Somewhere in a little world full of little people, cats and dogs we caught up with the super-talented Oxford based artist that goes by the name of Pahnl.

GraffitiStreet

Could you tell us a little about yourself, where you're from and how did you get started in the urban art scene?

PAHNL

I’m from Oxford here in England and it’s been so long I can’t really remember how I got started. I’ve been stenciling for over a decade and I could probably look at an old interview from the past to remember how it all began. There isn’t really an ‘urban art scene’ in Oxford, I just liked painting things in the street. At first it was the usual photoshop photo filtered thing you see from anyone who starts stenciling. Even then I was painting cats and dogs, hah. It eventually progressed to taking the figures you see on street signage and bringing them to life; taking them away from the signs and letting them play in the rest of the street.

Pahnl

GraffitiStreet

What's the message behind the 'small world' you have created and how did you come up with your style and name?

PAHNL

There isn’t any conscious, cohesive message. I like dropping little figures into the street and seeing how long they last. Survival of the most interesting! I’m not precious about street work in any way. I used to do a lot of stenciling directly on the street, in the daytime, in fact. These days I use clear vinyl stickers that I’ve stenciled earlier in my studio. It affords me more detail and more than one layer. But yeah, if something is torn down after an hour, it’s all good. I usually get a photo of a figure if it’s a good spot. I took the word ‘panel’ as in ‘comic panel’ and misspelt it to change it from a noun to a name. You could say I see surfaces and spots in the street as panels to drop my characters into but I might be romanticising the process a little too much.

Pahnl Buffer Stroll

GraffitiStreet

How much does your art affect or influence your everyday life and are there any role models or artists who inspired you?

PAHNL

I spend most of my day working on my art, so it influences it massively. I’m self-employed and the mostly introverted side of me loves that. I can direct things how I like and I can take genuine satisfaction in what I create because it’s all ‘me’. Role model wise, my friends keep me driven, like MyDogSighs and Snik. I see what they’re doing and love their passion and dedication. Outside of art, the webcomic Penny Arcade, from watching their own documentary series, seem to have a lot of fun whilst producing a fantastic comic. Then there’s Watsky, a rapper, who embodies the right mindset that I love. During our solo show, we listened to his albums a lot.

GraffitiStreet

Can you tell us a bit more about your techniques how you create your art?

PAHNL

My sketchbooks are mostly filled with notes and words, with very few drawings. When I start working on an idea, it’s straight to the computer and I start drawing it out. I can spend hours tweaking the smallest of things and pieces can often sit on my hard drive for months or even years before they see the light of day. Once I’m happy with something, I print it out and get cutting, which gives me a lot of time to catch up on films and TV shows. I can cut anything on auto-pilot these days, it’s pretty bloody easy. But don’t get it twisted, because cutting all those circle heads or having to cut a straight edge is difficult to most people. My girlfriend’s first attempt was incredibly wonky but she’s on par with me these days and will get involved if there’s a lot to get done.

Pahnl cutting a stencil

GraffitiStreet

Where can we find your work in the streets?

PAHNL

Oxford, London, Bristol and anywhere else I’ve been.

Pahnl Chasing Bones

Pahnl Chasing Dogs Tile Street art

GraffitiStreet

What's your favourite city in the world you have visited and left your mark?

PAHNL

I’ve not done a lot abroad and so far the only place worth mentioning is Tokyo. Although it didn’t have the best graffiti / street art scene, as a destination, it’s incredible. Whilst it feels completely safe, it’s still this vastly different culture from England’s. I mean, everywhere has it’s own vibe but Japan appeals to me in particular because it’s so graphic and bold.

Pahnl Street Art Tokyo

GraffitiStreet

If you had the choice to collaborate with another artist (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

PAHNL

Keith Haring is an obvious choice because maybe most of all, it’d be fantastic to see him in action in the flesh. From what I’ve read, his actions were so spontaneous but poetic and fluid. Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger have a beautiful way with words and are very graphic again. I think my figures could work really well with their immediate and unapologetic style.

GraffitiStreet

What can we expect from you in the near future, do you have any future solo shows lined up?

PAHNL

There’s a solo show on the horizon this year. Come June the 13th, we’re having a show at the Herbert Gallery & Museum in Coventry titled ‘A History of Us’. We’re stencilling directly onto the wall a timeline history of humanity, from the stone age, through the bronze age, modern age, to now and a speculative future, etc. It’ll highlight notable figures, discoveries and inventions from our past but it’ll be (I hope) funny, accessible and interesting. It’s not a history lesson by any means and there’s a lot of lies in there, haha!

We wish Pahnl all the best with the preparations for his big solo show and for those of you who want something little in the meantime there’s still a handful ‘We Are Here‘ pieces on concrete available on our store.

We Are Here by Pahnl

We Are Here by Pahnl

We Are Here by Pahnl Box

For work by Pahnl please check the Graffiti Street store here.