Ben Eine "You are not my type" 9-10-2015

From memory.

To Express: silver edition.
Exciting.
XXX's.
EEE's.
CCC's.
BBB's.
Light go out.

Moniker Eine.
Hell. Yellow edition.
Elton Light.

Agreed - It's a beauty and he likes to remind us of that from time to time. To be fair his other canvases aren't too bad either.

I'll hold up my hand and shout out for Eine.

In an age where many fawn over stick figures as relevant contemporary art, why shouldn't someone be able to make a career out of using language as the base for their art. Many would argue that language was the start of the urban graffiti scene with the subway tagging that took place in NYC in the 70's but, I guess if you want to counter that argument, you could trace graffiti back to cave drawings.

Eine's art is as relevant - if not more so - than many images thrown up onto world wide walls. Giant hedgehogs anyone? Badly drawn cartoon characters seemingly embedded in the concrete? I'm not against these things… coz they're art and those that appreciate them read relevance into them. But why shouldn't lettering and statements be allowed the same leeway.

When a young man is stabbed to death in London, Eine produces a CHANGE mural. Not relevant? In the darkened space under a flyover, a SCARY mural appears. Not good placement? A seemingly identical street of everyday shopfronts is transformed during their closed periods by the addition of his SHUTTER font bestowing an individuality and identity on all of them. Not socially beneficial? Sure, there are weak spots in his output… too many average prints, perhaps and, for many, an ability to pop up anywhere at the drop of a dollar and paint a wall. But this is what he does. He's an artist and he feeds his children by selling his skills. Whilst a certain artist is releasing top secret prints of old classics in new colour ways for tens of thousands of pounds, why should other artists be criticised for other forms of commerciality.

The appreciation of art is in the eye of the beholder and I, for one, appreciate much of Eine's work. Just as I understand there are those who feel it's garbage.

As you were…

There's a To Express about to go for a low price on eBay - currently at £56 with 2 hours to go. Lovely print - much underrated IMO.

Here's mine framed and on the wall in my wife's studio.

Onethirty3 Gallery dealt with the original release.