- Neck Face
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Neck Face Born 1984 Nationality 
United StatesNeck Face (born 1984 in Stockton, California) is an anonymous graffiti artist. He is known for his frightening drawing style and humorous writings.[1][2]
Contents
Biography
Neck Face began tagging in Sacramento, California during his junior year in high school. From 1998 - 2002, Neck Face attended Bear Creek High School and Tokay High School. Throughout high school Neck Face says he never learned anything[citation needed]. The most he ever learned was in elementary school, which opened his life up to art being creative[citation needed]. He can remember doing paper mache projects and still does them to this day[citation needed]. "I think I learned more in school in the earlier years than the later years. I think if you are a teacher you should teach the kid as much as you can in the beginning years of school."[citation needed] Neckface ( Epicly Later'd interview)He began to gain notoriety through his self made stickers throughout nearby towns of Stockton and Lodi, California, where his works first showed up on public objects.[3] Later, as his graffiti techniques evolved, his work spread to San Francisco, where his name can still be seen on many newspaper stands and walls throughout the city.[1] He attended The School of Visual Arts in New York City for two years before dropping out.[2][3]
The attention Neck Face received from his street work, allowed him to move his work off the streets and into the art galleries.[citation needed] Galleries that have shown his artwork include the New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, the Luggage Store in San Francisco, the Dactyl Foundation in New York, and the OHWOW Gallery in Miami.[3]In an article on gawker.com, Neck Face has been compared to a more well known artist by the name of Banksy[citation needed]. "And like Banksy, Neckface has always kept his face hidden, even though he's been profiled in the New Yorker and he has a shoe deal with VANS that includes billboards across NYC and is generally superfamous in the cool parts of the art world."[citation needed] Neck Face still manages to keep his identity hidden[citation needed] even though he is becoming more popular[citation needed].
Artwork
Neck Face's style can be described as naïve and scratchy.[citation needed] His themes have an estranging, violent and medieval feel to them[citation needed]. Obvious influences are heavy metal and latrinalia.[1][2]
His most famous public art piece[citation needed] once appropriated the sign on an abandoned storefront of the store "My Old Lady" in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood; he painted under that "...♥'s Neck Face". Recent renovations to the storefront,[citation needed] however, have removed the sign[citation needed].
In 2005, to the displeasure of nearby residents and building superintendents[citation needed], his work was prominently and repeatably visible from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.[4]
In addition to appearing across billboards and buildings in the United States, Neck Face's work can be seen internationally in places such as Melbourne, Sydney, Copenhagen and Tokyo[citation needed] .
Gallery works follow Neck Face's familiar style but are not limited to drawings and paintings. Shows have included for example sharp metal masks, felt installations and sculptures.[1]
In an interview on Epicly Later'd, Neck Face describes using water colors in his artwork as "I get the water color and then I just f*#k it up". In this same interview he acknowledges King Diamond as a major influence.
Commercial projects
As a skateboarder himself, Neck Face has helped design for Baker Skateboards in the past, and was recently appointed Art Director for Baker Skateboards.[3] Neck Face has also collaborated with other skateboard and related brands.
There is an all-access documentary featuring Neck Face in the works that started as a long term project in 2005 by director Ty Evans. It as yet has no expected release date.[5]
Neck Face has also held exhibitions of his artwork:
- 2010 Neckface Into Darkness, OHWOW Los Angeles
- 2009 Neckface "Return to the Womb," V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2009 Neckface at OHWOW, Miami, Florida in October
- 2007 Closed casket, Dactyl Foundation, New York, USA (solo)
- 2007 Rehearsal for death, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark (with Weirdo Dave)
- 2006 The Night After Halloween, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA (solo)
- 2005 Monster Children, Sydney, Australia (solo)
- 2005 DPMHI, London, U.K. (solo)
- 2004 Witch Hunt, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA (solo)
Bibliography
- Neck Face (2004). Neck Face: Satan's bride!!!. Kaws.
- Neck Face (2010). Neck Face: The Devil Made Me Do It!!!
References
- ^ a b c d Gavin, Francesca (2005-05-20). "Devilish street art from the West Coast". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A4090349. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b c Spears, Lori. "Neck Face is not a crackhead". San Francisco Bay Guardian. http://www.sfbg.com/39/18/cover_art_neck_face_interview.html. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b c d Scime, Erica (2009-08-28). "Art Review: Neckface". Sharp Objex. http://www.sharpobjex.net/art/2009/8/28/art-review-neckface.html.
- ^ Grace, Melissa (2005-09-07). "Art genius or pain in the 'Neck Face'?". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/2005/09/07/2005-09-07_art_genius_or_pain_in_the__n.html.
- ^ Slashfilm.com
External links
Categories:- 1984 births
- Living people
- American graffiti artists
- American painters
- School of Visual Arts alumni
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