Herakut

Herakut is a contemporary German artist duo comprised of Hera, a painter, and Akut, a graffiti artist, who combine traditional techniques and spray painting to depict mythological creatures and darkly comedic scenes. These images often correlate to present issues regarding political injustice and social awareness, and are described by Herakut on their website as “sensuous, savage, and dualistic.” Hera (nee Jasmin Siddiq) was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1981, while Akut (nee Falk Lehman) was born in Schmalkalden, Germany in 1977. Both artists went on to study visual communications—and graphic design as well, in Hera’s case—at university; Hera at the University of Applied Sciences in Weisbaden and Akut at the Bauhaus University in Weimar. The duo’s first collaboration was in 2004 at the Urban Art Festival Sevilla in Spain. Herakut produces both massive murals and smaller works on canvas and paper, and their art can be found all over the world, ranging from Kathmandu to Melbourne. Both members of Herakut live and work in Schmalkalden, Germany.