Image via Complex Original
Here on Complex Art+Design, we do our best to present a range of artists, especially when it comes to street art. Sometimes, the ones making the most noise are folks you've already heard of (*cough cough* like Banksy). The street artists we've chosen for 20 Street Artists You've Never Heard Of (But Should Definitely Know) range from emerging to established, but most of them operate off the radar.
Each are tied together by their commitment to craftsmanship in public spaces, whether they're doing work in their hometown or somewhere completely new to them. For writers Reverend and Nugz, this means carefully rendering each letter of their names. For wheatpasters like Willow and QRST, each brushstroke is an important, thoughtful gesture. Aesthetically, some focus on minimalistic representation, while others draw upon a prismatic range of colors. Together, these artists represent street art’s current visual dialogue.
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20 Street Artists You've Never Heard Of (But Should Definitely Know)
Based in: New York
Known as Mr. Never Satisfied, the artist's self-critique has challenged him to continue growing in his craft. Often known for painting sad owls, the technique in his letterwork is unparalleled, which is fitting considering he creates the typography for many of Brooklyn's local businesses. Never one to shy away from harsh weather, the artist continually paints through rain and snow, with more to come in the sunnier months.
Based in: Lima, Peru
El Decertor has painted mural festivals throughout South America, including his home of Peru. The artist also traveled to Morocco last year for a collaboration with Bio of New York's Tats Cru. His use of space when representing abstraction and figurative subject matter make this artist one to watch as the festival circuit begins.
Tatiana Suarez
Based in: New York
The curvy large-eyed women who Tatiana Suarez paints are reminiscent of those created by her predecessors, such as Fafi. Where others use muted pastels for their figures, Suarez injects radiant colors seen in beaches and sunsets. The artist is a member of the all-women mural crew Few and Far, with whom she frequently paints.
Based in: Italy
When viewers hear about public work with yarn, the image that comes to mind is usually a pole covered in brightly colored yarn, usually in a pattern. Moneyless has the polar opposite of this aesthetic, placing emphasis instead on his minimalistic forms and removing them from surfaces. Through the use of anchor hooks and fishing line, Moneyless has reinvented the way that viewers see yarn by cleverly floating his forms.
Based in: Miseryland
Like several artists on this list, Misery first popped up Stateside when painting at the Bushwick Collective. Curator Joe Ficalora has given many artists their first walls in the city, and Misery's was a collaboration with Sheryo. Since then, Misery has gone on to paint at Pow! Wow! Hawaii with Dabs and Myla.
Based in: New York
Leon Reid IV is a master of all mediums. From a young age, the artist wrote graffiti under the moniker Verbs and Darius Jones, reminding viewers to "honk if you love graffiti." Since studying sculpture at Pratt, Reid began welding pieces across New York City. Notably, he recently had a solo booth at the Fountain Art Fair in New York, an exhibition at Woodward Gallery, and he created a newsbox with Posterboy for Showpaper.
Based in: New York
Like Willow, New York-based artist QRST often places an emphasis on original creations for the streets. The portraits of people he knows are usually accompanied by birds, open hearts, or typography. Recently, he has worked with Public Ad Campaign in a piece that states to viewers, "This is temporary."
Based in: Rimini, Italy
Basik is one of many artists included in Graffuturism's recent "A Major Minority" exhibit, which featured practitioners of abstract graffiti. His style is characterized by his use of geometric hands and hieroglyphic-like text. Notably, he has collaborated with 2501 and Gaia on pieces that emphasize monochrome.
Based in: New York
Like many of New York's great street artists including Swoon, Cake, and Leon Reid IV, Willow is a graduate of the Pratt Institute. Like his fellow artists, his work places an emphasis on originals. Each of his street pieces are made up of thousands of tiny brushstrokes, adding a skillful blending of color and shading.
Based in: Bogotá, Colombia
Bastardilla has long been associated with Stinkfish's APC crew from Colombia. The smooth curves of her figures contrast the stark lines associated with Stinkfish's pattern overlay. When working solo, Bastardilla often uses space creatively, whether substituting a statue's head for her character or wrapping it within a bat.
Based in: New York
Wretched Beast, like Vulpes Vulpes, came to viewers' awareness through Hanksy's Surplus Candy. The artist has since exhibited in a Chelsea gallery and at Fountain Art Fair 2014. With black and white images all too fit for the streets, watch Wretched Beast kill it as New York City cranks up the temperature.
Based in: Honolulu
We've previously featured Kamea Hadar for his work in his home of Hawaii with the POW! WOW! street art festival. During these events he is known for his collaborations with global artists including Rone and Poesia, often depicting a female muse and detailed lips. Viewers should follow him in the off season to see how he develops solo, as well.
Based in: New York
Beau Stanton is not so much a street artist as he is an artist who sometimes paints in the streets. When he leaves tje studio to explore outdoor surfaces, the results draw viewers into his world of rich teals and copper tones. Although each piece he creates is a visual spectacle unto itself, perhaps the most impressive work he's done is a painting on two sides of the Berlin Wall.
Based in: Salzburg, Austria
It takes a lot to please New Yorkers who, depending on who you ask, tend to find street art repetitive as of late. That being said, the city's street art followers have been raving about the work of Jana & JS since they painted at the Bushwick Collective. Although new to the United States, the duo has painted their way across Germany, Austria, France, England, Russia, and Slovakia.
Based in: Poland
Etam Cru is comprised of duo Sainer and Bezt who are based in Poland. Everything from their portrayal of various subject matter to their color choice is refreshing and unique. As the weather warms up, be sure to watch the duo who have been recently painting at mural festivals in Virginia and Poland.
Reverend and Nugz
Based in: Unknown
Reverend and Nugz graffiti is dotted around the United States—in Detroit, Baltimore, and New York. Logistical perils like navigating abandoned spaces aside, the craftsmanship behind each roller is a feat unto itself. The fonts the pair create, together and separate, examine the aesthetic potential of the written word.
Based in: Baltimore
Vulpes Vulpes first came to prominence recently when painting Hanksy's notorious abandoned building project Surplus Candy. He recently followed that by painting a legal mural with Baltimore native Nether. He usually paints in off the grid locations like Istanbul and Sarajevo that viewers must seek out but usually need to be aware of beforehand.
Based in: Oakland
We only came across the work of Gats (stands for Graffiti Against the System) when painting with his friends Brett Flanigan and Cannon Dill at the Bushwick Collective. Depending on how closely viewers follow Oakland graffiti, you may or may not be familiar with the artist's work. Those interested in the transient scrawls of writers like You Go Girl!, Swampy, and Reader will be drawn to these aesthetics as well.
Based in: Newark, N.J.
Originally based in Baltimore, Mata Ruda has since moved to Newark, becoming a part of the Ñewmerica collective, which includes Icy & Sot, ND'A, and LNY. In a little over a year spent in the New York metro area, he has shown during Bushwick Open Studios, El Museo del Barrio, and has been commissioned for murals by the city of Newark. At this pace, viewers can expect nothing but new heights from Mata Ruda in the future.
Based in: New York
For those new to street art, you may not be familiar with the work of Nohjcoley. The artist creates sculptural works as well as wheatpastes throughout New York, often dealing with themes of racism as well as portraits of people he knows. He last held a solo exhibition at Weldon Arts; the space was transformed with pieces set under bottles, fences adhered to walls, and patterned stencils.
