Slinkachu
{{Short description|British street artist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
Stuart Pantoll, better known as Slinkachu, is a British street artist whose artwork is a mixture of sculpture, installation, street art and photography.{{Cite web|last=art_teacher_mcr|date=2021-04-12|title=Slinkachu|url=https://theartteacher.net/2021/04/12/slinkachu-artist-information/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=The Art Teacher|language=en}}
He was born in 1979 and grew up in Devon and has lived in London since 2003. He trained in advertising while maintaining an interest in making miniature figures as a hobby. He subsequently left his job in advertising to become a full-time artist.{{Cite web|last=Allfree|first=Claire|date=2015-03-26|title=Slinkachu, Miniaturesque: the tiny world of London's hidden figures|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/slinkachu-miniaturesque-the-tiny-world-of-london-s-hidden-figures-10135097.html|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.standard.co.uk|language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Slinkachu |date=2014-10-10 |title=Tiny art: how Slinkachu makes his miniature street scenes |url=http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/10/tiny-art-miniature-street-scenes-slinkachu |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}
work
His work is based on remodelling and repainting tiny model people, whose minuscule size creates humorous and thought-provoking scenarios, which he installs in public spaces for visitors and passers-by to discover. He has left his miniature figures in many cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Antwerpen, Barcelona, and Manchester.{{Cite web|title=Slinkachu|url=http://www.artnet.com/artists/slinkachu/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.artnet.com}}{{Cite web|date=2019-06-04|title=Miniature Scenes by Slinkachu Comment on Consumer Culture|url=https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/06/miniature-scenes-by-slinkachu/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Colossal|language=en}}
The key to Slinkachu's work is its ephemeral nature. His miniature figurines may stay around for days, or even weeks, before they are finally removed, not before he has documented them through large-scale photographs, some of which have appeared in his several books.{{Cite web|last=Aldredge|first=Michelle|date=2011-11-17|title=Little People in the City: The Street Art of Slinkachu|url=https://gwarlingo.com/2011/street-art-of-slinkachu/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Gwarlingo|language=en-US}}
As well as exhibiting his work in public spaces, Slinkachu has shown his installations at many galleries, including the Cosh Gallery, London, UK, Museum of Fine Arts Gent - Ghent, Belgium, and the Morlan Gallery, Transylvania University, USA, and the Galerie Joseph, Paris{{Cite web|date=2008-08-29|title=Ground Zero by Slinkachu|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2008/08/29/ground-zero-by-slinkachu/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Dezeen|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Bio|url=https://slinkachu.com/about|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Slinkachu|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|title=News|url=https://slinkachu.com/news|access-date=2022-01-19|website=Slinkachu|language=en-GB}}
Regarding the inspiration behind his work, Slinkachu said, “I've always been interested in small things. My dad made me a train set when I was younger but I was never really interested in the trains, it was always the figures, houses and trees that fascinated me.”{{Cite web|date=2012-10-01|title=Slinkachu: The artist who is the god of small things|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/slinkachu-the-artist-who-is-the-god-of-small-things-8182360.html|access-date=2022-01-19|website=The Independent|language=en}}
References
External links
- [https://slinkachu.com/ The artist's website]
- [https://streetartlondon.co.uk/blog/2011/02/slinkachu-little-people-city/ Street Art London]
- [https://streetartnews.net/tag/slinkachu Street Art News]
- [https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/look-miniature-art/ Artsper Magazine]