Martin Whatson
Equilibrium
Martin Whatson (b. 1984) is a Norwegian street artist known for his fusion of stencils and graffiti. The recently completed woodcut print “Equilibrium” is a work in which a dancer, Whatson's representative motif, is expressed mainly in stencils, with graffiti such as tagging added on top of it. The contrast between the dancer expressed in a gradation of grays and the graffiti placed on them is vividly expressed through woodcut techniques. In addition, Whatson added his own hand-drawn parts to the work after it was printed, resulting in a new woodcut print work with a unique individuality.
Equilibrium
Limited edition: 150
Dimension of image: 45.0 × 30.0 cm
Dimension of frame: 47.5 × 32.5 × 4.0 cm (original frame)
Specification of frame: Approx. 1.2 kg; wood, acrylic resin
Type of print: Woodcut print
Paper used: Echizen kizuki hosho washi
(produced by living national treasure Ichibei Iwano)
Date of publication: August 2022
Supervision: The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing
Production: The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints
Delivery: Delivery will begin from early November 2022
A chisel is used to finely scrape around the line.
Six woodblocks are used to create the shading for the dancer's part.
The dancer appears after printing six gray woodblocks.
Bright pink color.
Pink color is applied to the woodblock using a horsehair brush.
Printing the pink woodblock.
Handfinishing by Whatson,
the moment each piece is reborn as a unique work.
The ukiyo-e is printed on Echizen kizuki hosho washi (a unique kind of Japanese paper) handmade from 100% paper-mulberry fibers by Ichibei Iwano, a living national treasure.
Concentrating on the tip of the knife to carve the dancer's face
This work was created through the fusion of stencil and graffiti, a signature style of Martin Whatson. The carver discerns the intentions of Whatson, the artist, and carves out the distinctive lines. Carving delicate lines with a single knife demands the highest concentration and precision from the carver.
Light and brilliant colors are born from materials and techniques that are unique to Japan.
The light and brilliant colors of traditional woodcut prints is produced by using a Baren rubbing pad to rub water-based paints into the fibers of the paper, which is carefully handcrafted from paper mulberry. The printer feels the world view of Whatson as he mixes and prints the colors on top of one another.
Martin Whatson
Martin Whatson (b. 1984) is a Norwegian born and based stencil artist. While studying Art and Graphic design at Westerdals School of Communication, Oslo, he discovered stencils and the urban art scene. He had been interested in Graffiti for years, following the development within street art closely. In 2004 he started his own artistic production. His artistic expression started off more political, inspired by DOLK and Banksy, but has developed into a more subtle expression. He has a cheerful, very much recognizable, and almost feminine touch. Still, his expression is very much masculine, filled with in your face-statements that represent a young and vigorous group of upcoming artists. Since his artistic debut in 2006, he has had several solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows.
This edition will be sold to customers selected by drawing lots.
If you wish to purchase the work, please enter the drawing during the following period.
We will notify you with the results of the drawing.
Entry Period: October 7 (12 p.m.)–October 11 (12 p.m.), 2022 (Japan Time)
*Entering a drawing is limited to only one product per customer.
Please note that customers who select more than one will be excluded from the drawing.
