Designer Desire: Oskar with a K

Oskar with a K montage of graffiti artworks

I’ve just realised that it’s not very often that we’ve featured a graffiti artist in our Designer Desire series. As luck would have it, I’m very familiar with – if not the work itself, then – some of the locations of work by Oskar with a K.

In a past life, I worked in a few different arts organisations in Manchester city centre, one of which was directly opposite the Ritz where his Ooh Child work is situated. At a later date, I worked in the city’s Northern Quarter, and I walked past the former public toilet where his Hello work now lives on a twice-daily basis.

Here’s what Oskar with a K says about himself:

I would describe my work as graphic design unhindered by scale. I love working in public space, engaging fully with the environment Iā€™m in and contributing to a world in which art and design is implicit to our cityscapes.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Designer Desire: Thierry Noir

Mosaic of Thierry Noir artworks | H is for Home

I think it’s safe to say that Thierry Noir is a Marmite artist; I love his bold, bright, childlike work. However, it does absolutely nothing for Justin. I first discovered his work in a recently featured home in our Get their look blog series.

French-born Noir (b. 1958) moved to Germany in 1982; two years later, he was the first artist to (illegally) create artworks on the Berlin Wall (see photo below).

That style of painting came because I couldn’t finish my painting because of thousands of questions ā€“ everybody wanted to know something. I said to myself, I speak longer than I paint, so I cant finish what I want to do. So I started to develop a style of painting where it is possible to paint and talk at the same time!
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I had to adapt to be quicker, which became my Fast Form Manifesto. The Fast Form Manifesto is a good recipe for people who have to paint fast in dangerous environments, or with constantly interruptions. You need two ideas and three colours.
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Thierry Noir cites as influences: Picasso, Joan Miro, Basquiat, Keith Haring, Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Kraftwerk and Led Zeppelin.

He has produced numerous public works (some more temporary than others) in the UK. Amongst others, there’s been a multi-storey mural on Barwick House, Acton (pictured, top), a road crossing in Millbank, hoardings in Chichester and a sandwich bar shop-front in Shoreditch.

Portrait of Thierry Noir at the Berlin Wallcredit

Portrait of Thierry Noircredit

Additional image credits:

Flickr | Howard Griffin Gallery