Pathways, 2023

Nick Walker   Emerging artists

Nick Walker is one of the most famous street artists in the world. Born in 1969, he was a part of the infamous and avant-garde Bristol graffiti scene from the early 80s.

As a pioneer of the phenomenon of British graffiti, Nick's work became a model for hundreds of emerging artists. His work is in constant evolution and always innovative, modern and exciting.

Nick bases his work on the graffiti energy and images but he manages to combine the freedom that they give him with an excellent mastery of the stencil. The results are very sophisticated and impressive. The methods that he uses keep their strength and their integrity on a traditional support, the canvas.

Nick Walker's immediately recognizable humor and style have allowed him to achieve international fame. In 2008, his shows have been sold out in Los Angeles and London, where collectors were sometimes waiting more than 24 hours to be among the first to get one of his prints. In 2008, his iconic work Moona Lisa has been sold for more than ten times its estimated value during an auction at Bonhams.

"In 1992 I began to combine stencils with my freehand work, which allowed me to juxtapose almost photographic imagery with the rawness which evolved from conventional graffiti styles. Stencils introduce an impact element to my work. The appeal of stencils is that they allow me to take an image from anywhere ? dissect any part of life ? and recreate it on any surface.

I try to add an element of humour or irony to some paintings to add a little light relief to the walls. Painting is a form of escapism for me and if my work allows the spectator to do the same thing, then I've achieved more than I set out to do."