Neck Face (born 1984 in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

) is a

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 ...

artist known for a naïve and humorous style. His works have been shown in art galleries as well as on the streets.

Early life and education

Neck Face grew up in a large family and two of his brothers ran a graffiti shop where he spent a lot of time. He began tagging in

during his junior year in high school. He went to

The School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Sil ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, but said "I went to art school for two years and realized that it sucked... and dropped out"

Work

Neck Face's style can be described as naïve and scratchy. His themes have a bloody, violent and medieval feel to them. Obvious influences are heavy metal and

latrinalia Latrinalia is a type of deliberately inscribed or etched marking made on latrines; that is, bathrooms or lavatory walls. It can take the form of art, drawings, or words, including poetry and personal reflections. Other types of latrinalia includ ...

. His gallery works stay true to his style, and include drawings and paintings, as well as metal masks, felt installations, and sculptures. In 2005, his work was prominently visible from the

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New Yor ...

. He has painted throughout the United States, and in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Career

He started around 1996 by making stickers and putting them up in Stockton and

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...

. Then his work spread to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The attention he received from his street work allowed him to move into art galleries. Neck Face's first gallery show was in 2004 when he was 18 years old, sponsored by Rich Jacobs and held at New Image Art gallery in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He's shown in the New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, the

Luggage Store Gallery The Luggage Store Gallery, also known as 509 Cultural Center, is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts organization founded in 1987, and has two venues located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The organization has sp ...

in San Francisco, One Grand Gallery in Portland, the

Dactyl Foundation Dactyl Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization in New York City founded by New York-based artist Neil Grayson and novelist/philosopher of science V.N. Alexander. History Founded in 1997 in the "evening of the postmodern day," ...

in New York, and the OHWOW Gallery in Miami.

Commercial projects

As a skateboarder, Neck Face has helped design for Baker Skateboards, and is the Art Director for Baker Skateboards. Neck Face has also collaborated with

Vans Vans (originally called the Van Doren Rubber Company) is an American apparel, accessories, and skateboarding shoes brand, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and ...

Stüssy Stüssy () is an American Privately held company, privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and ...

and Altamont Apparel. His first skateboard art was for famous skateboarder

Mark Gonzales Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968), also known as "Gonz", "the Gonz" and "the Godfather", is an American professional skateboarder and artist. A pioneer in the development of modern street skating, he is considered one of the first street-style s ...

. The then 18-year-old Neck Face was asked to provide a design for the ''Krooked'' board. After his first board with Gonzales he was introduced to Kevin 'Spanky' Long and started to create boards for him and the Baker skateboard brand.

Solo exhibitions

*2012 Neck Face "A Deal with the Devil", One Grand Gallery in Portland, OR *2012 Neck Face "Simply the Worst", New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA *2010 Neck Face Into Darkness, OHWOW Los Angeles *2009 Neck Face "Return to the Womb," V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark *2009 Neck Face at OHWOW, Miami, Florida in October *2007 Closed casket, Dactyl Foundation, New York, USA *2006 The Night After Halloween, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA *2005 Monster Children, Sydney, Australia *2005 DPMHI, London, U.K. *2004 Witch Hunt, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, USA

Bibliography

* *- Total pages: 156

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neck Face American graffiti artists American painters School of Visual Arts alumni 1984 births Living people Artist skateboarders