POSE (Jordan Nickel)

Chicago artist POSE began painting graffiti in 1992 and in years since has expanded his vigorous career to include murals, commercial collaborations and exhibitions around the globe. He earned his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2004, and then turned his own graffiti education into a body of work blending a wealth of pop culture’s ready-made visual languages. Street signage, comics, and advertisements are reimagined through dissection, digitization and reconstitution, collectively immortalizing post-industrial moments for the digital age. POSE was named “One to Watch” by CNN in 2015, and has exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Powerlong Museum Shanghai, Museum of Contemporary Art Chengdu, and Chosun Ilbo Museum of Art, Seoul, among others. His work is enjoyed in numerous private collections worldwide.

Rime, a.k.a Jersey Joe, is an American artist of the Graffiti school, born in Brooklyn in 1979, working worldwide.

About
Rime goes about his paintings like a diary, an illustration of his quotidian quest for the essential. His recent works invite us to introspection, or as he puts it: “Looking into this painting is looking into the mirror of imagination, a mirror of you.” A sheer concentration of energy, Rime’s universe mixes colors, movement and light sources to which the artist has affixed his own lexicon composed of creatures from a universe of cartoons, symbols and multiple details.

Heavily inspired by the cartoon world, Rime’s style brashly mixes color with plentiful details and with constantly moving forms. In his lurid compositions, the artist (a.k.a. Jersey Joe) unleashes a sort of violence checked by his mastery of strokes and the varieties of his lines and brush strokes. He adds in his own personal vocabulary of imaginary animal symbols and characters, placed in the canvas like hieroglyphics or stylized writing. His two-dimensional paintings seem to leap from the very wall thanks to his moving lines and his structure-building forms, and to the light flowing from his compositions. Full of details, figures and symbols, each work helps the viewer discern time and again previously unsuspected historical fragments. As with a song of which the meaning suddenly emerges, Rime’s works must be viewed and mastered with time.

“Within every line, within every form, there is something in it energetically that we can read even in a subconscious level. That’s what I’m experiencing when I’m making this stuff. I spent a lot of time on these being here in Paris, being here for this lockdown, learning to, you know, be happy. And get past some trouble and things from the past… stuff and I don’t know, taking care of myself as 41-year old, taking care of my body and learning to be a bit more respectful than I used to be. And when I’m able to have that, it shows in the work.”

Rime, a.k.a Jersey Joe, is an American artist of the Graffiti school who lives and works in Brooklyn, where he was born in 1979. Rime got his start in graffiti in 1991 on Staten Island, and continued to venture to other boroughs of New York City. He spent several years expanding his technique and style in New York and, as of 1995, in New Jersey. In 2003, he made his first foray outside the United States to travel through Europe for two months. There, he earned international recognition under the artistic names of Rime and Jersey Joe. Back in the States, he began exhibiting his work in galleries and in more ambitious ways public space with his painting partner Setup. In 2005, Rime left the East Coast to live in Los Angeles. It was then he joined MSK – Mad Society Kings – which included artists such as Revok, Saber, Ewok, Pose, Trav, as well as The Seventh Letter artists group. He moved to New York several years ago. Rime took up his Wallworks Gallery residency starting July 2019. Originally planned for six months to prepare a major Paris exhibit, the stay was prolonged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“RIME has a knowledge of and facility with the entire vocabulary of graffiti lettering styles that is nearly unparalleled worldwide. He can paint pieces in virtually every style from throughout graffiti’s 50-year history, yet they always feel fresh, not derivative, and are always his own. RIME’s playful, character-filled work is full of color and movement, and from simple to complex, from soft to jagged, he is one of the few who can truly do it all in graffiti. (…)

RIME’s new studio works are dynamic, featuring the swoops and loops he perfected in street graffiti with a combination of spray paint, sublime muscle memory and bodily control. His signature cartoon characters peek out from the bends of these swoops, often reduced to eyes or a nose. The color schemes of his outdoor pieces were, like any graffiti writer’s, made with whatever happened to be in the bag of paint that day, far out in the field, and that often mean wild pieces with dozens of colors. Yet these schemes are pared down in his studio works to a few well-chosen colors that play brilliantly together.”

– Caleb Neelon, “Beyond the Streets, Vandalism as Contemporary Art”, 2019

"Greg ‘CRAOLA’ Simkins was born in 1975 in Torrance California, just south of Los Angeles. He grew up with a menagerie of animals including a number of rabbits, which often emerge in his paintings. He began drawing at the early age of three and was inspired by various cartoons and books. Some standout books that still find their way into his art are Watership Down by Richard Adams, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Simkins’ art continued to progress to the age of 18, when he started doing graffiti under the name ‘CRAOLA’. Graffiti art became his impetus for creating and gave him the confidence to paint large works. In addition it taught him perspective, color theory and further developed his artistic skills, which later translated into his work with acrylics.

After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art from California State University of Long Beach in 1999, Simkins worked as an illustrator for various clothing companies and bands. He later moved on to Treyarch/Activision where he worked on video games including Tony Hawk 2X, Spiderman 2 and Ultimate Spiderman while attempting to paint with every free moment he had.

In 2005, Simkins pursued his desire to paint as a full-time artist. Since then, he has been featured in numerous group exhibitions and has successfully sold out solo exhibitions. The growing popularity and demand for Simkins’ artwork has gained the recognition of many and can be found in a variety of private collections.

It is his careful weaving of pop culture, the old masters, nature, carnival kitsch, and (most importantly) his warped imagination, that makes Greg Simkins a sought-after surrealist painter today. Simkins’ artwork has appeared in museums and galleries throughout the world. "

"I’m a Brazilian designer and visual artist based in São Paulo. My work explores color, graffiti, childhood energy, humor, and the feeling of experiencing something for the first time. I’m interested in creating visual worlds where unstable forms, playful characters, typography, and vibrant colors come together to tell simple but emotional stories.

My practice moves between design, illustration, art direction, and personal work, always with a strong connection to street culture and the spontaneous energy of childhood."

Self-taught in art and graduated in advertising at the Complutense University of Madrid and IULM in Milano, Be lives and works in Madrid, Spain. Passionate about painting since she was a child, she has formed herself through practice and observation. When she was 17 years old, she began to paste up her drawings on large pieces of paper on the walls of her city while people were sleeping. She became obsessed with the idea of connecting with complete strangers through her paintings, at a time when social media as we know it today barely existed. This motivated her to paint daily and develop her own style.

Be learned to draw with the comics that her father kept in his room, which is probably why her work is made up of bright colors, sharp contrasts, and a great expressiveness in her textures. Her inspiration comes from the contemporary city: she uses constant references to the current world and her interests, elements, people, places or words that call her attention and that she then turns later into images.

She is obsessed with connecting with strangers through her work, something that reminds her that we are all more alike than we think.

Started as an illustrator creating commissions for small projects until she could dedicate her life completely to work as an illustrator, visual artist and muralist. Be has worked for brands such as Netflix, Adidas, Miu Miu, Porsche, Maybelline or Coca Cola, and for publications such as Vogue or Forbes using her particular style to represent the client's needs under a personal vision.

Since 2023, she has shared her expertise by teaching art workshops at New York University in Madrid.

OPAKE is a prominent London-based artist whose work merges graffiti, pop art, and personal reflection. He reimagines iconic cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Pink Panther in ways that delve into deeper themes of mental health, addiction, and the breakdown of pop culture. His unique style, which he calls ''the disintegration of pop culture," often features bold colors and overlapping imagery that create a chaotic yet captivating visual experience​.

Opake's artistic journey is closely tied to his struggle with addiction. Having experienced drug-induced psychosis, he transformed his battle into a source of creative power. His art frequently uses repetition and cluttered compositions, symbolizing the cyclical nature of addiction and the concept of insanity—doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. These visual elements mirror his personal struggles and eventual recovery​.

By channeling his experiences into his work, Opake invites collectors and institutions to engage with art that goes beyond aesthetics, offering a compelling narrative of personal transformation. His growing international reputation, bolstered by a large online following, has made his work highly sought after by collectors worldwide​.

Former professional skateboarder Natas Kaupas was born in Santa Monica, California, on March 23, 1969. He is of Lithuanian ancestry and grew up in Dogtown in South Santa Monica, California. Kaupas is often referred to as one of the first true professional street skateboarders.

In the early 1980s, when most skaters preferred skating in ramps and bowls, Natas favoured the more natural terrain encountered on the streets of Santa Monica. It was also at this period, Natas unleashed the wallride, firstly with the help of ramps, then straight from flat to wall. Natas's early wallrides were captured on film and published in contemporary skate magazines like Thrasher.

Kaupas's first pro-model skateboard, illustrated by Santa Monica artist Kevin Ancell, was released in 1984 by Santa Monica Airlines (SMA).

To keep up with the rising demand for SMA skateboards, Kaupas negotiated a production and distribution agreement with Santa Cruz Skateboards in 1986.

Natas Kaupas is credited with inventing rail slide tricks in the late 1980s while at a Pro-Am skate contest held in Oceanside, California.

The list of design and art direction accolades Kaupas has amassed since the early 1990s, when he began pouring his creativity into his own brand, 101, would make the most acclaimed commercial artists blush.

He eventually gave up skating to work as a designer and artist for Quiksilver and Element Skateboards. Both companies also sponsored him for their skateboarding team. Quiksilver soon promoted Kaupas to the role of graphic director and then vice president of marketing.

Jack Lack, is a German artist based in Cologne. Emerging from graffiti and muralism, his work extends from large-scale walls to canvas, translating the visual language of the urban environment into a more intimate format. Combining realistic imagery with abstract forms, atmospheric colour fields his paintings explore the relationship between humans, nature and the urban environment. He develops each mural or canvas in dialogue with its surroundings or imagined context, drawing inspiration from local architecture, history, communities, and flora and fauna. Biological research and environmental themes frequently inform his work.

Buff Monster, a celebrated street artist based in New York City, combines his unique inspirations—from heavy metal music to Japanese culture and ice cream—into a distinct, candy-colored aesthetic that brings a touch of whimsy and sweetness to urban landscapes. Known for his bold lines and vivid hues, he has left a significant mark on the street art world over his two-decade career, painting murals globally and drawing international attention. His famed “Melty Misfit” characters serve as both playful icons and social commentaries, bridging the worlds of graffiti, pop art, and consumer culture. Buff Monster appeared in Banksy’s Oscar-nominated documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, cementing his role in the broader discourse of street and contemporary art. He has exhibited in galleries worldwide, with his works featured in collections like that of the Bristol City Museum. Operating under the brand Stay Melty, he continues to release limited-edition collectibles and collaborate with major brands such as Disney, Converse, Hello Kitty, Nike, and Coca-Cola. His journey from the fringes to the mainstream underscores street art’s evolution, making him a luminary figure whose vibrant art captures the spirit and contradictions of modern culture.

“I am obsessed with the practice of my craft.” - Hiero Veiga, or Hiero, grew up in the small boxing town of Brockton, MA and has been spray painting since he was 12 years old. With over 23 years of experience, Hiero has evolved from writing graffiti to curating hyper-realistic pieces ranging from portraits, natural scenery, and transcendent art.

Hiero’s unique perspective and experience of light and color is reflected in his distinctive compositions. His current personal work style involves abstract backgrounds and kaleidoscopic designs with Groucho glasses, chattering teeth, and rubber ducks.

Hiero has participated in countless mural festivals and collaborated with numerous artists in his community. His most prominent works were done in participation with Pow Wow! Mural Festivals, including a mural displayed in the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Hiero is based in Florida, but you can find his work in the streets, businesses, and galleries across the United States, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Canada.