Tape Art

I'm a huge lover of 'street art' - graffiti, stenciling, etc... and I see a lot of it in LA. The energy, the DIY vibe, the clever pop cultural references (sometimes mixed with political), I love all that. But how about using tape as your medium? What?! I visited LA's Hammer Museum with a friend last week and came upon this installation by Swiss artist Nic Hess who created all of this amazing wall art out of tape - brightly colored masking tape, packing tape, duct tape.... and it sort of blew me away! He combined it with some stenciling too, but it was just so different and so creative. It took over the whole lobby entrance, and what was even cooler, the weekend before they had a bunch of kids work with Hess in covering the entire marble staircase (and railing!) with art made out of that brightly colored masking tape. It was extraordinary to see - and walk all over! (and funny enough, the floor reminded me a lot of Jean-Michel Basquiat, it had that child-like yet manic energy.)

Anyway, I've never heard of him before this, but I'm glad I discovered him. Should he ever exhibit in a museum in your town - go!

Before the floor and stairwell were covered in tape!

 

Packing tape gorilla on the ceiling corner

 

 

 

The kids cover the floor!