In the early 2000s, stencils were introduced into his artistic work, an evolution that brought him closer to a simplified but more effective aesthetic that, according to him, could bridge the gap between the passion and spontaneity of graffiti on the one hand and the fragility and transience of nature on the other. Martin Whatson is also very sensitive to the processes of deconstruction carried out by Jose Parla and Cy Twombly. At that time, there was zero tolerance by the government and police, so it was difficult to create walls without taking risks.Īrchitecture is for him a constant inspiration, the evolution and deconstruction of cities fascinates him. Growing up in the city of Oslo, Norway, Martin was an important part of the emerging local graffiti scene in the early 1990s. Martin Whatson's pictorial world is filled with anomalies and contradictions that require the viewer to linger over the work. The artist considers his works as a reflection of the rise and fall of the city streets, in his creations he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then personalizes it in his own way. His style is unique and recognizable, Martin has developed an aesthetic that combines figurative stencil compositions and abstract movements. It is in Oslo that the artist made his weapons, he studied art and graphic design within the school of communication Westerdals.įor more than ten years, Martin Whatson has been collaborating with some of the biggest names in his field and has managed to make himself known and appreciated by important collectors all over the world. Today he is considered one of the key players in contemporary urban art, more commonly known as street art. His latest solo show in Tokyo, Love Tour, sold out pre and during the opening night.Martin Whatson was born in Norway in 1984. Since his artistic debut in 2006, he has had several solo exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. Still, his expression is very much masculine, filled with in your face-statements that represents a young and vigorous group of upcoming artists. He has a cheerful, very much recognizable and almost feminine touch butterflies, doves and hearts in soft, nonetheless vibrant, colours. His stencils are a mix of urban scenes with a poetic, hippyish make peace not war-message. His artistic expression started off more political, inspired by DOLK and Banksy, but has developed into a more subtle expression. This interest for decay has helped develop his style, motives and composition and he enjoys creating either unity or conflict between materials and motives a wrinkled old lady on a shiny plate of aluminum. He looks for inspirations in city landscapes and old soon to be demolished buildings. Martin has a continuous urge to search for beauty in what is commonly dismissed as ugly, out of style or simply left behind. In 2004 he started his own artistic production. He had been interested in Graffiti for years, following the development within street art closely. While studying Art and Graphic design at Westerdals School of Communication, Oslo, he discovered stencils and the urban art scene. 1984) is a Norwegian born and based stencil artist.
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