Stik: Biography & Artwork

Stik

Hackney-based street artist STIK has become prolific amongst activists and art-lovers alike through his internationally-recognised motif of the evolved stick man. Whether you're looking to buy or sell one of STIK's original prints and editions, browse our network's most in demand works. Receive complimentary valuations and market advice on any original print, with zero obligation to sell.

Biography

Hackney-based graffiti artist STIK is known for his iconic, six-line two-dot stick figures. Stik's works have been found in public spaces all around the globe and are instantly recognisable.

Little is known about Stik's biography. Without any formal training at art school, Stik began drawing stick figures as a young child and has never since veered from a strikingly simplistic style. Stik's androgynous figures first appeared on the streets of Hackney Wick in London in the early 2000s, later spreading to Shoreditch and then west towards the rest of London. Discussing his unconventional training in the urban streets of London, Stik claims, ‘that became an education in itself. I learned from my contemporaries.’

Still experimenting with his style and materials, Stik's first solo show took place in the NO: ID Gallery, a squatted art space in Shoreditch. His now-famous murals were then rendered in black and white out of necessity rather than stylistic preference. For these very early murals, all Stik required was a can of black spray paint from Pound Shop and some white household paint. The artist explains, ‘I was pretty broke and painted on found materials, pulling things out of rubbish bins.’

Stik’s career was defined in 2008, when he exhibited his works at the famous music and art space, The Foundry in East London. His incredible rise to success is emphasised by a comment he made on his relationship to the venue, explaining: ‘That was a very important venue to me because I used to clean the toilets there.’

In 2014, Stik painted what is now his most famous work, Big Mother, a mural that was located on the side of Charles Hocking House in Action in West London, before its demolition in 2018. At 125ft, this prominent Stik work was the tallest mural in Britain, and displayed a poignant image of two iconic Stik figures, a mother carrying her child, against a bright yellow background. Astonishingly, Stik painted this enormous mural by hand by using an airless compressor to apply the paint to the concrete. Stik has spoken of the way that this important project aimed to address issues at the heart of displaced communities: ‘The mother is looking out to the horizon, wondering whether she’ll go once the building is demolished, while the child’s eyes are fixed on the luxury apartments being built opposite this social housing block. Obviously, the child is not going to be living in those apartments – the final destination is unknown. But I also wanted to convey some sort of hope. I think that hope is probably one of the most melancholy of emotions. I tried to convey that in this piece more than most.’

Today, Stik has a coffee table book that outlines his artistic career and has been commissioned by high calibre organisations like the Q Music Awards and The British Council.

Stik's famous six-line, two-dot figures are partly based on the Japanese calligraphy characters known as kanji. As a teenager he lived in Japan for nearly a year and subsequently took to the style of drawing that characterises kanji, a form of script that is related to shorthand for conveying emotion.
The graffiti artist is also inspired by the tradition of community murals and psychogeography; a concept that considers the behaviour and emotions of people in relation to their environment.
While Stik keeps much of his personal life private, his identity is less hidden than comparable street artists like Banksy. He welcomes validation for his existence and his work, and therefore does not strictly keep himself out of the public eye. Presenting lectures on the social importance of Street Art and curating graffiti shows, Stik also occasionally appears outside his studio to give talks to the public and enthusiasts.
One aspect of Stik's life that is well-known is that while starting out as a graffiti artist he was homeless. During this period Stik developed an affinity to the Hackney community who helped him find his feet, and he now sees his street art as a way to give back to those who helped him.

“Six lines and two dots was the quickest way to draw a human figure without getting caught,” Stik once said. The art he creates is informed by his experience of homelessness, which he struggled with on and off for many years. “I was drawing a lot,” the artist recalled. “I had carrier bags filled with drawings but when you get evicted from a squat or you get moved on… you just lose loads of stuff. For me, painting on the streets was the safest place to keep my art.” A stay at St Mungo’s Hostel, a Hackney shelter, helped him get back on his feet.

Now, Stik’s art champions activism, social causes and human connection. “Street art [is] my way of giving back to the people who helped me”. Liberty, a simplified depiction of the Statue of Liberty, was first tagged on a wall in New York City in 2013. For Stik, it is important that his art belongs in its environment and will be accepted by the local residents. “Street art isn’t just art put out into the street,” he told The Guardian. “It’s responding to the landscape. If a piece could be anywhere then what’s the point?”

Liberty also released as a series of limited-edition screen prints in five colours in 2013. A deluxe set was offered at Christie’s in London on 18 September 2019, where they achieved an auction record for Stik at the time.