Tag: Shok 1

1308. Shoreditch, London (2)

Shok1 is a very well known London street artist whose x-ray pieces are instantly recognisable. In this side street, which I almost missed, he has sprayed a remarkable picture of a hand tossing a drinks can away.

Shok1, Shoreditch, London, February 2018
Shok1, Shoreditch, London, February 2018

I remember watching him at Upfest 2016 when he sprayed the x-ray skull of a unicorn and couldn’t believe the painstaking work that went into creating the misty effect of his pieces. He would spray a mist, step back, return, spray a mist, step back, return dozens of times over until the layering and tone was exactly right.

Shok1, Shoreditch, London, February 2018
Shok1, Shoreditch, London, February 2018

I think that Shok1 has cornered the market in this kind of work, a little bit like Fanakapan and his helium balloons. It would be interesting to see what other styles he could do, with his exceptional understanding of anatomy.

424. Fournier Street, Shoreditch (1)

Working two days a week in London has given me the opportunity to see some incredible street art in and around Shoreditch and Camden Town. It is interesting that the assemblage and style of art is really quite different to that in Bristol. In Shoreditch, for example, there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of paste ups, many more than you would see in Bristol. In London, there are also pieces by artists who would only ever visit Bristol for Upfest, but spray all over the place in their home City. One such artist is the incredible Shok 1 whose unicorn skull in Bristol is a memorable piece.

Shok 1, Fournier Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Shok 1, Fournier Street, Shoreditch, September 2016

Here in Shoreditch we find a humorous piece by Shok 1. The ‘two fingered salute’ from an x-ray hand is quite brilliant. His style is so unique, that even the most unobservant viewer would be able to recognise his work.

Shok 1, Fournier Street, Shoreditch, September 2016
Shok 1, Fournier Street, Shoreditch, September 2016

Finding this piece was really exciting, especially as I don’t know my way around the Shoreditch ‘hotspots’ the way I do in Bristol, so pretty much everything is an unexpected surprise. To find this was thrilling.

390. Upfest 2016 (34)

There are some artists who are quite unique, because of their style, subject matter or materials. Shok 1 is one such artist. I don’t know if anyone else does what he does, or at least with so much skill.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 is a British artist who specialises in X-ray images. Watching him work was amazing. He uses a small image for reference, and then sprays out every detail on a large wall. His attention to detail is just exceptional. I watched him ‘mist’ an area on the bottom right of the piece, and over five minutes he must have sprayed the same spot twenty times, with different densities of spray.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

I don’t know where he got the X-ray of the unicorn from, but it must be a pretty rare thing.

Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016
Shok 1, Upfest, North Street, Bristol, July 2016

Shok 1 was a lead artist at Upfest and quite deservedly so. It is amazing to have one of his pieces in Bristol as I don’t recall seeing one here before. I hope he returns next year, or sooner. Almost pure perfection.