Introducing contemporary pop and urban artist Stephen Graham

Stephen Graham is a South African-born artist and designer who is living and working in London. Stephen has worked in the Art and Creative industries since 2003 after graduating from the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London.

A designer at heart, Stephen is fixated on detail and is passionate about creating artworks that are visually arresting and engaging. His years of experience have culminated in a unique body of work representing modern consumerism and on-trend fads.

Stephen has sold many artworks to a number of collectors across the globe as well as an annual commissions for a hotel group in the Maldives. He is currently represented by galleries in USA, UK and South Africa.

INK’D

Stephen’s free flowing INK’D artworks have a dynamic energy that is driven through the medium of colourful acrylic inks.

Each artwork is brought to life with his well-constructed colour palette juxtaposed against strong brush strokes, the natural bleeding motion of the inks and bursts of spray paint. Each artwork is then dusted with a layer of diamond dust that creates another dimension to the artwork picking up light reflections and adding an element of opulence and luster.

Painting with his unique artistic signature, Stephen focuses on imagery of high street fashion, standout advertising campaigns, comic book imagery and iconic consumer goods. With his latest INK’D range, Stephen pays homage to the masters of the POP Art Movement and the more obscure modern-day Urban Street Artists.

POP CRYSTALISM

Stephen constructs dazzling three-dimensional artworks from metal pins, each individually crowned with exclusive crystals and, he says, the essential ingredient of negative space. In this intricate and precise process, he transforms clusters of exquisite jewelled pins into iconic images of objects, logos and symbols from the pop art repertoire which he coined ‘POP CRYSTALISM’.

Each composition is brought to life with carefully chosen exclusive crystals which provide his colour palette and confer an extraordinary and beautiful radiance. Regardless of shared subject matter, they ensure that no two pieces in Stephen’s collection will ever look the same, as each has its own identity, character and energy.

The visual impact of Stephen’s intricate work is further enhanced by his intention to convey a range of subtle messages, should the viewer choose to read them. Working within popular cultural tropes allows him to comment on issues such as consumerism, nostalgia and social structures, and this adds a layer of intrigue and substance to the finished piece.

Stephen says: “POP CRYSTALISM allows me to play with emotion and colour. Using crystals, I can transform a hard-edged pin and iconic image into something with a life of its own, with light, body, depth and movement. I use different stones to create radiance, meaning and expression and each one has its own mystique.” He continues: “What is art if it is not alive? I say that all art should shine. Literally.”

For more information about Stephen Graham’s artwork please visit stephengraham.co.uk

Follow Stephen on Instagram @stephengraham.art

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