It’s an honor to once again cover Kirk Gallery’s ‘Out in the Open’ series in downtown Aalborg, now in its 6th year and featuring work from a stable of some of the world’s most prolific muralists.
KIRK gallerist and curator Lene Kirk expressed her joy of watching Norwegian artist Martin Whatson get to work on ‘Rock Climber’, the first of his two murals for this year’s project. He dried his forehead while repeatedly going down in the lift to talk to passers-by about his 18ft high mural and to replenish his basket with spray cans. It was clear that he was delighted to be back on the lift after Covid19 travel restrictions had forced him to take such a long break.
Over the past decade, Martin Whatson has developed an unmistakable aesthetic combining abstract movement with figurative stencilled compositions. Best known for his calligraphic scribbles in grayscale voids: and bridging the gap between spontaneous graffiti and sharply cut stencils, Martin mixes the two techniques in multiple layers.
His works can be seen to echo the rise and fall of streets as he symbolically recreates urban environments before vandalizing them to reveal his vibrant transformations.
Growing up in Oslo Norway, Martin was an active part of the emerging graffiti scene of the early 90’s. The physical architecture of the city was a constant inspiration, the elaboration and destruction of each generation contributing to the urban infrastructure.
In the early 2000s, his interest in layers became more literal with the introduction of stencils into his work. The evolution moved him closer to a simple yet effective aesthetic. He believed could bridge the gap between the passion and spontaneity graffiti held for him, with the fragility and transience of nature. This balance would come to define his creative approach.
With as many works on walls as on canvas and paper, the relationship between vulnerability and strength remains constant in each work. Delicate and organic characters feature butterflies, ballerinas and animals all rendered in empty grayscale space. Minimal figures are constructed of a few layers of hand-cut stencils. The ashen tones of the compositions and vacant backgrounds are reminiscent of his alternative canvases, the concrete. True to form, no gray space stays gray for long in Martin’s presence. Whether entirely immersed or just embellished with minute detail, the images disappear beneath expressive, spray-painted strokes of assorted colours and textures.
Martin’s work is featured in festivals, projects and walls worldwide. His original work can be found in private collections and institutions with solo exhibitions featured in cities from Tokyo to LA, London to New York.
Martin Whatson: website | facebook | instagram
KIRK Gallery: website | facebook | instagram
