Anonymity in art creates a strange spectacle.
Throughout the ages there have been instances of revered anonymous works, and in relation to the present day, anonymity is a key factor in graffiti. Whether a work remained anonymous because revealing the artist’s identity might get them guillotined or just arrested and fined for other tags correlating to their own, this anonymity at times can draw deeper into an audience’s imagination than an actual identity.
If you caught my last article discussing the transformation street artists endure when their pieces begin to sell and museum collectors give them the call, there might be some connection between the rising street artist market and the many cases of anonymity presently employed.
On the streets where a tag name becomes necessary to avoid jail time, it also doubles as a reference point to a specific artist. The cops can’t make the connection between an individual unless they catch them in the act, but the quiet whispers of the graffiti world give hints of credit to the spray-painting proprietor. So now in a world where street art has a selling point and we see graffiti legend Cope2 showcased in Time Magazine, there doesn’t seem to be a need for the anonymity, but it still remains.
Neck Face is one of these popular artists who call the streets their office, but sell out gallery shows. He claims his anonymity is employed because people who don’t know the truth will wonder. His medieval-esque, horror show characters fused with his dark sense of humor have bridged the gap between the lack of a real identity and the Neck Face. It lets the audience fill in the gaps and start to wonder if he really is some deranged reptilian creation — like those in his pieces — running around at night painting the walls of our cities. Especially with him discussing his own art like an outsider.
While Neck Face is one of the most extreme examples of an art handle wisely utilized to create the artists as a piece of art themselves, he is not the only one.
Buff Monster is similar in that he does not divulge his name, but sells this idea of himself representing his art.
The name Buff Monster sounds like it could be referring to one of the hand-painted, Japanese-inspired, pink toys he creates.
But it refers to himself, the artist wearing the pink shirt, the mo-hawk and the Japanese looking shoes.
Shag is another artist sporting a pseudonym, but doesn’t feel the need to keep his real name a secret.
His real name, Josh Agel, was actually the inspiration for his handle by fusing the last two letters of his first name with the first two of his last.
Despite what his name might lack, the name Shag suggests in supporting his image of swanky 60s style. His images consist of affluent partygoers surrounded by legions of retro retail and superfluous architecture, a prime example of artists using a handle to sell an image, as the legality of Shag’s work requires none.
He is not a street artist.
While artists who painted the streets once needed a tag name to keep their freedom, the street artist’s marketplace has diffused the need for one, but still incorporates it to mimic some authenticity.
The mysterious allure that a handle gives to the artist has led many to use it all the same.
We are witnessing an era of anonymity as art, and the even more interested art of somehow selling art anonymously.
So you may want to go buy some underground art quickly before the artists fake their own death, just a suggestion from your friend, Kax Machine.
Maximillian Piras is a senior art major and a columnist for the Daily 49er.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
