SHOK-1

British street artist, SHOK-1, lives in East London and has a degree in Applied Chemistry. He was one of the first Europeans to co-opt street culture from the US that erupted in the early 80’s.

That laid the foundation down for the largest art movements worldwide. He continually reinvents his work and takes risks in his career that has spanned over 30 years. For instance, he spray paints unique X-ray art on walls all around the world. The works present a 21st century diagnosis of life, sometimes in vibrant health and other times pathological.

SHOK-1 talks about his inspiration of X-Ray art, “The X-Ray concept is a really exciting direction that I’ve decided to focus on. There seems to be so much uncharted territory to explore. It’s difficult, risky, intolerant of mistakes, full of meaning… I know a lot of what I’m going to do with it but new directions keep appearing.” The artist aims to shine a light on Rationalism in an era where anti-intellectualism is on the rise, scientists are silenced and experts denounced in favour of the layman’s opinion.

He specializes in a keen blend of science and street culture, and his work is very popular. The darkly beautiful layers and elegant details in his X-Ray art are incredibly difficult to master. SHOK-1 pioneered freehand techniques using no stencils or tape, rendering the X-Ray style. In addition, when asked what makes him happy in his art career, SHOK-1 says, “Pulling off something that I wasn’t sure that I could do. Travelling, painting in new countries. Work out new techniques.”

Warehouse Arts District
St. Petersburg, FL

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