French artist Blek Le Rat visited the New York scene in 1971, where he was inspired by the WildStyle graffiti subculture and the impulsive, alleyway works of Richard Hambleton—godfather of street art. Returning to Europe in 1979, Blek drew on his degree in printmaking and his newfound appreciation for urban art, integrating the ethos of graffiti with the practicality and refinement of stencil based design. RISK, also known by the monikers of Risky and RiskRock, moved to LA in 1982 at 15 years old. By 1989 he became one of the first LA based taggers to adorn New York subway cars when he traveled to the epicenter of graffiti.

Synonymous with stencil art, Blek—the founder and father of the movement—pioneered the medium and paved the way for Banksy, who accredits the artist as his biggest inspiration. In his studio works, Blek uses the same large-format stencils he applies on the street and builds the surface of the canvas to be rough and cracking as it would be in situ. RISK’s use of car paint and surfboard resin creates a unique metallic finish, highly desirable and aligned with the finish fetish movement in LA. From painting on a Boeing 777 to creating ‘metallic tissue’ panels from recycled spray paint cans, RISK’s practice continually pushes boundaries and embraces new media.

Each artist takes inspiration from their surroundings and continues to have an active studio practice. Their imagery is relevant to the immediacy of their lives—RISK painting metaphors for his personal journey and collaborating with well-known musicians, and Blek recreating the French lifestyle with spray paint. Their identifiable styles denote each graffiti artist as masters of their craft.

Like most artists who pave the way for the next generation, Blek Le Rat and RISK continue to develop their techniques and create new work that showcases their mastery. Street Kings reveals their next chapters on canvas, in neon, and across a range of media from metallic tissue to plane doors.