Ben Eine

Benjamin Flynn (born 23 August 1970), known professionally as Eine, is an English artist based in London.

Benjamin Flynn (born 23 August 1970), known professionally as Eine, is an English artist based in London.

Career

Eine became prominent for his alphabet lettering on shop shutters. To make them easier to locate, some of these letters have been mapped. He has also taken his lettering to the streets of Paris, Stockholm, Hastings and Newcastle upon Tyne. In a workshop above the Dragon Bar on Leonard Street in London (since demolished), Eine began exploring cheaper routes. Eine started experimenting with screen printing and produced a number of unique apparel designs, most notably some "VANDALS" sweatshirts. He later established the cult screen print company Pictures On Walls (POW) with Banksy. Eine developed a significant amount of hand-pulled prints for POW artists, including Jamie Hewlett, Mode2, Modern Toss and David Shrigley. He was able to enhance other artists' work precisely due to his natural talent for combining colors. In 2008, he quit his job to concentrate on his own independent career. Eine's neon and black EINE stickers (several EINE names) became prevalent in East London, and he also contributed to sticker graffiti. Eine first came to prominence in the "commercial" graffiti scene through his symbiotic partnership with the London graffiti artist Banksy; through Eine, Banksy was able to join the underground lifestyle and approach the business world from Banksy Eine. , London]] He developed a variety of lettering styles to use for commercial work, including Shutter, NewCircus, Neon, Elton, Vandal ism, Tenderloin and Wendy. In 2007, residents of Tower Hamlets were surveyed via the Tower Hamlets Partnership Brick Lane to ask whether they believed his graffiti was disrespectful and whether removal is appropriate. As a result, graffiti was deemed an act of vandalism according to the council. Since then, the council has modified its graffiti laws with the objective of maintaining popular, non-offensive street art simply because it attracts tourists. (This reference is no longer valid). Ben Eine painted the entire alphabet onto Middlesex Street in East London in May 2010. His selection of colors and text on both shutters and murals can be observed in London's Shoreditch, Brick Lane and Broadway Market areas. The residents renamed Middlesex Street as Alphabet Street, and was defined by The Times as "a street now internationally recognized as a living piece of art with direct links to The White House". In July 2010, President Barack Obama was presented with a painting by Eine, Twenty First Century City, as an official gift from the British prime minister, David Cameron. Eine had become so surprised that he later produced "The Strangest Week", an artwork featuring large letters constructed from "smileys" along Hackney Road. In March of 2011, Eine's independent show at San Francisco's White Walls gallery sold out before it opened. Additionally, he attended MOCA's "Art in the Streets" show, regarded as the largest street art display yet, conducted in April of 2011 in Los Angeles. Eine's creations were displayed at Art Below's The Peace Project. His graffiti typography was showcased there. One of his designs that simply used the word love titled "Circus Love" was displayed at Regent's Park. This was previously displayed on a wall of Art Below's July 2012 show at Oxford Circus tube station on the Central Line. Eine joined an increasing group of street artists who have exhibited with Art Below such as Banksy, Inkie, Mike Ballard and Goldie. In 2012, the typographer Chank Diesel released Tenderloin, a free font developed in collaboration with Eine. In 2013, Edition House and Gallery Nelly Duff released "Tenderloin A-Z", a 52-colour silkscreen based on the Tenderloin font. In 2015, Eine created a mural spelling out the word "Diversity" at University High School in Irvine, CA. In 2020, Ben Eine designed a pod for the London Eye's 20th anniversary In January 2020, Central Saint Martins college named a class room after Ben Eine.

Politics

Eine has publicly expressed his respect for David Cameron and has a Vote Conservative tattoo. . He subsequently added "Don't" to "Vote Conservative".

Charitable work

Throughout Eine's career he has made numerous charitable contributions, including donations to Shelter and War Child via sales from Christie's auction house. Eine worked with the Movember Foundation as well as Sotheby's Charity Auction to promote mental wellness recognition and support, who began to sell ten vivid new pieces produced by renowned street artists globally. Spearheaded by the artist D*Face, the initiative included original pieces from Felipe Pantone, Shepard Fairey, Jonathan Yeo, Invader, Okuda, Alexis Diaz, Conor Harrington and Vhils. Collectively, "each artist created an agenda-setting piece motivated by, and aimed at nurturing, open conversations surrounding men's mental health and suicide prevention". Eine has used graffiti designs to promote an end of knife crime and violence, including "Peace Is Possible" and "Stop Knife Crime". - November 2018 In addition, he has produced artwork that promote human rights, including his "Brave" piece, and has chosen to participate in exhibitions, like MACAM's Wall of Contemplation, which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eine has promoted the development and empowerment of younger individuals, by involvement in programs such as Youth Unity Day, to encourage optimism and deter youth from violence. In 2011, Eine was invited by Amnesty International to produce the poster celebrating its 50th anniversary, joining other artists such as Picasso and Joan Miró in supporting the charity through art.

References

External links

Official website The OT (OurTypes) website Interview with Eine and his work A complete alphabet of Eine's shutters Eine Flickr Group The Beneine Forum Collection of Ben Eine Originals

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374638262 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.