Anna Laurini has one of the most distinctive styles around, her street art is immediately recognisable and incredibly striking. Having earned a fine art diploma at Central Saint Martins, Laurini began to experiment with her own work - inspired by the likes of Picasso and Matisse. Laurini's art has been seen at exhibitions from New York, to Tokyo and Paris whilst also adorning the streets of Soho and Shoreditch. Her pieces are as poignant as they are irreverent, often exploring themes of femininity and power. Speaking about the female abstraction present in her art to iD magazine, Laurini noted: "Maybe she reminds them of something or someone. She's been with me ever since I started to paint. I started with a scribble and I didn't question why or how or who she was - I just did it. She's only a few lines but it comes out very strong, and I love because of that she could be anyone, yet also no one in particular."
2. Rose Madone
Rose Madone had an extremely impressive year in 2019; unveiling a mini-documentary based on her 'Human Darkside' series, numerous exhibitions from Barcelona to London, and taking over a members club in Soho. Her bold, minimalist style is filled with incredible depth - exploring the intricacies of human nature through striking line work. It is raw, expressive and full of symbolism - pulling the viewer into Madone's world.
3. Trevor Andrew
Trevor 'Trouble' Andrew, AKA Gucci Ghost, is a Los Angeles based artist who works in various styles, from street art to clothing and sculpture. He weaves pop culture and fashion references into his work, often exploring themes of brand identity and consumer culture. Having risen to prominence on the streets of Brooklyn, he has since gone on to collaborate with Gucci (through his guerilla street art project Gucci Ghost) and exhibited in prestigious galleries. His alternative journey to success is a result of being bold, as he describes to Metal Magazine: "I just find my own way, pick my own line, I think that's where it's fun. Finding your way to do it. I think it would almost hinder me if I knew more. Sometimes things have to go in steps, but I think that to make a painting is about expressing yourself in an honest way, it doesn't always have to be super complicated."
4. Richie Culver
Ritchie Culver is a British artist whose poignant work is always imbued with a sense of humour and charm. His pieces draw on instantly recognisable pop culture references, from Princess Diana to Elvis and Honda. Bright and imaginative, they bare a sense of child-like wonder; drawing on bold geometric elements and striking use of colour. There's no doubt that Culver's art is playfully whimsical, often trading on one central element. "I tend to leave large, white spaces in most works to give the painting an exposed or unfinished feel. It gives the gestures space to breathe, the end product becomes like a poster almost", says Culver.
5. FANAKAPAN
Fanakapan's work is undeniably disarming, popping into focus through his use of 3D helium balloons, shadow and perspective. He is a street art staple, with recognisable works adorning the walls of London and further afield. The striking pieces dart out of their surroundings, bulging from the flat surfaces upon which they are sprayed. His study of 3D objects in paint is something to behold, talking about his inspiration to I Support Street Art he noted: "I come from a prop making background, So I take inspiration from actual 3D objects mainly. I can't use photoshop, at all, so I figure out ways around that and can see the potential in objects to suit what may be rattling around my head."
6. Thomas Webb
The London based new media artist draws from digital technology to create impressive pieces of art that exist in physical space. He explores the relationship between the viewer, technology and the way their perspective shifts in conjunction with his artwork. He has created pieces such a digital infinity mirror, a facial recognition engine that rendered viewers' emotions as emojis and hologram instillations. His groundbreaking work saw Webb added to Saatchi and Saatchi's new creators class of 2019. Speaking to Forbes he said, "We are the internet age, the social media society. I want to communicate that through my work. How we feel, how we think, how we struggle and how we love…"
7. Rugman
Rugman is a London based artist and designer that creates pop style works, using recognisable famous faces interwoven with tattoo style Americana - "I got into tattoos when I was younger because it was just the opposite, it was a sort of Fuck You attitude", says Rugman. He has experience in the fashion industry, working with Bulgari, Hypebeast and Lucky 7 - amongst others. He has also founded his own apparel company Rum Knuckles. Rugman's pieces have been seen in exhibitions internationally, from New York to Barcelona, California and Stockholm. They have also found their way into the private collections of musicians such as Mikill Pane and Joey Bada$$, and actors including Tom Hardy.
8. Felipe Pantone
The Argentinian-Spanish artist got his start in art through graffiti at the age of 12. He obtained a fine art degree in Valencia and started a studio there, from which he creates his dynamic visual works. Pantone explores his pieces through the lense of the internet and screens, in particular, the nature of light. "Color only happens because of light, and light is the only reason why life happens," Pantone says. "Light and colour are the very essence of visual art. Thanks to television, computers, and modern lighting, our perception of light and colour has changed completely." He works in various mediums, creating large scale murals, transforming classic cars, and exhibiting his paintings/sculptures at various galleries around the world.
9. Reuben Dangoor
Reuben Dangoor is known for his witty works that focus on British culture in all its guts and glory. He shot to prominence through his striking Rococo interpretations of grime stars such as Big Narstie and Stormzy - he framed them as landed gentry, the new aristocracy of British youth culture. He takes the zeitgeist and reworks it, with portraits of England footballers during the world cup, Piers Morgan v Greggs and Diane Abbott's M&S Mojito moment. As he told Dazed, "I think art, in general, is very hard to not be politically charged, for me a lot of what I do work on is stuff that I am interested in or reacting to, politics is definitely one of the things that I'm interested in trying to keep up with and respond to. Yeah, I don't respond to it as obversely political as others but definitely there are strains within my artwork that are political."
The D'Stassi Art team