Abdullah Ahmed Khan ( ur, , born 1990)Qamar, Saadia (July 30, 2012)
Sanki King’s graffiti knows no boundaries
''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Interna ...

''. professionally known as Sanki ( ur, ) or Sanki King is a Pakistani

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

calligraffiti Calligraffiti is an art form that combines calligraphy, typography, and graffiti. It can be classified as either abstract expressionism or abstract vandalism. It is defined as a visual art that integrates letters into compositions that attempt to ...

and

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, acrob ...

, occasionally painting live as part of his exhibits, and collaborating with fashion designers featuring his artwork. He has also works in sneaker art,

sticker art Sticker art (also known as sticker bombing, sticker slapping, slap tagging, and sticker tagging) is a form of street art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using stickers. These stickers may promote a political agenda, comment o ...

b-boying Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

and

parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Nasir Ahmad, Fouzia (December 22, 2013)
Don't call me Banksy
''

DAWN Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

''.Mustefa, Zab (July 22, 2012),
Street Smart, Cover story
''

''.Ahmed, Talha (January 22, 201
'SANKI' COLORS IT ALL: THE FIRST GRAFFITI ARTIST OF PAKISTAN
''Youlin Magazine''.Varma, Nandini (May 25, 2014)
Graffiti artist brings hip hop to the streets
''Campus Diaries''.

Early life

Sanki was born in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. His father worked at the

Islamic Development Bank The Islamic Development Bank ( ar, البنك الإسلامي للتنمية, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi A ...

. Both his art teachers and father encouraged him to pursue art.Husain, Marjorie (June 12, 2016)
Portfolio: The writing on the wall
''

''. He was also interested in BMX, boxing and floor gymnastics.

Career

While playing

Counter-Strike ''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games in which teams of terrorists battle to perpetrate an act of terror (bombing, hostage-taking, assassination) while counter-terrorists try to preven ...

as a teenager, another player described him as ‘Sanki’ (eccentric, slightly mad) and he adopted it as his moniker. The artist claims it also means 'deep thinker'. In 2008, Sanki started his career as a professional performing artist after being photographed by

Tapu Javeri Tapu Javeri (Urdu: ; born Mustapha Farabi Javeri on 5 May 1965) is a Pakistani fashion and art photographer, radio host, television judge and jewellery designer. He works as a freelance photographer and was the photo editor of the Xtra magaz ...

while

freerunning Freerunning is an athletic and acrobatic discipline incorporating an aesthetic element, and can be considered either a sport or a performance art, or both. Freerunning is similar to parkour, from which it is derived, but emphasizes artistry over ...

in a park in Karachi, later performing at the launch of

Style 360 Hum Network Limited or Hum TV Network Limited ( ur, ہم نیٹ ورک) is a Pakistani media company based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was established in February 2004 by Sultana Siddiqui. It is a current member of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Unio ...

. From 2011, he became a professional artist, selling artwork and painting commissioned murals, and in March 2012 started his own personal studio where he works .

Graffiti

Sanki did "live graffiti art" for the first time in Pakistan in July 2012 and in the same month launched his Sticker Art Movement through designs which feature

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

, the founder of Pakistan. In December 2012, he was chosen as the judge for a nationwide graffiti competition spread across seven cities.Staff Reporter (December 23, 2012)
Tetra Pak Graffiti Competition
''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

''. Some of his well-known works include ''Love Karachi'' on a bus and another, titled ''Flying Kiss'' which he painted outside the

Arts Council of Pakistan The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi is a council for the promotion of arts and culture in Pakistan, and one of the busiest in terms of organizing events. It is the country's oldest NGO (non-government organization) for the promotion and develo ...

in 2013. He painted the tallest graffiti in Pakistan in 2014 at the Valika Cricket Ground, University of Karachi. His creations can be seen in the areas

Nazimabad Nazimabad ( ur, , sd, نئون ناظم آباد) is a suburb of Karachi, Pakistan. It was established in 1952, and is named after the second Governor General of Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin. History Before the independence of Pakistan, the area ...

North Nazimabad North Nazimabad ( ur, نارتھ ناظم آباد) is a suburb of, Karachi, Pakistan. North Nazimabad was developed in the late 1950s as a residential area for the employees of the federal government of Pakistan, and was named after Khawaja Nazim ...

Zamzama The Zamzama Gun ( ur, , meaning "thunder" or "roar", sometimes written "Zam-Zammah" or "Zam-Zammeh") also known as ''Kim’s Gun'' or ''Bhangianwali Toap'' is a large-bore cannon. It was cast in about 1757 in Lahore (present-day Pakistan) du ...

and

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

outside the Sanat Gallery, painted at the opening of his very first solo exhibition, "You should know him by now", on the 4th of June 2016.A Correspondent(June 9, 2016
Word on the street: Bringing graffiti art into mainstream
''

''.Khan, Nimra (June 10, 2016)
Pakistan's First Serious Graffiti Artist Sanki King Enters The Art World With His First Exhibit
''

''. King is the only Pakistani artist to have been invited to graffiti crews Beyond Mankind Krew (BMK, founded 1991,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) and Experienced Vandals (Ex-Vandals, founded 1979,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

). Ex-Vandals is one of the first graffiti crews in the world.A Correspondent (June 30, 2015)
Multi-talented Pakistani Street Artist 'Sanki King' excels nationally and achieves international recognition as well!
''House of Pakistan''. Sanki's work is featured in Nicholas Ganz’s book, ''Street Messages'', published in April 2015.Subzwari, Shanzay (May, 2015)
Sanki King: The Graffiti Artist Mastermind
''ArtNow Magazine''.Qamar, Saadia (April 17, 2015)
From shadowy times to vivid walls
''

''. In 2017, he collaborated with Mumbai-based artist Zeenat Kulavoor for Urdu calligraphic conversation project ''Pehle Aap''. He also participated in Karachi Biennale 2017 with his work ''Mind Palace''.

Custom-painting and fashion

Sanki King is known for his

art designs for

sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

, using

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

marker pen A marker pen, fine liner, marking pen, felt-tip pen, felt pen, flow marker, sign pen (in South Korea), vivid (in New Zealand), texta (in Australia), sketch pen (in South Asia) or koki (in South Africa), is a pen which has its own ink source a ...

s and

stencils Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...

. He now runs his own company making custom-painted sneakers and apparel, as well as organizing dance and graffiti workshops. In 2014, Sanki worked for the first time with a local designer brand Zeb-Tan. He collaborated with The House of Arsalan Iqbal for the collection ‘Desirably Distressed’, which came out in March 2015. He said, “In 2012, I painted a shutter in Arsalan Iqbal’s store. Since Iqbal travels a lot, he finds graffiti very inspiring. Then in May 2014 we worked on a collaborative venture for the next 10 months” Desirably Distressed, Issue 81, page 54. March 22, 2015
''Paperazzi Magazine''. Another collection of footwear and jewellery incorporating his designs "Devolution Chic" was showcased a month later at the 8th PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2015.Press Release (April 22, 2015)
PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week: Day-4 Journal
''

Pakistan Today ''Pakistan Today'' is a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, published by Nawa Media Corporation from three Pakistani cities Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab; Karachi, Sindh; and Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory. The newspaper late ...

''.Fayyaz, Yousaf (April 21, 2015)
House of Arslan Iqbal At PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2015
''Ebuzz Today''.

B-boying and parkour

In 2008, King began a

crew in Karachi who organized as Unknown Crew (UC) in 2010. They have performed for

Jaag TV G News Network, commonly known as GNN, is a Pakistani 24-hour news and current affairs channel based in Lahore, Pakistan. It is owned and operated by Gourmet Foods. It was launched in 2005 as CNBC Pakistan under a license from CNBC Asia Pacific ...

(previously known as CNBC Pakistan),

HP Inc HP Inc. is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers (PCs), printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing solutions. It was formed on Novembe ...

Caltex Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. It is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as New Zealand, and previously ...

, Play TV,

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

and a number of music videos.

Personal life

Sanki King lives and works in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * ;Books * * * * *

External links

*
Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Sanki Living people Pakistani graffiti artists 1990 births Street artists Pakistani contemporary artists 21st-century Pakistani painters Artists from Karachi Traceurs