56K
* born 1978 in Hamburg, Germany
* graffiti, silk screens, cut-outs, stickers, etc.
Ole Utikal, aka 56K, who has been one of the most prominent players in the Hamburg underground graffiti scene since the early 1990s, can since the turn of the millennium be counted among a group of graffiti artists that has blazed a trail into interior space and into the established art world. Accordingly, he has taken part in a range of different reputable group exhibitions such as INDEX 05. He has also contributed to important publications in the realm of urban art, such as The Art of Rebellion by Christian Hundertmark or the book series Los Logos, which was released by the publisher Die Gestalten.Remaining distinctly apparent is 56K’s entrenchment in graffiti culture. Although he continues to target public space, as an urban observer and social critic he can nevertheless hardly be segmentized into categories like “street art” or “post-graffiti.” Works by the art director, who has pursued studies in communications design, reflect reactions to everyday life in a metropolis, our consumer behavior, as well as the hidden absurdities of that which we deem normal and natural.In an amalgamation of silk screen, painting, graffiti, and also an application of analog and digital technology, the Hamburg artist takes up artistic slogans, signs, and symbols from the media, consumer society, but also from high culture – altering and infusing these with newly interpreted content and messages and projecting them back into the world from which they originally hailed: urban space. Whether silk screen, manipulated traffic sign, sticker, or cut-out: 56K uses public space as his platform and makes it difficult for hurrying passersby to overlook him and his works.
