Christiaan Nagel is a British

street artist A street artist is a person who makes art in public places. Street artists include portrait artists, caricaturists, graffiti artists, muralists and people making crafts. Street artists can also refer to street performers such as musicians, acroba ...

known for his oversized mushroom sculptures made from

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...

which he places high up on buildings. They stretch as far as London, New York, Barcelona, Berlin, Cape Town, Los Angeles

Early life and career

Nagel was born in South Africa and grew up in Durban. As a part of the Durban surfing community he participated as a member of this subculture of surf and skate for most of his life. Since his artistic beginnings, he attended art classes and one of his first accomplishments was ABSA Bank award for children that he was awarded when he was seven years old. In high school he worked and studied under the guidance of Scottish artist Fiona Kirkwood. During that period, he experimented with a range of popular mediums such as drawing, charcoal, painting and sculpting.

Notable works

One of his recent exhibitions is named “The FI of The Underworld” and it follows the story of metaphysical fish swimming through physical objects. It's all based on a mushroom trip, a hallucination. He installed the Mega Mushroom, a 7 meter high sculpture at the Urban Spree Gallery in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. A second Mega Mushroom was installed on 24 May 2016 at the Red Gallery in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In addition to mushrooms being a part of bigger narrative, he's working on a fantasy book that deals with subject of concept of perception, consciousness and dream content. His dream is to build Mushroom Land. It will be a theme park that’ll provide a basis for his story and its characters, of course with mushrooms involved. Aside from street art, Nagel is also a skilled musician, guitarist, composer and singer. He has designed his own guitar, "The Nail" which was built by German guitar builder, Jozsi Lak.

Collaborations

In February 2014, Nagel teamed up with

RUN Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

and Sheffield-based artist

Phlegm Phlegm (; , ''phlégma'', "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as sputum ...

on a mission to give final moments of vivacious life to yet another to be demolished building in London - the Blithehale Medical Centre in Bethnal Green.Phlegm, Christiaan Nagel & RUN For Last Breath II - London, UKStreet Art News, 201

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagel, Christiaan Living people Street artists 1982 births