ANBI
1051
Artwork
Mural Painting
Fatherhood
Street Art Museum Amsterdam
Author:
Stinkfish
Artist Bio:
Stolyarova states that Stinkfish is a godfather of SAMA. Stinkfish first visited Amsterdam in 2011 before SAMA had started painting in Nieuw-West. She and Stinkfish explored the city, pasting-up posters that Stinkfish had brought to Amsterdam. During their walks through Nieuw-West, Stinkfish taught Stolyarova how to see the different kinds of walls that would suit different kinds of interventions. Stinkfish helped open Stolyarova’s eyes to new opportunities within the community, and has been a vital step in forming the foundation from where the future SAMA would seek out large and official productions. Stinkfish has always created his work for the public, for those who cannot afford museum admissions and who may feel excluded and othered in traditional galleries. He is dedicated to creating accessible art and easily digestible publications, intending his practice to reach everyone, regardless of their educational background. His contributions to SAMA’s collection reflect this. For every painting he has completed in Nieuw-West, Stinkfish has requested that Stolyarova sources a wall in a lived-in community where his work will be enjoyed by real people and not appropriated for corporate interest, something he recognises as increasingly prevalent in graffiti art today. Along with Lorenzo Masnah, “the Third World Pirate,” Stinkfish created the horizontally-organized and anti- hierarchical Animal Power Collective (APC) in 2006. With more than 60 members around the world, APC has grown beyond a graffiti crew to being a multidisciplinary creative collective united by a common moral code.
Place:
Dirk Sonoystraat
Date:
Technique:
Spray Can
Material:
Wall
Acquisition:
Commission
Completed:
2015
Condition:
Gone / Illegible
Physical Description:
The work is faithful to the personal style of the Colombian artist Stinkfish, who specialises in creating murals with a socio-urban background and great pathos and intimacy. The characters are almost personalised, not abstract, and stand out on the wall thanks to the vibrant yellow hue of their skin, another of Stinkfish's hallmarks. The liveliness of the skin is also enhanced by the light blue-violet abstract background which allows a harmonious combination of colours.
The figures are represented in a faithful, naturalistic manner with an almost photorealistic treatment of their features, with the accent placed on the faces and above all on the gazes of the two characters, containers of the meaning of the work. The use of chiaroscuro softened by large areas of shadow is reminiscent of the visual effect of stencils in the tradition of Bansky, although in this case the entire work was created without the aid of the stencil technique.
Iconography:
The artwork created by Stinkfish is a visual metaphor for fatherhood and family ties.The man playing and holding his son with his shoulders is meant to symbolise paternal responsibility, but also the intimacy of play and the joy of being a father. It is no coincidence that the father is portrayed smiling, looking ahead to the future, while the still defenceless child sits behind him on the way, giving the viewer a penetrating look.
The absence of a figurative background is intended to focus attention on the figure of the father, whose vertical form, which fits into the column of the building, is also intended to symbolise his role as a pillar in the development of his children. The work is located in a district with a particularly young average age, where there are many families, and is intended as a tribute to those who have created a family unit in the district.
Gallery
