sick Ie Rat. BoneheAd, 'Fra � co Brambilla. Andy
Brown. CCC. Chou. Circa. Clone, Dominique Special thanks for their invaluatjle knowledge,
Organizations: PYMCA. Graphotism Magazine.
Decobecq a.k.a Nice Alt. D.lM. Crew, Fab hospitality and contribullOns 10 the cause:
Creative Union
Four. Shepard Fairey, Pablo Fiasco, Chris UK: Win Barras. Marc Bessant, Stephen Eart,
Francis, Jaspar Goodhalt, Hac, Logan HIckS, Nylon. Ephrahim Webber
David Hopkinson. Bob Kalhman, Dave Kinsey, Paris: Blek Ie Rat, Alexandre Gealis, ThieflY
laszlO, loony, Laura Mars, JerOme Mesnager, Geffray. Sybille Metz Prou. Olivier Schil
I

l
PICTURE CREDITS

tanacoo A'OIIO'<>ch II 53 2nd roN R II 501 Bruce A,I na

p 20 BR. p 23 B. p. 26 BR. Jylft Batku!o p 20 TR.
P 25 L. p. 27 flo pp. 32-3, P 39. P 40 flo HI & al.
p 4 \ P 4 2 T L & T R . p 43 U . R , p 4B Bl & 2L. p 51
T31. p 63 BR: Mallin Ba(j(Jcl II 6lL. II 15 JL. p 64
2n(j ,ow L. p. 65 TR, p. 71 flo Barney Bames p 153l
p 57 SR. Thoma� 6/lumKi'!1<!1 pp. 46-7 �II; Ch"�tophe,
Seth8 PI) 100-1 ail. Siek p 8 Il. PI) 36-8 ai' p. 58
TJL. Bonehead p 48 BlL. II 57 2nd !ON II, PI) 80·\ a
Franco B'ambolla &. Giacomo Spuoo p 58 C. Genii Caoo
P 33 Bl.. p. 52 Tl. p. 60 TR. P 62 2nd 'ON l. P 6<1
10(l ff)II R p . 7 \ fCt Bl. II 13 111, S mon �
p 6 baoc�grCMJnd. ClOne II 68 Iii coi l. Sle.....' O.lnoeben
p 4 all. Damoen Ooherl/ p 5] TR. II 62 Te. $hep3rd
Fa"ey p 6 4 L . p. 8 R, p 6 6 l . p 67 L & R. pp 102-3a
Cn"i F,.:lOt'S PIl- 104 5 all, Tn"'''1 �H'ai p 23 T21.
P 26 Bl. p 28 Bl. p 31 C, p. 3 3 1. 2nd rf:IN L &. l'd fON
II, P 42 Bl, p. 51 BL, P 55 T2l &. Til II 58 T I &. 2L.
P 62 fl, p. 73 Tl & BC; John Ham.llon p. \4 2nd row I
p 29. p. 62 2nd r()W C. p. 65 B L .I. C. p. 110; Logan
Hicks pp 93·4 all, Roo!!!1 H�mes p 14 TR. p. 50: Is.al:lel
p. 31 2L, Danny Jenk,n§ p. 57 fL, Robe.1 Kalhman
p. 53 Clo p. 75 B: Daile K,n� p 106111: Sieve Laz"cIe§
p 2 2nd .ow 3. P lD. p. 21 BL. pp 34-5. pp. 76·9 all:
Me. Ma)'tlew P 2 4lh .0", 3, Da.-.d Mc(I",,,,ne p 15 lL.
p 66 all e.cepI """ n poe, Foooa McClymonl p 43 C,
Sybille Mel.! Prou p. 6 2lo p. 13 R. p 51 2nd !OW L.
P 58 T4l & Til. Tanya fv!, Ie< p 2 too 10'" 1 & 2. 2nd
lOW L 2 & 4. 3ld row I 4lhrow l. M_:ch pp 98-9 all.
Joy M,II..¥d p. 5: Nan04814 P 8 C, P 14_ pp 82·3 all.
N)'IOn p. 7 4 L , p. 1 1 4L.p. 1 9 R. p 21 BR. p 22TR.
p 24 3L. p 28 TL. C & SR. p 30 n. C & R. p. 3 1 Tlo Til.
BL & BR, PD- 44·5 all. p. 48 1. p. 51 8R. p 52 SR. p 55
T2R. p. 62 SL & 3.d !OW CT, p. 63 Tlo C to R_ p. 64 2nd
'0'" C. p. 71 C: JeH Ot!e.�k p. 58 BR. p. 96 all. p. 91 L.
p. 112: PalOS p. 81 all: Sun,1 Pawar p 90. p 95 all;
Siefl PIa.eIZ p. 107 all, S&H p 15 TR: STR p. 24 R.
Ol,,,oe. SCh,1 p. 7 2L. p 22 lL & BC, p. 23 TR, p. 25 R.
p. 21 TC, R t. SL. p 49 n. p 51 B2L. p 55 Tlo P 61 Tlo
p. 12: Ardy Shaw p 86 L & R. Snipe! P 50. p_ 51 C lio
B3L OW'S SIa,n PD- 108·9 all. Tony SI,1es p. I I 3L,
p 1 2 _ p 14 3rd !trw t. BR . p 19L. S"fly p 91 R. p _ 92
TR & 8R. Tile Toa�l� p 70 all. Pele.- l'Ial$ll p 2 31d !trw
3 t. 4 B2L Ian 1'/'_gN p 91 L, p. 92 ft, Ge.-aroo Yepoz
pp 84-5 all

Right: Under rairway bridge. Bristol

With 224 colour illustrations

New York Spraycan Memorials

Martha CoQper and Joseph Sciorra

With 137 colour Illustrations

www.thamesandhudson.com

Printed in China