Jacob Yikes - A Temple Full of Chemicals
Original acrylic, metallic pigment and aerosol on board. 625 x 835mm H. Framed in a box frame.
About the Artwork: A Temple Full of Chemicals is representing the death of the ego. The central rooster, an ego-based animal, is recognizable but morphs down into a maelstrom of abstract shapes and movements. An explosion of blood-red splatters with a flying light ball catapulted out from this to the left of the rooster is brutal, abrupt, and could symbolise the death of this ego (rooster) in physical form. A prominent hand in all white stretches up in a skeletal, horror-movie style position while swirling lines dance bold or soft around the composition. As seen in other paintings in this body of work, the lower, darker strips ground the image, as if the abstract forms are growing from it. The very bottom is a rich maroon, blood-red, not flat but alive. A beam of light exits the composition from a ball suspended above the rooster, shooting to somewhere we will never really know, unless you know.
About the Artist:
Jacob Yikes (Jacob Ryan, born 1987), is a multi-disciplinary artist from Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. From his roots in graffiti as a teenager, Yikes has earned a position as one of the country’s most prolific and respected urban artists. After joining the renowned DTR Crew in 2014, his profile and output expanded and his ever-evolving and distinctive style has seen him headline an array of street art festivals across Aotearoa, including Rise, Spectrum, Paradox and South Sea Spray.
Developing a focus on his fine art and studio-based works, Yikes completed his Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts in 2010 and has been exhibiting in gallery settings since. His unique style and technical skill have seen him complete commercial campaigns with Cadbury, Parrot Dog Brewery and Fiasco Brewing, as well as collaborations with musicians Tom Scott and Mellowdowns. His work has even extended to hospitality fit-outs, creating special effects in the interiors of several popular restaurants, such as Mexico in Christchurch.
Jacob Yikes (Jacob Ryan, born 1987), is a multi-disciplinary artist from Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. From his roots in graffiti as a teenager, Yikes has earned a position as one of the country’s most prolific and respected urban artists. After joining the renowned DTR Crew in 2014, his profile and output expanded and his ever-evolving and distinctive style has seen him headline an array of street art festivals across Aotearoa, including Rise, Spectrum, Paradox and South Sea Spray.
Developing a focus on his fine art and studio-based works, Yikes completed his Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts in 2010 and has been exhibiting in gallery settings since. His unique style and technical skill have seen him complete commercial campaigns with Cadbury, Parrot Dog Brewery and Fiasco Brewing, as well as collaborations with musicians Tom Scott and Mellowdowns. His work has even extended to hospitality fit-outs, creating special effects in the interiors of several popular restaurants, such as Mexico in Christchurch.
His ability to adapt his style to various subjects has given Jacob access to private commissions, from small-scale studio works to massive walls, both private and public. Commissions with the DTR Crew and OiYOU! Street Art includes Jacob’s largest wall yet, the tribute to iconic physicist Earnest Rutherford on the Hutchinson Ford Building in central Christchurch (2022).
Jacob Yikes - A Temple Full of Chemicals
Original acrylic, metallic pigment and aerosol on board. 625 x 835mm H. Framed in a box frame.
About the Artwork: A Temple Full of Chemicals is representing the death of the ego. The central rooster, an ego-based animal, is recognizable but morphs down into a maelstrom of abstract shapes and movements. An explosion of blood-red splatters with a flying light ball catapulted out from this to the left of the rooster is brutal, abrupt, and could symbolise the death of this ego (rooster) in physical form. A prominent hand in all white stretches up in a skeletal, horror-movie style position while swirling lines dance bold or soft around the composition. As seen in other paintings in this body of work, the lower, darker strips ground the image, as if the abstract forms are growing from it. The very bottom is a rich maroon, blood-red, not flat but alive. A beam of light exits the composition from a ball suspended above the rooster, shooting to somewhere we will never really know, unless you know.
About the Artist:
Jacob Yikes (Jacob Ryan, born 1987), is a multi-disciplinary artist from Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. From his roots in graffiti as a teenager, Yikes has earned a position as one of the country’s most prolific and respected urban artists. After joining the renowned DTR Crew in 2014, his profile and output expanded and his ever-evolving and distinctive style has seen him headline an array of street art festivals across Aotearoa, including Rise, Spectrum, Paradox and South Sea Spray.
Developing a focus on his fine art and studio-based works, Yikes completed his Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts in 2010 and has been exhibiting in gallery settings since. His unique style and technical skill have seen him complete commercial campaigns with Cadbury, Parrot Dog Brewery and Fiasco Brewing, as well as collaborations with musicians Tom Scott and Mellowdowns. His work has even extended to hospitality fit-outs, creating special effects in the interiors of several popular restaurants, such as Mexico in Christchurch.
Jacob Yikes (Jacob Ryan, born 1987), is a multi-disciplinary artist from Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. From his roots in graffiti as a teenager, Yikes has earned a position as one of the country’s most prolific and respected urban artists. After joining the renowned DTR Crew in 2014, his profile and output expanded and his ever-evolving and distinctive style has seen him headline an array of street art festivals across Aotearoa, including Rise, Spectrum, Paradox and South Sea Spray.
Developing a focus on his fine art and studio-based works, Yikes completed his Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts in 2010 and has been exhibiting in gallery settings since. His unique style and technical skill have seen him complete commercial campaigns with Cadbury, Parrot Dog Brewery and Fiasco Brewing, as well as collaborations with musicians Tom Scott and Mellowdowns. His work has even extended to hospitality fit-outs, creating special effects in the interiors of several popular restaurants, such as Mexico in Christchurch.
His ability to adapt his style to various subjects has given Jacob access to private commissions, from small-scale studio works to massive walls, both private and public. Commissions with the DTR Crew and OiYOU! Street Art includes Jacob’s largest wall yet, the tribute to iconic physicist Earnest Rutherford on the Hutchinson Ford Building in central Christchurch (2022).