Napier, NZ | ’16

Artist and creative director Aaron Glasson's diverse portfolio consists of vibrant murals, paintings, illustration, films and interactive installations. He is from New Zealand and now lives in San Diego, California. His work is autobiographical, inspired by his life, life encountered and the sometimes inexplicable nature of being. Exploring the coexistence of the unseen and the observed. He holds a BFA from Auckland University of Technology. Aaron has also been part of the PangeaSeed Foundation family since its inception and acts as Creative Director for the Organization.

"Lauren YS is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work is influenced by multiple stages of focus, both geographically and in practice. With dynamic bouts in academics, literature and writing, teaching, illustration, and animation leading up to their arrival in the urban art sphere, the influences of these phases of their own career add up to a robust style of murals and fine art.

Lauren's work is influenced by dreams, mythology, death, comics, love, sex, psychedelia, animation and their Asian-American heritage."

"Fine artist, muralist, photographer, and writer with a few hundred other secret talents, Carly Ealey has a knack for all things creative.

Born in Palm Springs, CA, Carly’s mother recognized her artistic interest at an early age. “I remember my Mom telling me to remember my ""new birthday"" so that I could take the big kid art classes where the minimum age was 8,” Ealey reflects. “The instructor mentioned to my mom a couple of times that she had never seen a child that kept their workplace and hands so incredibly clean...it wasn't until later in life when I learned that getting messy was necessary.”

Today, Carly Ealey considers her art to be a mix of dirty and clean. ”I often destroy the initial creation before bringing it back to life, adding and subtracting until it feels right. There is a great beauty in the imperfections that make the final product acceptable to me.” With a natural inclination to painting the familiar figures of women in her work, Carly prefers acrylic ink on wood panels when painting small, and spray paint when working on murals. However, she also incorporates her photography from time to time on a larger scale via wheatpaste. You may have seen her blown up black and white photo installation of a welder in his studio on F Street outside of SILO during its early phases."

"Fine artist, muralist, photographer, and writer with a few hundred other secret talents, Carly Ealey has a knack for all things creative.

Born in Palm Springs, CA, Carly’s mother recognized her artistic interest at an early age. “I remember my Mom telling me to remember my ""new birthday"" so that I could take the big kid art classes where the minimum age was 8,” Ealey reflects. “The instructor mentioned to my mom a couple of times that she had never seen a child that kept their workplace and hands so incredibly clean...it wasn't until later in life when I learned that getting messy was necessary.”

Today, Carly Ealey considers her art to be a mix of dirty and clean. ”I often destroy the initial creation before bringing it back to life, adding and subtracting until it feels right. There is a great beauty in the imperfections that make the final product acceptable to me.” With a natural inclination to painting the familiar figures of women in her work, Carly prefers acrylic ink on wood panels when painting small, and spray paint when working on murals. However, she also incorporates her photography from time to time on a larger scale via wheatpaste. You may have seen her blown up black and white photo installation of a welder in his studio on F Street outside of SILO during its early phases."

"Askew One (Elliot O’Donnell) is a self-taught multi-disciplinary artist hailing from the capital of the South Pacific, Auckland, New Zealand. From his roots in his city’s graffiti scene during the early 90’s, he became one of the key figures known internationally from the region. Additionally he has been an integral part of the scene through organizing Auckland’s first graffiti festival, setting up multiple gallery spaces and publishing both a magazine and book showcasing New Zealand graffiti art.

Since 2010 Askew One has evolved his art practice more into the Urban-Contemporary or Post-Graffiti realm, focusing on studio work and large scale outdoor murals. Along with long-time friend and contemporary Benjamin Work he was integral in defining the term Post-Graffiti Pacific, to describe Urban-Contemporary or Post-Graffiti artists based in around the region or dealing with themes related to that specific geography and it’s cultures and history.

Askew One’s current work is a mixture of text and portrait based work concerned with themes of the human diaspora and it’s driving factors. Focusing mostly on painting, he draws heavily from his background in graphic design, still and moving image to create meticulously detailed portraits over layers of bold mark making. He utilizes many crude makeshift tools that became familiar through his experience in painting graffiti."

"Born in 1982, Elliot Francis Stewart is the third youngest of nine children and grew up in the Eastern Auckland suburb of Pakuranga. He spent his childhood engrossed in comic books and creating elaborately rendered drawings of galleon’s and scenes of war.

In 1996 his family relocated to the inner city neighbourhood of Grey Lynn and he attended the now defunct Auckland Metropolitan College, an alternative school where he met his tight-knit crew of friends who became known as the RFC (Rat Fink Club) crew.

Initially garnering a reputation for his often offbeat cartoon-based graffiti, Elliot became part of TMD (The Most Dedicated) in 2001 and quickly established himself as the foremost talent in character based work in aerosol. Furthermore his early shows at The Gully Lounge in St.Kevin’s Arcade and Disrupt Gallery, allowed him to showcase elaborate and influential illustrative works often created on found objects in common house paint and ballpoint pen.

Elliot currently lives in Auckland and works as an artist and freelance illustrator."

"Vexta is a self-taught street artist from Sydney Australia with a bohemian heritage. Her bold and extravagant artworks have invaded our visual landscape from Melbourne to Mexico and everywhere in between, she is a nomad of our modern times. Viewing the world through her psychedelic kaleidoscope, Vexta reinterprets the sacred elements within science, cosmology, mythology, life/death and the feminine navigating these themes through the common threads that bind our experiences. The traditional totems of non-western culture have since become her inspiration to describe what it is to exist in the contemporary world. Juxtaposing animals and human forms amid her symbolic, geometric shards, she provides an insight into our fundamental engagement with the human condition.

Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, Vexta spreads her vision across the continents and countries, studios and streets, balancing exhibitions, commissions and creative ventures alike. She has exhibited extensively across Australia, Europe and North America, including The National Gallery of Australia and has her work held in numerous public, academic and private collections globally."

"Kai’ili Kaulukukui was born on the Big Island of Hawaii, and inspired by Hawaii’s natural beauty, abundant ocean life, and rich native culture, began drawing at an early age. He was a BFA candidate at the University of Hawaii Windward campus where he studied under Snowden Hodges who has a deep base in classical techniques of oil painting. Simultaneously, he was trained in oil by apprenticing with Dennis Morton. Later, he transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Kai currently works as a painter and muralist in Honolulu, out of Lana Lane Studios in Kaka’ako and more recently has been acting as the Ground Operations Manager for PangeaSeed Foundation's Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans program.

He has been immersed in shark culture, imagery and information that has sparked his imagination. Based on his research, lately Kai’s works illustrate compromised sharks and aquatic environments. His paintings and murals tackle marine life, often sharks with a loose and flowing approach complimented with drips cascading down the work."

Working and traveling extensively throughout Aotearoa (New Zealand) and around the globe, they create visual stories that connect us to the whenua (land) and to the tangata whenua (local people) we encounter along the way. Their creative practice is the outworking of their passion for their Māori heritage presenting it in an urban context that features modern interpretations of cultural design along with native/endemic birdlife.

Charles is a founding member and president of the world championship winning crew TMD (The Most Dedicated), a collective of creative individuals who continue to push artistic boundaries and who have been global leaders in the urban contemporary art field over the past 20 years. His accolades include winning the world Ono'u Graffiti Festival Tahiti 2015, being one of only three New Zealand artists to be fully sponsored by Ironlak spray paint while traveling the world painting as a family team member including the Guinness Book of Records worlds longest graffiti scroll Dubai in 2014.

Janine is one of Aotearoas' first female urban artists' and a member of TMD and has spent the past 15 years painting and developing community art activations and projects with a strong focus on youth interaction and community engagement. Recent works include mana whenua endorsed projects in the Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) region working within the Wynyard Quarter building precinct. She also featured as the Matariki Festival 2016 opening artist completing a rain art installation outside the Britomart Train Station and a projection mapping work onto the historical St James Theatre. Together they were invited to attend the Festival of Pacific Arts Guåhån 2016 as members of the Aotearoa delegation and have worked on numerous creative festivals including the Auckland Arts Festival, Artweek Auckland, Matariki Festival, Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival, Pasifika Festival and Ono'u Graffiti Festival Tahiti/Ra'iātea.

Married with four children, whanau (family) and hapori (community) are an integral and important part of our full-time artistic journey. We believe that a work of art is not only the finished product but includes the relationships you build along the way with the people and communities you encounter.

"Fine artist, muralist, photographer, and writer with a few hundred other secret talents, Carly Ealey has a knack for all things creative.

Born in Palm Springs, CA, Carly’s mother recognized her artistic interest at an early age. “I remember my Mom telling me to remember my ""new birthday"" so that I could take the big kid art classes where the minimum age was 8,” Ealey reflects. “The instructor mentioned to my mom a couple of times that she had never seen a child that kept their workplace and hands so incredibly clean...it wasn't until later in life when I learned that getting messy was necessary.”

Today, Carly Ealey considers her art to be a mix of dirty and clean. ”I often destroy the initial creation before bringing it back to life, adding and subtracting until it feels right. There is a great beauty in the imperfections that make the final product acceptable to me.” With a natural inclination to painting the familiar figures of women in her work, Carly prefers acrylic ink on wood panels when painting small, and spray paint when working on murals. However, she also incorporates her photography from time to time on a larger scale via wheatpaste. You may have seen her blown up black and white photo installation of a welder in his studio on F Street outside of SILO during its early phases."

"Mica Still grew up in a small coastal town in the Pacific Northwest of America, the home of The Goonies, where the art scene was dominated by seaside watercolours.

She found herself immigrating to New Zealand for love in the late 90's after graduating from art school. Since landing on NZ shores she hit the ground running. She has represented herself through out her career, showing in over a 100 exhibitions. She has been an art mentor, curated shows and has caught the eye of many NZ and Australian collectors.

The last five years she has moved her practice to the streets gaining recognition quickly for your bold animals that dominate the urban landscape. Mica has been interviewed for many publication from Netherlands, New York to Japan and features in two documentaries about NZ street artists.

Mica’s work, with its radiant colour and optical punch, howling tigers, wolves and naught bits – is alive with daring, yet refreshingly sensitive. The jolt of her work contrasts with Mica’s trademark gentle demeanour – yet this artist’s vivid, deep-sea calm gives her fearless and provocative work its rich luminescence."

Faith47 is an internationally-acclaimed visual artist from South Africa who has been applauded for her ability to resonate with people around the world. Through her work, Faith47 attempts to disarm the strategies of global realpolitik, in order to advance the expression of personal truth. In this way, her work is both an internal and spiritual release that speaks to the complexities of the human condition, its deviant histories and existential search.

Channeling the international destinations that have been imprinted on her after two decades of interacting with urban environments as one of the most renowned and prolific muralists, she continues to examine our place in the world.

Using a wide range of media intended for gallery settings, her approach is explorative and substrate appropriate, including found and rescued objects, shrine construction, painting, projection mapping, video installation, printmaking and drawings.

The seeds for Faith47’s works begin with a raw intimacy. Exploring the duality of human relationships, her imagery carries the profound weight of our interconnectedness.

While some people see a dilapidated building as proof that the world is purging itself of the unwanted, Faith47 is reclaiming these forgotten elements with a sensuality of her own and presenting them with a virtuoso’s skill-set.

After 10 years of being an anonymous half of the now ended BMD Duo, 'Dside' is the responding solo move forward. Dside wields the public impact he has built from over a decade of painting New Zealand’s biggest wall’s to push concepts and awareness in support of local and global environment and conservation issues, with a constant focus on the factors of climate change and extinction.

Amandalynn is a San Francisco based Muralist, Fine Artist, Conservator, and Art Director. Inspired by the female form and spirit, Amandalynn depicts strong, seductive women and illustrates their strength through line work and decorative patterning. Her works can be found in Galleries and Streets all over the world. She began developing her distinct Street Art style mural work in 2001, painting alongside the infamous graffiti collective, The Seventh Letter. Amandalynn is very passionate about her outdoor mural work and still enjoys collaborating with a variety of different artists, as well as creating large solo works. In recent years she has been Art Directing a large music and arts festival called KAABOO. Amandalynn has always enjoyed curating and assisting other artists in their work, making Art Direction a natural path for her. Fine Art also plays a key role in Amandalynn's life, as she continues to develop her career as a Gallery artist. She has a Bachelor's of Fine Art from the San Francisco Academy of Art, and has worked alongside professional conservators within her career. Amandalynn believes that sharing the creative process with others is the key to living an inspired life.

"Dirty Bandits is a small, Brooklyn-based design firm specializing it typography, lettering and illustration run by Annica Lydenberg. Work done by Dirty Bandits is fueled by Annica’s deep appreciation for type, her interest in story telling and dedication to brands and individuals working for social good.

In 2011 she decided to pursue typography further and was part of the inaugural graduating class from Type @ Cooper, a one year program in typeface design at Cooper Union in New York. Having had enough of the computer, from Brooklyn Annica went to San Francisco to begin to learn sign painting at New Bohemia Signs.

Her artwork is inspired by traditional show card writing, 90s hip hop and her love of puns. She works with computer, painting, chalk, screen printing, and pen and ink, pulling stylistic influence from an ever growing photographic library of found type and vintage and contemporary signage."

David “MEGGS” Hooke is one of Australia’s most progressive and committed street and fine artists. MEGGS is recognized for his unique, expressive, and energetic style with references to pop-culture, the natural world, and socio-cultural issues. His technical use of color and movement combines clean, bold, illustrative elements with intuitive, textural, and free flowing design. By constantly searching for the harmony between form, abstraction, order, and chaos, MEGGS pours his all-or-nothing personality into every inch of his work. His life manifesto is that the ‘journey is the reward’ and his work reflects his eternal search for balance.

Phibs is one the most respected and renowned names in Australian Graffiti/Street Art. His public art works are prolific in Melbourne & Sydney and are far-flung across the globe.

Originally from Sydney, Phibs came from a strong graffiti background and was active in community programs, inspiring the artistic potential of this now popular art form. Moving to Melbourne in 2001 saw Phibs exposed to an evolving Melbourne street art scene and the joined the Everfresh Studio collective. In Melbourne Phibs established a name within the fine arts and rapidly became one of the cities most respected and renowned artists, on & off the streets.

Phibs distinctive style signifies the symbiotic, engaging the urban with the organic. He produces works across a vast variety of mediums and consistently reflects his own unique realms of symbolism, multiculturalism and mythology. Largely inspired by nature, his works have spawned a menagerie of signature characters.

Phibs unique works have attracted numerous major brands and publications and several of his works have been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia for its permanent collection.

Now based in Sydney, Phibs continues to exhibit interstate and Internationally in galleries, on walls & at various festivals.

Konecki is self-taught and constantly experimenting. He is known for completing large scale aerosol murals, fine artwork including paintings and miniature sculptures, as well as various public and private site specific installations. Konecki's work is explorative of social consciousness, generally irreverent, and focused on subjects that are both serious and absurd. His use of found and 'repurposed' objects in his work advocates the reassessment of typical ideals of function and beauty. Elements of nature often collide with harsh urban landscapes and elements of street art and graffiti, symbolizing the ongoing struggle between the harmonious coexistence of these two competing monumental forces.

"Celeste Byers is an avid nature worshipper and enthusiast of the existential from Ocean Beach in San Diego, California. Her work conveys the mystical in the everyday and magic beyond what we can perceive. Inspired by the natural world, inter-dimensional realities, ordinary life, and the subconscious mind, her work takes form in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, music, muralism, and experiential installations.

Since graduating with a BFA from Art Center College of Design in 2012, she has been traveling and working as an artist, freelance illustrator, and muralist with a variety of individuals and companies including the New York Times, Warner Bros, American Express, PangeaSeed, Medium.com, and Lucky Peach Magazine. She has painted murals in the United States, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia."

Originally from the UK, Cracked Ink has been part of the New Zealand street art scene ever since he made the move down under 10 years ago. Cracked Inks quirky, character-based art is bold and eye-catching, whether it be an art piece from a gallery or a mural in the street. Predominantly an aerosol artist, Cracked Ink also utilizes other creative avenues which include, sketching, painting and sculpting which have been some of his favourite mediums to work in over the past few years.

"Rick Hayward is a qualified sign writer with 15 years experience, and Emily Devers is an accomplished multidisciplinary fine artist.
Together, we collaborate as Frank & Mimi. Operating as independent creatives and long-term collaborators, our creative studio is nestled away in an old factory in Red Hill alongside some of Brisbane's most exciting creatives.

Our hearts are most full when we're creating meaningful large scale public artworks for communities, stimulating much needed dialogue around
pertinent social and environmental issues. We are driven to support local businesses, communities and projects with a focus on people and planet over profit. Although we're full time artists, we have a range of commercial services that include branding, hand painted signage, illustration, gilding and more prominently large scale artworks - working with a handful of trusted artists and sign writers. It's when we provide these services as a package to our clients that we become 'Visual Identifiers'.

Frank & Mimi celebrates the beauty that's reflected in both the nuances and triumphs of the human hand, with a strong focus on developing unique and timeless concepts. We use environmentally responsible paints and products, and are mindful of our creative footprint on our environment."

"Cinzah Merkens is a New Zealand based multidisciplinary artist, event producer, curator and father of two, based out of Napier, Hawkes Bay.

Cinzah paints from and for his environment, often expressing his views about pressing environmental issues, with a strong sense of colour, movement and balance. His work also explores themes such as the interrelationship between man and nature, duality, mythology and story telling.

Cinzah has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand, also showing work in group shows, festivals and mural productions in Australia, Mexico, North America, Canada, Japan, South East Asia and the Caribbean."

"A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design, Botkin has been involved in the creation of over 200 murals internationally since 2009, while exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe.

His body of work includes the co-creation and ongoing direction of EN MASSE project; a multi-artist, collaborative drawing project that explores the creation of highly spontaneous, large-scale, black and white drawings and public installations.

The project's mandate is designed to explore what happens when artists from diverse forms work together, and begin to shape and build new and ever-expanding communities, collective vision, shared creativity, and the forging of powerful alliances through the act of creating something larger than any one of us could accomplish by ourselves."