10 Street Artists to Watch in 2013
From muralists to graffiti artists, be sure to keep your eyes on these talented people.
Image via Complex Original
As the new year begins, I'm keeping my eye out for talented street artists who both deserve and have a chance of gaining global recognition. This year, my picks for 10 Street Artists to Watch in 2013 include a mix of young artists who have recently found their footing and older artists whose decades of expertise have positioned them to take their places at the forefront of street art.
I've put a lot of hope in Australia, with three Australian artists on the list who have really been impressing me. Living in Philadelphia, I couldn't resist including some of my city's brightest, young street art talents. You may have already heard of some of my picks before, and I'm not saying that I've found a bunch of hidden talents that nobody has ever seen, but I think that all of these artists have been producing strong work recently and have a good shot of really propelling themselves forward in 2013.
RELATED: The 50 Greatest Street Artists Right Now
Cost KRT
Cost KRT
The legendary Cost never really went away, but he's definitely made his presence more felt around New York City these last few months with plenty of stickers, murals, and wheatpastes. Given his history of changing the game over and over again, it's just about impossible to guess what his next steps will be.
Photos by Shawn Hoke and Rhiannon Platt
Jade
Jade
Throughout 2012, Peruvian street artist Jade was prolific when it came to painting murals, and the hours spent on the street seem to be paying off as his skills continue to improve. His murals are already good, but I'm very excited to see where he takes things in 2013.
Photos by Jade
Ankles
Ankles
Ankles is one of the talented but not very well known artists in Adelaide, Australia's thriving street art community. I really enjoy his diverse work, from rollers to stencils and wheatpastes, and I hope that he gets more international attention in 2013.
Photos courtesy of Capital Waste Pictures
Sheryo and The Yok
Sheryo and The Yok
Whether working together or separately, these two artists have quickly become staples of the New York street art community and create work that always make one smile.
Sheryo's Website / The Yok's Website
Photos by Garrett Ziegler and Garrett Ziegler
Unga and Tant of the Broken Fingaz Crew
Unga and Tant of the Broken Fingaz Crew
Although they've been around and getting up in Israel for a little while now, Broken Fingaz made a splash internationally in 2012 with work in London, Vienna, and other cities. Tant and Unga in particular are bringing something very fresh to the street wherever they go. Why these guys aren't better known is beyond me.
Photos courtesy of Broken Fingaz
Xuan Alyfe
Xuan Alyfe
Xuan Alyfe does strange and wonderful work that brings something very different to public walls. A piece by Xuan Alyfe is not another vague, humorously leftist stencil, pop art that acts as advertising, a massive production piece requiring a boom lift where fine details get lost in the scale of it all, or something abstract. Instead, a piece by Xuan Alyfe is difficult to describe and evidence that we need more of it.
Photos by Xuan Alyfe
Rae
Rae
Rae practices good placement, which is one of the most important considerations for exciting street art. He installed a sculpture at a New York City Subway station entrance that looked like a piece of public art and a mural in Chicago that took into account the surrounding trees. I can't wait to see what he tries next.
Photos courtesy of Brooklynite Projects
Miso
Miso
Well-known in Australia for her wheatpastes, Miso painted one of her first walls this summer at Living Walls in Atlanta. It was one of the highlights of this year's Living Walls Conference, and I'm hopeful that it will lead to many more opportunities for her.
Website
Photo 1 by Dustin Chambers, the rest by Miso
Swampy
Swampy
There's no particular reason why 2013 should be Swampy's year, but I don't think he's ever been mentioned by me or anyone else on Complex.com, and he's someone whose work street art and graffiti fans should always be keeping an eye on.
Photo 1 by Sabeth718, Photo 2 by RJ Rushmore, Photo 3 by miggslives, Photo 4 by Luke McManus, Photo 5 by Daniel Lobo, Photo 6 by Kenneth Dellaquila
Nosego
Nosego
Nosego is the pride and joy of Philadelphia's street art community, and it looks like he's on the cusp of great things around the country and the world.
Photos courtesy of Nosego and RJ Rushmore