Mode 2
Once a kid who spray painted the trousers of buskers in Covent Garden, now a man who draws through a peephole in an erotic emporium, Mode 2's work is a rhythmic story of love, lust and the latter stages of pregnancy.
Growing up reading comic books and science-fiction literature in the South-London borough of Lewisham, it is no surprise that Mode 2's art is fun and frivolous. He is now widely considered to be one of the forerunners of the British graffiti and street art movement.
Corporal movement and the notion of rhythm is key to understanding Mode 2's artistic supremacy. Dance is not just an accessory to music or advertising, it is an art form in itself and Mode 2 uses it to emit positive energy from his paintings.
Social lives are depicted without the intrusion of mobile phones and computers. His figures dance and flirt, bound together by a world of harmonious syncopation. He tackles themes of love, lust and libidos, all with a style that escapes any posturing or antagonism. It's Mode 2's universal appeal that got him on the cover of Spraycan Art in 1987.