Martin Whatson

Martin Whatson (f.1984) is a Norwegian street-artist best known for his calligraphic scribbles in grayscale voids. Over the past decade, Martin has developed an unmistakable aestethic combining abstract movement with figurative stencilled compositions. His works can be seen to mirror the rise and fall of the streets, as he symbolically recreates the urban environment, then vandalises it to reveal his vibrant transformations.   

With as many works on walls as on canvas and paper, the relationship between vulnerability and strenght remains constant in each work. Delicate and organic characters feature; butterflies, ballerinas and animals all rendered in empty grayscale space. Almost stylised, these minimal figures are constructed of a few layers of hand-cut stencils. The ashen tones of the compositions and vacant backgrounds are reminiscent of his alternative canvases, the concrete. True to form, no gray space stays gray for long in Martins presence, wheter immersing entirely or embellishing a detail, the images dissapear beneath expressive, spray-painted strokes of assorted colours and textures.        

In September 2020, we had the pleasure of presenting Martins work in an exhibition in an old gas station at Frogner in Oslo. We at OsloNowhere have worked with the street-art movement and artists in this genre for a long time, and are very happy about the attention and success that artists like Martin now is experiencing. 

OsloNowhere works closely with Martin and will update social media and our homepage with new works as soon as they arrive. 

For original works, contact us at hello@oslonowhere.com