His rigid wooden stick constitution keeps him from faltering even when bending and his ubiquity on the streets and in small secret hiding places keeps you from forgetting him, the ever-present Stikman. Expressed in wood, fabric, vinyl, paper, steel, plastic; embedded into pavement and stuck upon every surface, Stikman is timely and timeless.
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
When you see one of these unemotional little fellas you cannot be sure if it is new or more than 20 years old, since he began appearing that long ago. Not showy nor preening, he certainly is versatile and colorful, appearing on record covers, playing cards, riding airplanes… and in a number of prints and pieces in a handful of small street art/graffiti centric galleries the last few years. He can appear as a sole figure on the street and can be remixed into vintage photos or illustrations, shape-shifting and implicating himself into other time periods and other worlds.
His maker says he is inspired by the public arena and by decay and the energy of the streets – and by his ongoing fascination with flea markets, which explains the variety of materials and situations his character appears in. In some way Stikman is an avatar in the real world having adventure and conversation and interaction with thousands, maybe millions of people by now. Today we share a selection of the many images that Stikman stars in by photographer Jaime Rojo.
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Stikman (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Lapiztola & Said Dokins. Del Barrio / Mi Merced Mexico City. 2017. (photo © Leonardo Luna) The writing is on the wall. Can you read what it says? Lapiztola & Said Dokins. Del...
This week BSA is in Detroit with our hosts 1XRun for the Murals in the Market festival they are hosting with 50+ artists from various countries and disciplines and creative trajectories. In a city t...
Lapiz is the Hamburg-based street artist whose practice involves handmade stencils to convey his message to the public. He places them in many cities around Germany and internationally and he says he...
Here's our weekly interview with the street, this week featuring Aine, APC, Bast, Billi Kid, Dain, David Shillinglaw, Dee Dee, Dennis McNett, Droid, Enzo & Nio, Kaws, Li-Hill, Seazk, Stikman...
It is a rainy day in Philadelphia, but you can’t tell it by listening to Jane Golden. After 30 years and countless meetings with community groups, artists, city agencies, elected officials, volunteer...