I discovered Stikman one fall afternoon back in 2007 while walking down Rivington Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It was love at first sight. And from that day on, I began to notice him – sometimes alone and other times in the company of his fellow stikmen — in just about every neighborhood I frequented in NYC. He also surfaced – to my surprise and delight – on my visits to Washington DC, Boston and Philly. In fact, he seemed to be just about everywhere in Philly. Sometimes he appeared on a sticker pasted onto a newspaper box or traffic sign; other times he was stenciled onto the pavement or simply hanging in one of his many fabrications, and often he was just lurking around a doorway or alley. But he always charmed me. This past week, I went down to Philly to check out Stikman 20.1 Celebrating 20 Years Hanging Around Philly at the Stupid Easy Gallery.
The show, a treasure for any Stikman fan – as well as for anyone who appreciates urban interventions — attests to the extraordinary skills and passion of Stikman’s creator. From paper collages with 20 stenciled overlapping stickmen to ingenious installations in a range of media, the elusive artist has fashioned an extraordinary tribute to his and our beloved Stikman. Here are a few more images:
The exhibit will continue for at least another few weeks — according to the folks at Stupid Easy. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, enjoy!
Photos by Dan King and Lois Stavsky
