Interview with Nean Kingdom: Street Art, Cinema, and Nature

GraffitiStreet

Your transition from paper to large-scale graffiti is interesting. What led to this shift, and how has your style developed throughout this evolution?

Nean Kingdom

I used to draw a lot as a kid and it was compulsive. Everything went through it: the heroes of my favourite movies, comics, even imaginary scenes. As I got older, I cut myself off from the artistic side of things. As a teenager, I had other priorities that weren’t always productive haha. It was just before my 20th birthday, during a time when I was struggling to find myself, that I met two graffiti writers.

Since I wasn’t good at painting letters, I turned to characters and backgrounds. I really enjoyed spending time with those two friends. Beyond painting, we shared a lot of the same questions about what we wanted to do with our lives. So-called ‘commercial’ jobs allowed us to buy spray paint, and I soon found myself painting every week … and then nearly every day. By force of circumstance, graffiti reconnected me with the artistic roots that were already there.

With practice, I realised that what interests me most in painting is its emotional impact. I appreciate technique, but the more I develop, the more I want to simplify things …to let the subject and mood lead. My goal is to move away from the ultra-realistic trend that’s so dominant right now. A lot of murals depict giant human figures, so today, I try to highlight other subjects, bringing humans down to a more modest scale.

GraffitiStreet

Your murals are known for their cinematic quality and vivid connection to nature. How do you bring these worlds together, and what drives you to combine them in your work?

Nean Kingdom

Cinema inspires me because it’s all about the challenge of saying a lot with a single image. Environments and landscapes are just pure beauty. Mixing the two gives me a really enjoyable playground to tell stories. Usually, when I compose, I try to imagine the setting or background as one of the characters in the image.

GraffitiStreet

Are there specific films or directors that inspire your creative approach to these large-scale works?

Nean Kingdom

Not easy to say, but these directors are definitely a huge inspiration: Denis Villeneuve, Yorgos Lanthimos, Alberto Mielgo, and Hayao Miyazaki.

GraffitiStreet

One striking feature of your work is the tension you create between light, shadow, and your subjects. How do you use light to evoke emotion or drama in your murals?

Nean Kingdom

I generally use light to guide the viewer’s eye to the subject or to set the overall mood just like in film. Light is such an interesting tool; it can suggest a moment or help define a colour palette. It’s an inexhaustible subject and a great way for me to renew myself creatively when I feel stuck in a routine.

GraffitiStreet

Street art is inherently tied to its environment. How does the location of your murals influence the final design, and do you find your work evolves in response to the space it occupies?

Nean Kingdom

The setting around the wall has become really important to me over the years. I always try to create an image that resonates with the place visually or thematically. If I want to interest the locals, it’s important to offer something that’s not completely disconnected from what they know or experience.

Generally, I like artworks that interact with reality, the everyday, because those are feelings and topics we all relate to.

GraffitiStreet

For people experiencing your art for the first time, what do you hope they’ll feel or take away from your murals?

Nean Kingdom

I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, but I do hope to get people thinking a bit more about their surroundings, and a bit less about their problems. Maybe to help them put things into perspective. Basic ideas like the fact that life is short, and how we sometimes forget to appreciate simple things because we’re caught up in our routines.

GraffitiStreet

You’re exhibiting in the UK for the first time with our gallery exhibition 'Concrete & Colour'. What can audiences expect from the new works you’ve created, and how do they reflect your current artistic evolution?

Nean Kingdom

The two canvases I’m showing represent the range of moods I like to explore, from very contrasting, warm and luminous atmospheres to softer, more melancholic ones. I approached this exhibition ‘Concrete & Colour’ as a first encounter with the UK audience, and a great opportunity to present myself in the purest way possible. I really wanted to keep things simple.

In any case, thanks to you, I feel very honoured to appear alongside so many fantastic artists.