DANK Dan Kitchener

DANK / Dan Kitchener

Urban Art, Illustration, Murals

November 22, 2014

British artist Dan Kitchener, aka DANK, is best known for his large-scale murals depicting a scene from Japanese culture or a rainy night. The most interesting thing about his work is that he never uses any grids, projectors, or stencils. Instead, the artist prefers the technique of Freehand spray paint, where everything is done by eye, which was only possible thanks to his sharp, varied, and unique technical skills. DANK has created murals worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, Tokyo, Hong Kong, the USA, Russia, and Europe. His unique style has garnered the attention of the public, and numerous major stars have worked with him, including Sue Paul Mccartney, Miley Cyrus, Lenny Kravitz, and Kylie, to name a few.

DANK - The Girl With The Umbrella, 2016. Junction Rd, London
DANK - The Girl With The Umbrella, 2016. Junction Rd, London

DANK's Murals

DANK was born in 1974 in Essex. From a young age, he would fill up sketchbook after sketchbook. His childhood was marked by Japanese anime, Godzilla movies, Manga, Samurai films, and Monster movies, which became a major influence on the artist. After graduating from Art from Portsmouth University with a Bachelor's Degree in fine art and illustration, he got a job in a commercial area. Ten years working with modeling software on Mac that were just in their infancy gave DANK an invaluable education on modeling, composition, dynamic angles, and theatrical impact.

DANK - Mural (detail) on Ayia Napa, CY, 2016
DANK - Mural (detail) on Ayia Napa, CY, 2016

Japan At Night

Even though he worked full time, he always took time to create art on the streets of London and thus hone his skills as an artist. Finally feeling ready to commit to his dream DANK quit his job and became an artist. After his trip to Japan, his fascination with the country truly solidified, and he is today best known for creating murals of rainy streets of Japan full of flickering street lights, high rises, and billboards. Today he eats and breathes art, and nothing else exists. He keeps his body in perfect shape so it does not slow him down when the inspiration hits. DANK is all for trying out new techniques, and throughout his career, he worked with stencils, spray paint, and paint markers. However, his technical skill has evolved to the level where he can do all the work freehand. DANK said:

That's the beauty of freehand spray paint, I use it as a pen, drawing on the wall, using the wall surface as a sketchbook or concrete canvas, there's no restrictions when freehanding my imagery, its easily adaptable unlike say stencils.

DANK - Neon Streets, 2015. Sclater Street, East London. Photo Hopare
DANK - Neon Streets, 2015. Sclater Street, East London. Photo Hopare

Dan Kitchener's Art in London

In 2022 Dan Kitchener had his first solo exhibition in the USA entitled Tokyo Rain at GGA Gallery at the Wynwood Walls. Throughout his career, he has worked with several crews, including IM Crew, where he painted with NOIR and FLEM. In 2021 his mural Traffic Flow appeared on the street in Spitalfields, and in 2019 Ghost Cities could be seen in Brick Lane.

DANK lives and works in London.

Featured image: DANK. Copyright of the artist.


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