Written by Lucy A.Edwards on behalf of The Moniker Foundation
From the UK's double-trouble crew Nomad Clan, to the colourful creations of Philadelphia's Betsy Casañas, we bring you our top 5 ladies of the week 🎨
Nomad Clan is the collective of Cbloxx and AYLO, an internationally-acclaimed, street art muralist duo based in Manchester UK, proudly sponsored by Kobra Spray Paint.
When the pair collaborate the fusion delivers an unmistakeable style. Each mural has a strong significance to the environment it sits in, combining playful scenes often from local heritage with detailed portraits of characters from some of the the tales they hear in the local public spaces.
"Ruins to Riches" the pair painting in France, 2018.
The main focus of the work is to proudly celebrate local history but on a deeper level often contains the socioeconomic issues effecting the area, for example the demise of the fishing industry, the closures of mills and lack of jobs, inner city social deprivation, etc.
Just to give you an idea of just how awesome this pair are, their Leeds mural is currently the tallest in the whole of the UK standing at a mighty 46 metres tall. It’s as tall as this giant iceberg off the coast of Canada. In London bus terms (the gold standard of size comparison), we’re talking 10 double-deckers stacked on top of each other. Oh, and it’s the height of the Statue of Liberty.
Nomad Clan have been noted as 'One of street art’s finest female duos' by Widewalls magazine the worlds largest street art online publication, as well as 'Street arts hottest UK talent' by Global Street Art blog and pegged as one of the top 5 female street artist in the world by The Guardian News Paper (and now by us here at Moniker HQ! Ha).
Lula Goce is an all-rounder artist and one of the representative artists of the contemporary urban art scene in Spain. From New York City to Azerbaijan to Kristianstad, Sweden, Goce transforms blank walls into ethereal artworks that illustrate childlike wonder and growth.
Her murals merge photorealistic renderings of adolescent subjects with otherworldly surroundings: plumes of flowers and vines wind around the figures, serpentine creatures emerge from the plants, and shrunken landscapes rest in the children’s hands. Serene and dreamy, the works often centre on children painted in subtle tones who peer into the distance or are deep in sleep.
"My work could be defined by the economics of media and use of the line on white backgrounds, almost aseptic. I have a growing tendency to delve further into the depths of intimacy, and in doing this I get closer to the universal essence of the individual, sometimes with a certain satirical charge, sometimes with humour, but always in the background there is a criticism of the consumer society and identity that each individual generates within that society”.
Based in Vigo, Spain, Goce sells prints of her large- and small-scale works in her shop, and you can follow where she’s headed next on Instagram.
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Baby Guerrilla is a street artist/fine artist from Melbourne pasting and painting dream like emotions and scenarios all around the suburbs and beyond…
After graduating from VCA, Baby Guerilla was all set for life as a painter. Street art began as a hobby on the side that seemed to take on a life of its own then grew and grew. Now, she views the two mediums as complimentary, meaning the possibilities for her drawings are infinite.
"My mission is to liberate art from just the gallery or the picture frame and make it accessible to everyone. I love the idea of setting art free, setting our souls free to dream and imagine and go floating across a wall. I seek to create worlds, meaning out of mayhem and dreams from despair."
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Frau Isa is part of one the most creative graffiti crews that spreads across Germany and Austria - The Weird Crew. The Weird, a graffiti crew of artists, graphic designers, illustrators and lecturers have been collectively spreading their unique style across the world. Tracking each Weird artist’s solo artistic activities is almost impossible; all 10 of them have worked on projects stretching from designing for big brands, illustrating for rad magazines, and exhibiting art around the globe to crafting crazy installation pieces and producing movies. Generally speaking, they all shape the (art) world in their way.
As most artists are, Isa is inspired by many things - from beautiful colour schemes on buildings to plants in a botanical garden. But what she loves most is vintage fashion photography from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s - "the body language of women in fashion in these eras is exciting and extraordinary." she says.
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Betsy Casañas is a Visual and Public Artist, an educator, and a community activist. Casañas has 25 years of experience in the arts and has created over 40 murals worldwide.
Creating safe spaces has been a vital part of her work. Growing up in North Philadelphia, one plagued by violence, where gunshots like firecrackers were the sounds heard throughout her young life, she saw, how easily one can lose their voice.
As a Latina artist who has been working in communities of colour around the world she understands the importance of the people living in these communities to see themselves reflected in the artwork and in the leaders of the their communities. Communities of colour have been depicted in a negative light on social media, news and television as second class citizens who should be feared. She believes it is the obligation of artists to reflect the times we are living in and to highlight the people’s story and change the narrative that has been created for us. By normalising and humanising our collective stories we create communities that are more tolerant.
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Check them out on Instagram:
+ Lula Goce / @lulagoce
+ Baby Guerilla / @baby__guerrilla
+ Nomad Clan / @nomad.clan
+ Frau Isa / @frauisa
+ Betsy Casañas / @bzcasanas
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