Mear One (born 1971 as Kalen Ockerman) is an American artist and based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, known for his often-political and sometimes
conspiracy theory-inspired street
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
art. Mear One is associated with CBS (Can't Be Stopped – City Bomb Squad) and WCA (West Coast Artist) crews. As a graphic designer, Mear One has designed apparel for Conart, Kaotic, as well as his own Reform brand. Mear One has designed album covers for musicians such as
Non Phixion,
Freestyle Fellowship,
Alien Nation,
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...
,
Visionaries (hip hop group),
Busdriver and
Daddy Kev.
Early life and education
Ockerman was born in 1971 in
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...
, but was raised and resides in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Career
A street artist and graffiti writer in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
for over 20 years, Mear's partners have included Skate One, Anger, Yem, and Cisco CBS.
In 2004, Mear joined artists
Shepard Fairey and
Robbie Conal to create a series of "anti-war, anti-
Bush" posters for a
street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective ''Post Gen.''
In September 2012, Mear One painted a temporary street mural in
Hanbury Street,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, entitled ''
Freedom for Humanity''. It depicted suited men seated around a table, under an
Eye of Providence, playing a
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...
-like board game that rested on the backs of bent-over naked figures, with a background of industry and protest. A local councillor likened it to
antisemitic propaganda in pre-war Germany, referencing what he saw as its
stereotypical depictions of Jews, together with its reference to finance and the
monetary and
Masonic
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
associations of the Eye of Providence. The
Mayor of Tower Hamlets,
Lutfur Rahman, said: “The images of the bankers perpetuate anti-Semitic propaganda about conspiratorial Jewish domination of financial and political institutions.”
In April 2014, Mear appeared with fellow graffiti-muralists Cache, EyeOne, and Alice Mizrachi at
Brown University
Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
as part of the panel ''Bottom-Up Place Making: Graffiti-murals and Latino/a Urbanism'', hosted by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and moderated by
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
urban theorist, graffiti writer, and professor,
Stefano Bloch.
In 2015, he was a judge on
Oxygen Channel's "Street Art Throw Down" hosted by poster artist
Justin Bua
Justin Bua (born March 29, 1968) is an American artist, author, speaker and entrepreneur. He currently lives in Texas and is best known for his lyrical narrative paintings of musicians, DJs and similar characters who help define the urban landsc ...
.
References
External links
Mear One website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mear One
1971 births
Living people
American graffiti artists
American graphic designers
American poster artists