Kev Munday | Upfest

Kev Munday

Urban art is very much in vogue. Pieces once emblazoned across street furniture have made the transition to canvas and in doing so, captured the hearts and minds of the masses.Raised in the old market town of Basingstoke, Kev Munday has never felt the need to jump onthe bandwagon and claim an affiliation to London or Bristol, despite being situated between the two and being an active participant in both their art scenes. Instead, Kev has chosen to embrace his differences, creating suburban art as much inspired by his leafy suburb surroundings as the inner cities just a short journey away.Kev Munday has been a part of the urban art scene since his early teens, having been influenced by such notable artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Choe, Keith Haring and Andy Howell. Kevs roots in graffiti and street art in general have instilled within him a strong DIY ethic. It is thanks to this self-publishing spirit that Kevs work may be seen on anything and anywhere often where one would least expect to find it. This has helped raise Kev to the position within the scene which he enjoys today.Having grown weary of his work being obliterated within weeks of creation, Kev decided to change tack and brought his art off the streets and onto canvas. Having never sold a painted wall, but suddenly selling his canvases with ease, Kev was encouraged to let his creativity freely explore new avenues.In his late teens, Kev started his own label, UnderTheHat. Drawing on the popularity of his outdoor catalogue, Kev soon secured a dozen retail doors across the UK and as many more throughout the rest of Europe, with each collection receiving higher praise than the last.His wearable creations have been featured alongside his art in numerous publications, including DV8, Hip-Hop Connection, Knowledge Magazine and Vice. Kev himself has also featured as a guest on Pyro and DieselUMusic Radio, as well as being a recipient of a 2007/8 Annual YCN Design & Communication Award for his submission for an Orange brief.Keen to share his peers work with others, Kev proceeded to set up Visual Tourettes, which he describes as an open mic night for the art world. Through these events, artists have been able to display work which, prior to the recent trend, few galleries would have exhibited.A major component of Visual Tourettes is live painting, of which Kev has been at the forefront for some time. He has created pieces in front of crowds across Europe and in 2007 toured the UK, painting at venues ranging from small private galleries to Kensington Olympia.Kev's willingness to get out there and paint has certainly played a pivotal role in his success and earned him fans and friends amongst fellow artists, as well as celebrities. With such high profile aficionados, his canvases have become highly collectable and his painting skills commissioned to enliven a choice selection of boutiques, television channels (including Nuts TV), photographic studios, music venues and advertising campaigns.Still just in his early twenties, Kev is regularly exhibiting and painting live, both solo and together with his Visual Tourettes collective. Having recently been invited onboard Andy Howells ArtsProjekt and featured heavily in the Let Them Create Gallerys Walking The Line Exhibition, as well as the New Cross Gallerys Creativity Killed the Cat and Squared Up exhibitions with other notable urban artists such as Rough, System, Prefab, Blam, and TML Stars Kev Munday is looking forward to many more years of watching paint dry

Art work by Kev Munday