Paul Insect

British artist Paul Insect rose to fame in the ‘90s for his pivotal role in the London street art scene. Since then, he’s become a mainstay of British contemporary art – bringing the influence of his DIY roots into his studio practice. In many ways, Insect looks a lot like his paintings: his graphic, mixed-media portraits wear masks that cover their faces, and so does he. “There are two sides to people,” Insect explains, “the side you want everyone to see and the side you would rather keep to yourself.” For Insect, the side he’d rather keep to himself is his appearance, staying anonymous by covering his face online and in interviews. He prefers his art to speak for itself – and the unique, effervescent blend of portraiture, Pop Art, Dada and street art certainly has a life of its own.

Over the decades, Insect has worked hard to cultivate his own artistic language. “It was a conscious decision for me to develop a voice,” he explains. He started out as a commercial artist in the early ‘90s, designing video sleeves for films like Basic Instinct and Jacob’s Ladder, long before the heyday of Photoshop. Although it sounds nostalgic, Insect found the experience stifling. In his own words, “I got deluded working for other people.” So in 1996, he founded Insect, an art collective based in a small studio on pre-gentrification Brick Lane in London’s East End. For nearly ten years, the collective created gig flyers and were key players in the East London street art and graffiti scene. Today, Insect continues to draw inspiration from the people and places around him, and the art remains as alluring and mysterious as the artist himself.