The Unframed Story
4th Annual Unframed Artists - Nani Puspasari, Bridget Allen, (h)iram Trejo
Nani was born on a small island in Indonesia, but likes living in Melbourne because she believes the city one of the world’s great street art capitals where unique expression can be displayed through art on approved outdoor locations. Her design, Day Dreaming, is based off of one of her murals. Of painting, she says, "I feel I can freely express myself through painting and create all kind of dream worlds from my imagination."
Bridget lives with her children in a region recently shaken by natural disaster. To her, the bicycle is the perfect vehicle for community building and change, so she volunteers her time supporting cyclists and sharing her art. Her design is from a wood block print she made of the sunroses that grow outside of her window.
(h)iram now lives in New York City where he lives and breathes his art. His art is about him and his experience as a Mexican immigrant. His original submission was a lovely image of cacti, which he thought would be something that could be appreciated by everyone, but after working with Nutcase he drummed up the courage to go bold, hence Handy Medley.
3rd Annual Unframed Artists - Yan Yan Ng, Collin Sekajugo, Kyle Confehr
Yan Yan is a Melbourne based artist originally from Hong Kong. A doodler since her childhood, Yan Yan’s helmet design is playful and filled with those doodles you’d scribble while the teacher wasn’t looking. Her helmet design, titled “Good Vibes” and due out in 2017, will display these lively drawings.
Collin’s helmet design draws on the bold and vibrant textile prints from his birthplace of Uganda. He’s been putting art on helmets for a while now, with a portfolio of East African inspired motorcycle helmets.
Kyle is a professional illustrator by day and visual artist by night from Philadelphia. His art funnels his energy from skateboarding as a teenager, and pairs microscopic attention to detail with frenetic urban motifs.
2nd Annual Unframed Artists - Jobert Cruz, Carla Bartow, Tiago DeJerk
Jobert studied art at Far eastern university, and has been featured in a number of group shows in the Philippines. His bold lines and rich colors take inspiration from the start style of his beloved graphic novels and from the ever-changing urban landscape around him.
Carla paints and produces signature linoleum-block prints and murals. Her art blends a keen love of the natural world with bright-yet-earthy colors, a touch of humor and some whimsy that emerge in many of her Pacific Northwest-inspired themes.
Tiago sees his form of stencil-based art as the most democratic art form he can pursue. He is influenced by street art, street life, and by the colorful pageantry of professional clowns (he once was one!). His murals can be composed of as many as 60 different stencils.
Watch the documentary video about the work of the 2015 Unframed artists below:
1st Annual Unframed Artists - Sandra Ramirez, Ray Moore, Todd Standish
Sandra draws whimsical, kooky, upbeat creatures she calls monsters. Ramirez said her funny creatures spring directly from her ugly thumbs. “I have weird thumbs, as a child I used to hide them, I was so embarrassed, but then I decided to draw eyes on them and they became my favorite monsters.” She draws her monsters on backpacks, boots, and yes, helmets!
Ray, native of Mississippi, combines spoken-word poetry, found collaged objects, and images and ideas from his own mind to create mixed-media, loud, politically-edgy art. With the help of some hip hop or soul on his headphones, he’s able to “let inspiration seep into his veins,” and says as an artist, “it’s the groove, the mood, the flowing together that happens, that’s what I’m going for in making art.”
Todd is at home in many styles — illustration, drawing, painting. But it was his work as a full-time mural painter, creating backdrops for Hollywood sets, ceilings of casinos, frescoes in private houses, that inspired his Unframed design. His inspiration for his helmet was simple, “It just revolves around the idea that it would be totally cool if angels rode bicycles and did skateboard tricks.” It sure would.
Watch the documentary video about the work of the 2014 Unframed artists here: