Compiled by Studio Rarekwai, a coalition of artists in London, this clever book features sticker art by graffiti writers, stencil artists, illustrators, fine artists, animators, and painters from all over the globe. Sure, there are a few brief essays in the very beginning of the book about how sticker bombing has become an essential component of street art, how stickers constitute a quicker, more efficient and less conspicuous way for creative-minded folks to re-appropriate their surroundings and leave their own marks. But this isn’t a book about history or philosophy; it’s a sticker book: pure and simple.
Over 250 stickers are featured in Stickerbomb, and the broad range of artists involved in the project include: RIOS (Japan), ORKO (UK), Diego Medina (Brazil), Kelp (Chile), Infinite Livez, Volt (Japan), Orkibal (Malaysia), Alexei Vella (Canada), Darbotz (Indonesia), Basco5 (Denmark), TILT (France), Omar Sanchez Colombia), Ren (Germany), Askew (New Zealand), and more. Each sticker is numbered, so that interested readers can refer to the index in the back and find out who created these miniature treasures.
Just look at the three pages pictured above. The first, features some cartoonish, robot-land-meets-the-evil-circus characters by Malaysian artist Orkibal. The second features a devilish, mischievous cat and winged angel by UK-bred artist Okkle, a foolish looking purple creature by USA rep Nose Goodwin, and a crew of hip-hop kids (note the wide belt buckles, the gold knuckle ring on the guy with the down vest, etc.) by Mexican artist Marka27 Quinones. The last one features a whole array of colorful creatures by Orkibal, sadmascot, KOA, Escif and James Marshall. From Lucha Libre inspired pieces to biker-style designs, bubble-letter tags, message-driven bits, and cryptic characters, the book spans a vast array of different aesthetics and sensibilities.
And, of course, the SRK guys don’t outright encourage you to go out and stick these suckers up all over your city but they do imply that, hey, should you decide to do so, they won’t be mad. It’s the best way of promoting sticker bombing — have the audience engage with the sticker art, bond with the masterminds behind them, and then make the decision to share these fully-peelable works with the universe. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?!
Studio Rarekwai’s Stickerbomb, $24.95. Visit ChronicleBooks.com
