Biography

OUCH’s first artistic efforts took place in the 90s in St Petersburg, Russia. A decade when the country was passing through the conversion from Communist USSR, the world's largest state-controlled economy into the free market. Simultaneously, the unregulated democratization of social, political, and financial culture took place. This drastic transformation has profoundly affected OUCH’s conceptualization of the world around. Post-Soviet visual space, most notably within the advertising world, was inundated with images of Western lifestyle, cultural icons, and influences. Their messages of affluence, success, and joy de Vivre were outwardly distant to the young street artist. Debilitated by years of state governance and ruthless censorship, Russian artists were struggling at metaphorizing values that were brought about by the new Capitalist reality. 

OUCH was one of the first few trailblazers of the Street Art scene in St. Petersburg. His initial output was mainly emotional slogans graffitied on walls of public buildings. Since then, written statements became a vital element of the artist’s work, attesting to his admiration of the power of language, Russian, Spanish, English, French, or Japanese. At that time, OUCH began his search for universal vocabulary, allowing him to portray human values.

In 2001, OUCH relocated to New York. While working towards his degree in Economics, he decided to peruse a full-time artistic career. Starting as a self-taught solitary urban trespasser tagging his name on the walls of New York, OUCH soon gained attention for his posing large-scale murals. In the early 2010’s OUCH expanded his endeavor to clothing, paper, and canvas. OUCH is charmed by the democratic qualities of the pop scene and his ability to deliver a powerful message through symbols of mass culture. The artist interprets vocabulary and iconic subjects to reflect on the nature of human progress and its underlying value.

BIOGRAPHY

“In 1992 I began to combine stencils with my freehand work, which allowed me to juxtapose almost photographic imagery with the rawness which evolved from conventional graffiti styles. Stencils introduce an impact element to my work. The appeal of stencils is that they allow me to take an image from anywhere – dissect any part of life – and recreate it on any surface.

I try to add an element of humour or irony to some paintings to add a little light relief to the walls. Painting is a form of escapism for me and if my work allows the spectator to do the same thing, then I’ve achieved more than I set out to do.”

Background

Nick Walker is one of the world’s best known street artists. Born in 1969, he emerged from the infamous and ground-breaking Bristol graffiti scene of the early 1980s.

As a forerunner of the British graffiti phenomenon, Nick’s work has become a blueprint for hundreds of emerging artists. His work is constantly evolving and remains innovative, modern and thought-provoking.

Nick draws on the energy and imagery of graffiti but he succeeds in combining the freedom the spray can brings, with very controlled and intricate stenciling. The results are highly sophisticated and infinitely desirable. The methods he uses retain their forcefulness and integrity on the traditional medium of canvas.

Nick Walker’s instantly recognizable style and humour have gained him a worldwide following. In 2008 Nick had sellout shows in LA and London, where collectors queued for over 24 hours to be among the first to get his latest print edition. In 2008, his iconic Moona Lisa sold over ten times its estimated value at auction at Bonhams.

Over the years Nick’s work has been accoladed by the media and has attracted headlines worldwide, including the front page of the Independent arts magazine and the Observer’s round up of the year’s biggest events of 2008.