Top 5 Break Out Street Artists

As much of the world continues to shelter underneath an array of lockdown laws, people within the states and countries that are tentatively relaxing restrictions are coming out into a world adorned with fresh art. While many studio-based artists have remained indoors these past few months, graffiti artists, muralists and street artists have remained steadfast in their practices – continuing to paint the walls of their respective cities. Some artists continue to take over public spaces to express beauty, while others respond directly to the pandemic. 

 These murals carry an important message; they attest to the power of street art. The artform has continued to expand during the global pandemic, and has been able to spread joy, hope, inspiration and of course, a little criticism towards a few world leaders. Feats to which many other artforms can’t currently lay claim.

 I am, and I assume many of you reading this right now, are locking down at home. Galleries and museums are closed, and so all of the art I have seen recently, in person, has come in the form of sculpture and muralism. I have been trying to leave the house each afternoon, and on these daily walks, I am constantly greeted by fresh graffiti. It has almost become a game for me to try to find, and then attribute, the new art covering the walls of my city.

image courtesy of author

At this stage, I should probably mention that I am living in Melbourne, Australia, arguably the street art capital of the southern hemisphere. With this in mind, I acknowledge my position as being quite lucky. So, for those of you not as privileged as me, I have put together a list of up and coming graffiti artists to keep a keen eye on, for now and no doubt once the lockdown passes.

5. S.F.

Aris Messinis, detail of S.F. “stay home”, courtesy of photographer

It would be impossible to neglect mentioning this young Greek painter in a list of ‘breakout’ graffiti artists. S.F., a 16-year-old boy from Athens, has made global headlines for two of his recent artworks – both having been painted on the roof of his family apartment block during lockdown.

 The first, a larger than life depiction of a coronavirus cell, embellished with European flag facemasks and the caption “stay home” in both Greek and English, was shared around the world in the beginning of April. His work was featured on websites such as the Guardian and Artnet, surrounded by established writers and muralists, where he was credited as being one of the first artists to use muralism to respond to the pandemic. His second artwork, a bruised face of a Greek woman wearing a mask went viral around a month later. Still responding to the pandemic, although taking a morbid tone.

 Little is known about this mysterious Greek artist apart from that he is sixteen, lives in Athens with his mother, and signs all of his works S.F. Although anyone with enough talent to go viral, twice in the space of a month, is certainly worth watching.

 4. Dave Cragg

David Cragg is a multidisciplinary artist from Australia, currently living in the city of Wollongong. He has Bundjalung ancestry and is of Irish and Scottish descent, with his work being a combination of all of these influences. He explores, through contrasting the natural and the man-made, the effect humans have on Australian Country – from both indigenous and non-indigenous perspectives.

 In 2019, Cragg held a solo exhibition at Backwoods Gallery in Melbourne under their emerging artist program, and in Sydney with his older sister Noni, painted a 25m long mural entitled People, Places, Culture. This doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of Cragg’s short career though. A scroll through his social media pages indicate his incredible work ethic: he contributes to group exhibitions, works on projects in the public space, photographs graffiti, and when he finds his own time, writes under a couple of different aliases.

 Cragg’s works are ludic, cynical and witty. They’re an honest reflection on the best and worst of Australian life. This, coupled with his obvious gift for painting, has placed him comfortably within Australia’s rising art talent.

3. Libby Schoettle, aka “PhoebeNewYork”

PhoebeNewYork, Rebel, Courtesy of the Artist

NYC-based street artist Libby Schoettle aka PhoebeNewYork has been painting, and pasting, under the moniker for some 5 years. Her work is often political and often speaks to feminism.

 Schoettle paints iterations of herself as a paper-doll like character named Phoebe, usually collaged with pieces of clothing, photographs and pages taken from books and magazines. She has a unique visual style that she has been honing for years now; her artworks can be seen in NYC, LA, London, Philadelphia, Barcelona and Berlin. In isolation her murals are intriguing, however, if you follow Phoebe around, she begins to recount a story. A heroine falling in love, wandering around a city, learning, experiencing heartbreak and forming new relationships.

 Schoettle has been decorating cities for years now, though she has only attained a new level of fame more recently: her work was featured in New York Magazine and, slated to air soon, will be the feature of a documentary series produced by Canobie Films.

2. Fake

Fake, Maersk, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist

Fake is a Dutch street artist perhaps best known for serving up fiery responses to the dreary surroundings where he was raised. Fake is undoubtedly the most famous on this list, being an iconic artist in the Dutch street art scene, although has recently attracted a significant level of international attention.

 He is a self-taught artist who followed in the footsteps of household names such as Banksy and Shepherd Fairy. He uses stencils to bring his artworks together, where they are often imbued with a fairy-like charm and an alarming criticism when you take the time to let it sink in.

 Fake has recently been picked up by Vertical Gallery, a powerhouse in the Chicago street art scene, and has been touring the world since. Over the past few years he has exhibited in Holland, Norway, Denmark and the UK – a remarkable feature as he was a lesser known figure, at least outside of the Netherlands, for the first decade of his career.

1. Socrate

Socrate, Les Hespérides, 2019. Courtesy of Catawiki

Socrate is an up and coming French graffiti artist beginning to carve a name for herself through a raw and emotive approach to graffiti. She paints both on walls and canvas, incorporating what can only be described as heavy contrast into her work. Defining her art as “animations of temporal and motionless images,” her murals and paintings are approached in the same way – a lively ‘wildstyle’-inspired background harking back to New York graffiti of the early 80’s, superimposed with duotone and black and white pictures.

 Over the past year, Socrate has been participating in group exhibitions and solo shows throughout France. She has exhibited at KI Galerie, Galerie WAWI, and the Art Life Gallery. Her work is often compared to Martin Watson, and she certainly has a bright future ahead.

 Of course, I should conclude by saying that this list is nowhere near comprehensive. Street art is a rapidly expanding and extremely diverse artform, and the artists I have named are a few of many who are pushing the practice forward. Stay up to date by following artists, blogs and galleries, and if you’re as fortunate as I am, pay attention to the ever-changing walls of your city.

Emerson Radisich is a curator, writer and educator from Aotearoa (New Zealand). He is currently completing an MA at the University of Melbourne and is the Assistant Curator at Backwoods Gallery.