You know that artist or musician whose work you really like, but nobody else has ever heard of them? That name you can use to sound like your knowledge of culture is slightly more cutting-edge and eclectic than the other guy? Vinchen is one of those artists you can mention. Yeah he’s been on Wooster from time to time, but seriously, this guy is good and rarely does his name over come up online or in conversation. Vinchen lives Columbus, Ohio, which could explain why his name is moderately obscure while Dickchicken finds himself on Playboy’s website.

Anyway, enough of my ranting (for now, the end of this post gets rant-y again). The important thing is that Vinchen is a cool artist who does some great work outdoors. These are some of my favorite pieces from him.

For non-Americans: That's the logo of the Republican Party (President Bush's party).

Check out more of Vinchen’s work on his website.

All photos by Vinchen

Okay here’s why I get rant-y again:

This is a bit of a tangent, but back in November, I criticized the media for labeling SpY “The Spanish Banksy,” and I stand by that. But one argument I’ve heard for why Mr. Brainwash’s popularity is that people are looking for “The American Banksy.” Now, I think that whole thing is pretty silly, but if people really are searching for an American Banksy, Mr. Brainwash isn’t the only option (just the one with the largest marketing budget). Vinchen is way the hell more interesting than MBW, and his work is more politically challenging without directly ripping off other artists. So America, what do you think? Could Vinchen be your Banksy? Do you need one?

Related posts:

1. Is Vinchen bringing us an art show?
2. Brazilian artist Kboco brings his street art-infused global vision to Lu Magnus
3. The best street artist of all time
4. The Phantom Street Artist t-shirt giveaway
5. Exclusive: Art in the Streets – The COMPLETE artist list