It's a bummer to think this time last year I was buzzing off the back of helping out at Nuart Festival and should be doing the same now, especially as they were due to celebrate 20 years of putting art on the streets. But it is what it is and festival founder Martyn Reed has been busy regardless with loads of small scale projects like the 'Lock Down, Paste Up' project in Aberdeen and various subtle interventions in Stavanger.
In the mean time I wanted to take a minute to look back on some of the experiences of last years festival and one artist in particular who's work has had an impact on me. OX is a French artist who going by his website bio has been creating art since I was born (1983) and is highly regarded for his creative ad hacking. Of course I'd never heard of him but that's not saying much as I've come to realise my own knowledge of artists, even in Aberdeen is still extremely limited and much like discovering a classic Thin Lizzy album, there's a real buzz about tuning into an artist like OX and poring over their back catalogue. His 2015 book 'OX Public Posters' provides a great insight into his work up to that point and the rationale behind his street interventions if you're looking to do some offline research.
As production week kicked off in Stavangers Tou Scene, OX set about painting large strips of paper which he fastened to wall, leaving the out line marks behind. Initially these marks appeared quite innocuous and compared with the work of 1Up Crew and Nuno Viegas just a few tunnels down, you could say it was a little underwhelming. But there was something about OX that had me popping into see his tunnel, a desire to better understand what he was doing and why. Every visit revealed more large colour panels and more marks on the walls. There was a real simplicity to his working methods, paper, paint, roller but it was constant with him only stopping to eat the delicious lunches provided at Tou.
As more colourful lines began to appear on the walls, more shapes began to emerge, over laid to create shapes and patterns. OX spoke about making reverse stencils or anti stencils, leaving behind an outline as apposed to the usual crisp stencil image. Painted sheets were cut with the remainder ending up on the floor, colourful trash that would usually end up in the bin. But OX kept these discarded strips, in fact they became a vital part of his indoor show. Each day seemed to add more colours to the walls and more insight into OXs practice but a break in the rain meant it was time to tackle some of the outdoor work.
First up a white transit van. Continuing the idea of the anti stencil, OX attached a giant paper cut out of a boxy van to each side of the vehicle. Of course the rain wasn't far off so the work continued in the underpass at Tou. Swapping paint rollers for spray cans, OX began overspraying his cut outs while characters from Scotland's Ciaran Globel & Conzo Throb looked on. As the masking tape and cut outs came off, they revealed the van images, now transforming the transit into a mobile art work. Painted vans have always been a popular canvas within graffiti circles as a trip to London or New York will reveal. In the fantastic short film 'OX - Another Vision of the City' he speaks about his affinity with the emerging graffiti scene in Paris in the 80's along with the impact of artists like Keith Haring. Although not immediately apparent, through working with his surroundings, shapes, line, colour and form, OX shares clear values with that of more traditional aerosol artists exchanging letters for forms. The film is a great document of OXs practice and history by MZM Projects, be sure to check it out at the bottom of this post.
Over the course of 10 days OXs work began to emerge, the simplicity of the lines revealing a much deeper thought process and rationale. The shapes and colour's began to resonate with me, like a high wave frequency that's designed to make you feel good. Walking into the finished tunnels with all the artists work was magical, from the thoughtful Jad El Khoury tunnel to the collaborative efforts of Edwin & Dr D, each space sparked something in the viewer. OXs tunnel felt like walking into the artists studio, although the discarded papers were neatly bundled up in the space revealing the work that had occurred over the past week. What started out feeling like a race was actually just one moment in what's been an ongoing process for both OX and his audience, the journey, the build up being as important as the final piece. Indeed it sometimes feels like street art has been overcome by super slick artists who can paint flashy murals designed for a square on someone's instagram but I often feel a lot of these works lack any real substance beyond being a nicely painted picture. In a world of style over substance, OX is like a breath of fresh air.
As we prepared to make our way to the airport to fly home OX was still whizzing around town, making the most of his time in Stavanger and adding his vision to the streets. It's always a great feeling to work on the Nuart production and to be able to meet and learn about such great artists. I've always liked how the simple ideas can be the best and how as a viewer we can grow to appreciate an artists work over time. I'll cherish the memories of walking back to our hotel and seeing OX laughing drunk as we sprayed up some walls with the glint of rebellion still visible in his eyes even now!
You can find out more about OX on the Nuart Festival site here and be sure to follow him on Facebook & Instagram for more. I think everyone needs a little disruption in their daily lives and OX is happy to oblige. Merci monsieur OX!
