Greetings one and all,

I have always been a big fan of graffiti art. Indeed it can be a fantastic glimpse into any given society anywhere in the world.

Often I have featured graffiti artist who create super complex and highly detailed urban design. However this time around I would like to talk about a graffiti artist who lives in London who goes by the nickname Stik.

Many of the hardcore graffiti artists will probably tell me to get with it, because Stik has actually been doing his thing for around 10 years. What can I say…it’s a wiiiiide world.

Stik’s graffiti instantly jumped out at me because of its solid simplicity. I’m sure there are plenty of graffiti artists out there who are asking ‘why’ Stik is getting so much exposure, especially when his work is comprised of stick figures. The thing is once you know more about Stik and how he thinks about his work and how it has affected people’s lives (including his own) you get a new appreciation for his quirky little characters.

Stik is a bit of a ‘Banksy case’, as in, he is rather elusive. He isn’t even free to talk about some of his best work because the police could potentially nab him for it, yikes.
I must say there is a rather romantic side to this kind of graffiti-bandit design. These urban Robin Hood’s are taking back the streets from boring regimented cleanliness and rocking-the-boat in a creative/constructive way.

Why “constructive?” you may ask. Well, Stik himself is a product of the times. Not so long ago he was homeless and through urban graffiti he has managed to make a name for himself and express humanity in its simplest and most powerful forms, in order to uplift himself.
I liken this kind of success story to the B-boy dancers and graffiti artists of the Western Cape who have managed to create a more prosperous future for themselves through their own creative expression.

I found a really intriguing interview with Stik on Little London Observationist, which inspired me to write this posting on the dude.
Like Banksy, whenever one of Stik’s new designs appear it hits the net/blogosphere with lightning speed. You can even check out all of Stik’s graffiti works via a handy street art map.

Take a look at his design below, as far as I know this is the latest one to grace the walls of London.

Respect!