Martin Whatson Punk's Not Dead, 2010

Young Norwegian Martin Whatson is an
unmissable figure in the contemporary street art scene. Born in 1984, he
studied art and graphic design at the school of communications in Westerdals,
Oslo.

He has been collaborating with big names and winning
over collectors from all over the world for the last ten years, thanks to his
incomparable and instantly recognisable style. His universe is full of contradictions
and anomalies, all demanding a moment of reflection from viewers both in galleries
and on the streets.

Growing up in the 1990s in Oslo, Whatson quickly
joined the emerging local graffiti scene. The local politicians were very
against street art, making the work of the young artists very difficult, but
they never let this slow them down – far from it. Each wall and every building became
their playground.

Now, Whatson’s main sources of inspiration are the brilliant
Jose Parle and Cy Twomby, whose creative processes he particularly admires. In
the early 2000s he discovered stencilling and quickly adopted it into his
works.  

Bit by bit, following market demand, street artists
began to move into galleries. Whatson was not exempt from this, and he started
creating as much work on canvas and paper as he did frescoes outdoors.

He seeks out subjects which are largely overlooked by society and brings
them back to our attention with to his strikingly colourful graffiti. He finds
his inspiration everywhere: in architecture, landscapes, patterns, and with
that decides whether he will establish order or chaos. To do this, he builds up
the base of his works in black and white, then adds an unexpected twist of
colour.

Discover this emerging talent and the big names he collaborates with –
such as JR – all on Artsper…

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