Graffiti is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world. Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.
Leonard Hilton McGurr, known as Futura, and formerly known as Futura 2000, is an American graffiti artist.
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989 he designed the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Tavar Zawacki formerly known as 'ABOVE' is an American abstract artist living and working in Lisbon, Portugal. For twenty years (1996–2016) Tavar Zawacki created and signed all of his artworks with his street artist pseudonym, 'ABOVE'. Tavar was born and raised in California until the age of 19, at which time, Zawacki bought a one-way flight from California to Paris, France, bringing with him a backpack full of art supplies, all the money in his bank account (US$1,500), and a 'rise above your fears' approach to starting his art career. Starting in Paris in 2000, Tavar transitioned from painting traditional letter style graffiti of A-B-O-V-E, to his 'Above arrow' icon that represented his optimistic mentality to 'rise above fears, challenges, and anything holding you back from your goals.' During a 20-year period, the artworks of ABOVE could be seen in over 100 cities spanning 50 countries around the world.
Jonathan Yeo is a British artist who rose to international prominence in his early 20s as a contemporary portraitist, having painted Kevin Spacey, Dennis Hopper, Cara Delevingne, Damien Hirst, Prince Philip, Erin O'Connor, Tony Blair, and David Cameron among others. GQ has called him 'one of the world's most in-demand portraitists'. He was educated at Westminster School.
Dean Stockton, better known by his alias D*Face, is an English multimedia street artist who uses spray paint, stickers, posters, and stencils.
Blek le Rat is a French graffiti artist. He was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the "Father of stencil graffiti".
Richard Art Hambleton was a Canadian artist known for his work as a street artist. He was a surviving member of a group that emerged from the New York City art scene during the booming art market of the 1980s, which also included Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. While often associated with graffiti art, Hambleton considered himself a conceptual artist who made both public art and gallery works.
Vhils is the tag name of Portuguese graffiti and street artist Alexandre Manuel Dias Farto.
Blu is the pseudonym of an Italian artist who conceals his real identity. He was born in Senigallia. He lives in Bologna and has been active in street art since 1999.
JR is the pseudonym of a French photographer and street artist. JR stands for the initials of JR's first name, which is Jean-René.
Morley is a street artist based in Los Angeles, California. He specializes in wheatpaste prints that feature bold text and an image of the artist drawing the words with a Sharpie marker. Morley has indicated that he studied at The School of Visual Arts in New York. In 2011 his work caught the eye of former Banksy manager Steve Lazarides, whose Outsiders division began selling screen prints of his work shortly after. His work has been featured in the books: "It's A Stickup: Posters from the World's Greatest Street Artists", "Stay Up! Los Angeles Street Art", "Happy Graffiti: Street Art with Heart", "New Street Art", and "The Popular History of Graffiti: From the Ancient World to the Present", "New Street Art".
KATSU is a graffiti artist who is active in New York City. He works with technology and public intervention to comment on commercialism, privacy and digital culture. As a result, his work includes traditional graffiti, digital media, and conceptual artwork. He is a member of the BTM graffiti crew.
Steve Lazarides is a British-Greek Cypriot publisher, photographer, collector and curator. He has helped popularise street art and underground art.
FAILE is a Brooklyn-based artistic collaboration between Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. Since its inception in 1999, FAILE has been known for a wide-ranging multimedia practice recognizable for its explorations of duality through a fragmented style of appropriation and collage.
Conor Harrington is an Irish street/graffiti artist based in London, England.
Kim Prisu, a pseudonym for Joaquim António Gonçalves Borregana, is a Portuguese painter. After 34 years in France, he once again lives in Portugal. His work combines Figuration Libre, French street art of the 1980s, digital imaging and Art singulier.
Hiwa Pashaei or Hiva Pashaei is a Kurdish painter, photographer, calligrapher, graphist, curator and publisher from Iran, living in the United States. He is active in the fields of painting, graphic design, research and education of visual arts. Pashaei is known for his spearhead role in pixel art in Iran and Kurdistan. Pashaei is also renowned because of his innovative use of Kurdish culture themes, specially culture of Kermanshah region Kurds, creating figurative works with the subject of Kurdish women, and presenting these themes in the form of modern and post modern art. He is manager of Rouge Art Gallery and Founder of Jowan Visual Art School in Tehran, and also CEO & Founder of Art & Culture Center of California "ACCC" in Los Angeles. Pashaei has held several individual and group exhibitions in Iran and other countries like Iraq, Japan, Italy, France and United States.
