Victor Ash started his artistic career as a graffiti writer in the early 1980’s, from 1983 to 1986 calling himself Saho and Ash2. He was part of the Parisian graffiti collective BBC or Badbc with JayOne and Skki –pioneers of the European graffiti movement. Inspired from the New York City subway graffiti styles, they were the first wave of stencil artists in Europe.

He uses stencils and spray paint to create his large ephemeral black and white images on buildings. His works are democratic, available to everyone on the streets, and, in this sense, unavoidable public statements about society. Towering above, his astronauts, cowboys, government figures, and animals, implore the viewer to question the society around them. Who’s watching you? How do your actions affect your surroundings? What is your part in the world? These messages broadcast across the urban environment as constant reminders to think for yourself. In the gallery, Victor Ash scales his murals onto canvas, allowing collectors to take home what is only available to the public walking on the streets. These impressive canvases use the same techniques as the original walls, delicately stenciled at a more intimate size.

Victor Ash’s newest pieces are aesthetically very different from the art he was painting in the 80’s. His latest series of animal faces contrasts the urban environment and nature, a reference to bounding environmental problems and man’s consumption of the natural world. Victor Ash paints the faces of goats, wolves, deer, monkeys, and others directly onto building facades. They can be interpreted as a direct commentary on the development of the city and increasing urbanization.

About the Artist:

Victor Ash was born in Portugal in 1968. From 1972 – 1996 he lived and studied in Paris France, and currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Victor Ash has completed projects worldwide, including commissioned walls in Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria, and South Korea. In 2007, he exhibited in MOMA PS1 in New York in an exhibition entitled “Emergency Room”. He has also had solo shows in museums in Germany and Denmark.

Image: © Victor Ash, Above Second