Biography
Australian graffiti artist Russell Fenn, aka Sofles, is best known for his large-scale murals that can be found all over the world, from Oslo, Berlin, LA, to Las Vegas and Copenhagen. The artist is renowned for his technical skill and the amazing amount of work he has produced in the last 20 years. As he creates with spray paint, acrylic, digital, drawing, brush painting, and illustrative works, it is hard to imagine that Sofles is self-taught. His unique style immediately caught the eye of the public and brought him numerous commissions with such big companies as Red Bull, Uber, Amazon Prime, Marvel Stadium, Adidas, Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Universal Studios, and Miami Art Basel, to name a few.
Sofles spent years perfecting his craft before he made a grand entrance in the late 2000s. Art lovers marveled at his skill as he completely sold out numerous exhibitions. Over the years, he has most enjoyed collaborating with other artists, such as Revok, Anthony Lister, and Ben Frost. Among the countless project, maybe the most famous one is the 5 minute long YouTube video entitled . In 2013, Sofles, in collaboration with Fintan Magee, Treas, and Quench, painted a large warehouse in Brisbane. Millions of people viewed the incredible time-lapse short film directed by Selina Miles in the first 24 hours. The most amazing aspect of the artist's work is that he draws his large-scale pieces without any plan or sketch, straight from his imagination.
Throughout his career, the artist has experimented with different styles. Yet he has always had a clear goal that he never wavered from – to create strong images that evoke strong emotions.
From traditional graffiti to nature, society, and classical art, he looks at everything and always maintains a healthy level of curiosity for new things to inspire him. Due to his amazing focus and high technical skills, he is able to elevate any style to the next level, which won him the title of "Special Effects Wizard."
In 2022 the KSR Gallery in Melbourne showcased the artist's work in an exhibition entitled . Celebrating nearly two decades of work, in 2020 Wall to Wall Festival presented a major retrospective in an exhibition. It featured everything from commissioned work to illegal tags, sketches, and large-scale works.
Nationality