About the Artwork: There is a calmness with this artwork that contrasts with the rest of the artworks in ESCAPISM. A dusty-grey blue sky blends into a water-like ground that is then separated by a dark-red clay-like horizontal strip. Jacob utilizes a broken strip of paua-shell colours and textures and as always, there is a unique cluster of action and shapes in the center, with a beam of bright white light coming directly down from outside of the artwork into it. Organic land forms create a vertical framing of the areas of interest and we're left feeling like we're looking into another world, and Jacob is allowing us to see something so magical. 

 

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. 

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).