SNIK have been teasing the show for a while with regular sneek peeks from their Nottingham studio and of course a lot of time and thought has gone into the production of the show. I first met the duo during Nuart Aberdeen 2018 and watched as their giant piece took shape down on Ship Row. With a mix of stencils and hand painted elements, their work takes on a special quality that truly sets it apart from a lot of the stencil arts operating at the moment. I've always though it's difficult to create unique or distinctive looking stencil pieces, of course artists like Blek Le Rat, Banksy, Martin Whatson and C215 have managed to do just that, their pieces almost instantly recognisable for their execution as much as the content. And I would add SNIK to that list, not just artists who use stencils but have pushed it so far as to claim a new branch on the stencil / street art family tree.
The opening night of 'Ephemeral' proved quite the adventure with a lot of familiar faces on hand from Nuart and the London street art scene. Descending the decrepit steps into the crypt felt like walking into a scene from Dracula, the rough brick walls and uneven flooring adding to the slightly eerie feel. But the space was very much full of life as we made our way around the tight corridors, each turn revealing stunning pieces from the duo. Each space had been beautiful adorned with flowers and foliage as if the paintings themselves had spilled out of the canvases and into the gallery. Again its all about the extra details that elevate SNIK above many of their peers.
With a mix of new paintings and a few smaller scale works based on their murals from Stavanger and beyond. The show featured an interesting mix of syles from single layer stencils to multiple coloured and super intricate pieces, stunning lightboxes and some special pieces made up from layering their stencils and encasing them. These pieces showed a bit of the work that goes into SNIKs work although doesn't fully account for the hundreds of hours they spend cutting stencils. The show also featured a couple of special pieces with a mosaic created by the team at Musivaria Mosaics in Italy and their first bronze sculpture titled 'What Your Soul Sings'.
The show really bridged the gap between the two worlds, street vs gallery, finding a harmonious fit in the Crypt space. Only running for 3 days, if you didn't make it along then you missed out. Much of the work sold out on the preview evening, but the duo gave out free prints to visitors during the course of the show so hopefully they kept one back for their pal in Aberdeen. A great way for them to end a big year but I'm sure plans are already afoot for 2020 and I can't wait to see what's next for em!
