Sweet Toof is the

pseudonymous A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's ow ...

name of a United Kingdom

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 ...

and street artist. Sweet Toof works as both a solo artist and in collaboration with others, including in the Burning Candy crew (including crew-mates Tek 33, Cyclops and Rowdy).Beck, Olly "Bonfire of Vanitas" in "Sweet Toof", 2009, Before Chrome Productions, United Kingdom, unpaginated .

Career

He began tagging at age 13, saving up 50p lunch money and buying cheap spray cans to go out at night. He went on to study and graduate with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

.
Holland, Jess ''A Trail of Tooth Marks'' in The London Paper, 13 January 2009.

2010–2011 commercial success and international recognition

Sweet Toof was selected as one of the "cutting edge artists" representing

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 ...

for

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

's "Safewalls" Art Project in 2011.
"Sweet Toof" for "Safewalls Art Project" by Cirque du Soleil, 2011 (Accessed 29 January 2012). His work is represented by the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

collection and featured in their "Street Art Contemporary Prints" exhibition in 2010, alongside other well-known street artists including

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...

.Kuittinen, Riikka "Street Art: Contemporary Prints" 2010, Victoria and Albert Museum, V&A Publishing, UK, , . International recognition also came around 2010–2011, when Sweet Toof was invited and showcased in "Dead Letter Playground" at Leo Kesting Gallery in New York (2010), "Project Amsterdam Street Art" (ASA All Stars) at Go Gallery in Amsterdam (2011),
Amsterdam Street Art, ASA All Stars, 2011 (Accessed 29 January 2012). and "Dark House" at Factory Flesh in New York (2011).

2025

In May 2025 Sweet Toof launched his solo show "BACK ON TRACK" at the Images In Frames gallery, Walthamstow, marking the return of the artist to the UK. In conjunction with their return Sweet Toof produced a number of new spray paint pieces around London in collaboration with artists such as Phlegm (artist), Phlegm, Rowdy, Bonk and Mul.https://imagesinframes.com/sweet-toof-solo-show/?srsltid=AfmBOoqniCdy46e4ALydLK667bETlj2Z20N5jtaDgpFhu1XCVY2AeGnR

Meaning of mouth, teeth and gum imagery

According to an account by Olly Beck, Sweet Toof looked at himself in a looking glass "in crisis after a messy break-up", with the enlarged and distorted imagery of the "crescents of teeth", the "visible part of our skeletal frame" as a reminder of mortality. Beck relates Sweet Toof's concerns and imagery with the 16th-century Northern European "

Vanitas ''Vanitas'' is a genre of symbolizing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, and thus the vanity of ambition and all worldly desires. The paintings involved still life imagery of transitory i ...

" tradition of reminding of the transience and vanity of life, and to the Mexican celebration of skull imagery to accepting, honouring and celebrating death as part of the life trip. Sweet Toof has discussed, "To get one's teeth into things, before it's too late." Elsewhere he notes, "Teeth can be really sexy, or aggressive, but they're also constant reminders of death. They're how we get recognised by police when there's nothing else left."

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
British graffiti artists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people