There are many forms of graffiti or street art. The earlier forms of graffiti are mostly very complex work of art, which still continues until today. However, there is a form of street art and murals that always catches my eye and is not really talked about often enough, and that is minimalist street art.
Because of this, I have done some research and made a curated list of the 10 minimalist graffiti artists that you should know about. So let’s get started with the list!
10 Minimalist Graffiti Artists You Must See
1. Inkten (Singapore)
Inkten Sufina, or her real name Nadirah Abdul Razak, is a Singaporean street artist that has a very unique style. She has worked with big names such as Converse.
Most of her work are collaborations with the graffiti artist Clogtwo, which also happens to be her husband. They do art together under the name Ink & Clog.
She had some art education from LASALLE, College of the Arts, and Nanyang Techonological University’s School of Art Design and Media.
From my observations, the essence of her graffiti style is based on geometries and flat colors. The creative minimalist way that she approaches her art makes them standout from common graffiti styles. Other than street art, she has also done many graphic design work and even toys.
Check Inkten out and her work here.
2. Penfold (UK)
Penfold or also known as Tim Gresham is a street artist based Bristol, England. He works in a range of mediums including graphic design, screen printing, installations, paintings and huge murals.
Through his art, he has worked with a variety of industries. From software companies to record companies. His style is much influenced by skateboard graphics.
His minimalist approach to drawing abstract shapes with simple cartoon colors creates a unique style of street art.
You can check out Penfold here.
3. Andreco (Italy)
Andreco also known as Andrea Conte is a street artist from Italy who is also a scientist with an environmental engineering degree and a postdoctoral degree in green technology and sustainability.
His work has been exhibited at many galleries, museums and festivals around the world.
His unique style is inspired by natural element like rocks and minerals. He uses his art to teach about the environment and the issues around them.
You can check out Andreco here.
4. Christopher Derek Bruno (US)
Christopher Derek Bruno is an artist from Atlanta, Georgia whose unique style of art plays with simple and shapes and put them into perspectives and even optical illusions. He utilizes basic color palettes and clean geometrical lines to create beautiful minimalist art.
Most of his works create dynamic visual experiences that is designed to be seen in person and is impossible to capture on still images. He has done many different types of art and murals.
Check out Christopher Derek Bruno here.
5. CT (Italy)
Labeled “King of Italian minimalism“, CT is an Italian artist who was born near Turin, Italy. You can find his street art in places like Berlin and Paris which are his favorite street art places.
His distinctive minimalist graffiti style is very well known and somewhat resemble logos.
He uses plain colors and shapes which creates beautiful modern style street art. Most of his artworks includes bold fonts, curves and straight angles.
6. Shepard Fairey (US)
Shepard Fairey is a very well know artist. He gained popularity as the founder of the clothing brand OBEY and also his Barrack Obama “Hope” poster. He has made many large size murals all over the United States.
His artworks has been included in many collections including at The Smithsonian and many other famous museums.
While he is not really known as a minimalist artist, his vector-like art, and choices of colors create a sense of minimalism. His use of limited colors for his street art is an ode to the screen printing culture, which his clothing brand is based on. He is considered by many as one of the most influential street artists.
You can check out Shepard Fairey and his work here.
7. Eelco van den Berg (Netherlands)
Eelco van den Berg is a dutch painter, muralist and illustrator. He grew up in a small village in Holland called Uden, he came to Bushwick, Brooklyn in 2012 and started developing his unique style and color palette. He got interested in graffiti because of his interest in hip-hop since elementary school.
From my observations, his signature style uses a lot of geometric shapes and unique combination of flat, clean colors. His street art can look complex, however, the sophisticated colors and shapes makes it tame and beautiful.
You can check out Eelco and his artworks here.
8. Flix (Venezuela)
Flix, also known as Rafael Fernandez is a Venezuelan street artist. He grew up in the city of Caracas. He was very interested in art since a very early age, so he went to study architecture. Also, his interest in art comes from his parents who were both practitioners of photography, paint and music.
His famous distinct style of street art features very strong geometries and colors which has obvious Aztec influences. The geometries and flat colors give a sense of order.
He has created many outstanding street art projects using a variety of different techniques and done on different street objects like traffic light poles and fire hydrants.
You can check out Flix and his work here.
9. Fabio Petani (Italy)
Fabio Petani is a young Italian street artist. He studied philosophy and did not have any formal education in fine arts. However, art seems to come naturally to him. He has had solo exhibitions in Torino and Pinerolo, and has been featured in a number of group exhibitions.
His distinctive style involves a lot of floral and circle geometries. The colors he use are very minimal and simple. Interestingly, all of his work features the names of the natural elements in the periodic table.
Check out Fabio Petani’s work here.
10. Amok Island
Dutch artist, Amok Island is a street artist hailing from Amsterdam. He has traveled across Asia and is now based in Perth in Western Australia. He did not have any formal education in art, but he taught himself and has spent more than a decade painting walls.
A lot of his work features underwater life which he is very inspired by. His simple use of colors and shapes create unique and beautiful street art. He has created many large murals and painted on large canvases.
His work has been featured in many gallery spaces in Australia and Europe, and many public walls around the world.
Check out Amok Island here.
Final Words
The number of minimalist street art has been growing steadily over the recent years. I hope this trend will continue as I believe more people are starting to enjoy this kind of street art. Finally, I hope you have enjoyed this list and let me know if you know any other great minimalist street artists that I should know about!
