Inkie

Inkie
Birth name Tom Bingle
Born 1969/1970 (age 41–42)[1]
Nationality British
Field Graffiti, Street art, Bristol underground scene
Website inkie.co.uk

Inkie is a London based painter and street artist, originally from Clifton, Bristol.[1][2] He is cited as being part of Bristol's graffiti heritage, along with Banksy, 3D and Nick Walker.[3][4]

Career

Inkie began working as part of Crime Incorporated Crew (CIC) in 1983, along with Felix and Joe Braun.[5] He was one of many arrested in 1989 during "Operation Anderson", the UK's largest ever graffiti bust.[6] He arranged 1998's Walls On Fire event with Banksy, on the site of the future At-Bristol centre.[7] He has subsequently worked in the video game industry,[2] including some time as head of creative design at Sega,[8] where his work featured in Jet Set Radio.[9] Inkie was one artist present to do live painting at the launch of Banksy's book Bristol: Home Sweet Home.[10] Inkie has likened the time spent training as a graffiti artist to that of classical musicians.[11]

He now teaches art and graphic design to young children and college students.[12]

Works

CIC painted a mural in the canteen of Filton College, where Inkie and Felix Braun were students.[5] Inkie's works were featured in a 2009 exhibition at Bristol's Royal West of England Academy and he curated 2009's Ibiza street art festival, Urban in Ibiza.[13][14]

He hosted a show of his works in 2010 for which 25% of the proceeds would be donated to Southmead Hospital's cochlear implant programme.[1]

His works have included murals in buildings in the Bristol area, including a friend's restaurant in Keynsham[15] and Clifton pub The Grapes (after being taken over by former video director Bill Butt).[16] He has taken part in Bristol's annual Upfest, the largest free urban paint festival in Europe.[6]

In August 2011 Inkie was named as the organiser of a major street art event in Bristol, See No Evil, which involved painting the buildings of an entire street. Nelson Street, in the city centre, was painted by a large number of international graffiti artists over a two week period.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Inkie show in Bristol to raise cochlear implant cash". BBC News. 2010-12-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_9293000/9293876.stm. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "The 40-year-old from Clifton is holding a show from which 25% of all proceeds will be donated to Southmead's West of England Cochlear Implant Programme." 
  2. ^ a b Baker, Lindsay. "Banksy: off the wall". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3672135/Banksy-off-the-wall.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Like Banksy, Inkie has moved from Bristol to London, and now has a senior job in computer games." 
  3. ^ "Street art show comes to Bristol". BBC News. 2009-02-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/bristol/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_7879000/7879064.stm. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Street art [...] erupted in the UK in the early 1980s [...] active on the Bristol scene at that time included Banksy, Nick Walker, Inkie and Robert del Naja, or '3D', of Massive Attack." 
  4. ^ Reid, Julia (2008-02-06). "Banksy Hits Out At Street Art Auctions". Sky News (London). http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/1304043. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Along with Banksy, Bristol's graffiti heritage includes 3D, who went on to form Massive Attack, Inkie, and one of the original stencil artists Nick Walker." 
  5. ^ a b Hicks, Roger (1998). The airbrushing book: the handbook for all airbrush users. Broadcast. pp. 156. ISBN 1854040006. "Crime Incorporated Crew [...] began working illegally in 1983, and comprises three people: Felix Braun, Tom Bingle and Joe Braun. [...] they painted the mural in the canteen at Filton Technical College, Bristol, where Felix and Tom were students." 
  6. ^ a b "Celebrate home of graffiti". Bristol Evening Post. June 02, 2011. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Celebrate-home-graffiti/story-12655804-detail/story.html. Retrieved December 01, 2011. "Europe's largest free urban paint festival, Upfest [...] alongside big names in graffiti culture, including Don, Spqr, and acclaimed artist Inkie. [...] He [...] was famously arrested as the head of 72 other writers in the UK's largest ever Graffiti bust, Operation Anderson." 
  7. ^ Levinson, Mark (2008-02-04). "Tribute To Banksy - Not Just Another Piss Artist". lankanewspapers.com. http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/2/24358_space.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "In 1998 [Banksy] arranged the enormous 'Walls On Fire' graffiti jam along with fellow Bristol graffiti legend Inkie on the site of the future '@t Bristol' development." 
  8. ^ Joseph, Claudia (2008-07-12). "Graffiti artist Banksy unmasked ... as a former public schoolboy from middle-class suburbia". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked---public-schoolboy-middle-class-suburbia.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Those arrested included Tom Bingle (aka Inkie) [...] who is now head of creative design at the computer games manufacturer Sega." 
  9. ^ "Inkie". filthymodernart.com. http://www.filthymodernart.com/artists/inkie. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "[...] his graffiti featured in SEGA’s seminal video game Jet Set Radio." 
  10. ^ Nowak, Sara (2008-04-01). "Home Sweet Home: "Banksy's Bristol" Launch Due". Clash. http://www.clashmusic.com/news/home-sweet-home. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Street artist Inkie, one such collaborator, will be doing a live painting at the event alongside fellow Bristol street artists Cheba and Lokey." 
  11. ^ Pheby, James (2009-04-30). "Guitar legends turn to graffiti to help Brazilian kids". news.com.au (Adelaide). http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/guitar-legends-turn-to-graffiti/story-e6frfku0-1225705224575. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "British artist Inkie, long-time cohort of street-art superstar Banksy, and fellow contributor, also voiced concern at graffiti's recent rise in popularity. "It's like any art form, you've got to do your training. They say a classical musician should do 10,000 hours before they are a professional musician and it's the same with graffiti," he said." 
  12. ^ "Skill of spray can reaches masses". graffaholiks.com. 2010-12-06. http://www.graffaholiks.com/graffiti-news-network/skill-of-spray-can-reaches-masses. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Now Mr Bingle teaches others, leading workshops for children as young as six and lecturing college students in graphic design." 
  13. ^ W, Miss. "Ibiza interview: Inkie, Curator, Urban In Ibiza". http://blog.white-ibiza.com/ibiza-interview-inkie-urban-in-ibiza/. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Inkie [...] was first lured to Ibiza in 2009 to curate the inaugural Urban in Ibiza event at Atzaró [...]" 
  14. ^ "Urban art exhibition". thisissouthdevon.co.uk. 2009-09-04. http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Urban-art-exhibition/story-12380153-detail/story.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "Inkie has just returned from Urban in Ibiza, which brought together some of the UK's leading street and urban artists." 
  15. ^ "Opening night for Farrells - Keynsham's Irish/Italian restaurant". keynshampeople.co.uk. 2011-06-08. http://www.keynshampeople.co.uk/Opening-night-Farrells-Keynsham-s-Irish-Italian/story-12732649-detail/story.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "[...] one of Bristol's most famous graffiti artists Tom Bingle, aka Inkie, spent two days working on an image on the wall [...] said: "I'm an old friend of Barry Farrell, so he invited me down to the restaurant." 
  16. ^ "Moving in and moving on – all change in 2010". Bristol Evening Post (Bristol). 2010-12-30. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Moving-moving-8211-change-2010/story-11290853-detail/story.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "In February, Clifton Village pub The Grapes was taken over by Bill Butt, the former pop video and wildlife film director-turned chef. [...] The Grapes was given a suitably cool makeover with walls covered with local art by the likes of 3D of Massive Attack and Inkie." 
  17. ^ "Art attack begins to transform Nelson Street, Bristol". Bristol Evening Post. 2011-08-16. http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Art-attack-begins-transform-Nelson-Street-Bristol/story-13141400-detail/story.html. Retrieved November 15, 2011.