| Neck Face | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 |
| Nationality | United States |
Neck Face (born 1984 in Stockton, California) is an anonymous graffiti artist. He is known for his frightening drawing style and humorous writings.[1][2]
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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 . The most he ever learned was in elementary school, which opened his life up to art being creative. He can remember doing paper mache projects and still does them to this day. "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." 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. 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. "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." Neck Face still manages to keep his identity hidden even though he is becoming more popular.
Neck Face's style can be described as naïve and scratchy. His themes have an estranging, violent and medieval feel to them. Obvious influences are heavy metal and latrinalia.[1][2]
His most famous public art piece 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, however, have removed the sign.
In 2005, to the displeasure of nearby residents and building superintendents, 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 .
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.
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: