MARTIN WHATSON

Martin Whatson (b. 1984) is a Norwegian born and based stencil artist. While studying Art and Graphic design at Westerdals School of Communication, Oslo, he discovered stencils and the urban art scene. Following a deep interest in graffiti, he started his own stencil production over 2 decades ago in the winter of 2004.

Martin has a urge to search for beauty in what is commonly dismissed as ugly, out of style or simply left behind. He looks for inspiration in people, city landscapes, old buildings, graffiti, posters and decaying walls. This interest for decay has helped develop his style, motives and composition and he enjoys creating either unity or conflict between materials, backgrounds and human intervention. His artistic expression started more political, but has developed into a more subtle expression blending graffiti, stencil art and decay together. His abstract graffiti and stencils are a mix of urban scenes showing the development of a walls lifetime. He use grey tones as a foundation but adds vibrant colors to break the monochrome concrete expression and bring a splash of life to his work. Since his artistic debut in 2004, he has had several solo shows and many group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. His work has been on display and bought by museums around the world. Among them Straat Museum in Amsterdam, Urban Nation museum in Berlin, the Nordic Museum in Seattle and Tokyo National Museum, and has works placed in big collections both in Norway and abroad.

WORKS

INFO

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023 – Concrete Echoes – Harman Projects – New York / USA

2022 – Okeari – Parco Gallery Shibuya – Tokyo / Japan

2021 – RE:TURN – Vertical Gallery / Scope Art fair – Miami / USA

2021 – Second Hand – Mazel Gallery – Brussels / Belgium

2020 – FREE – RexRomae Gallery – Dubai / UAE

2020 – Butterflies Collection – Mazel Gallery – Brussels / Belgium

2020 – OSLO – Oslo Nowhere / Shoot Gallery – Oslo, Norway

2018 – SOS at Cho Why – Cho Why Gallery – Bangkok / Thailand

2018 – The Arctic tour – Bådin Brewry – Bodø / Norway

2018 – The Arctic tour –
 The Edge Hotel – Tromsø / Norway


2018 – The Arctic tour –
 Galleri Svalbard – Svalbard / Norway

2017 – Revive – Rex Romae Gallery (popup) – Los Angeles / USA

2017 – Print retrospective – Galleri Bi-Z – Kristiansand / Norway

2015 – Old News – Galleri A – Oslo / Norway

2015 – About Face – Blackbook Gallery – Denver / USA

2014 – Hide and Seek – RexRomae gallery – London / United Kingdom

2014 – Nationalteateret – Galleri A at the National Theatre – Oslo / Norway

2014 – Square – Galleri A – Oslo / Norway

2013 – Transformed – Gallery Kawamatsu – Tokyo / Japan

2013 – Under Cover –  Reed Projects – Stavanger / Norway

2013 – The Beauty of Grey – Reed Projects – Stavanger / Norway

2011 – What Have I done? – Black Pop Gallery – Copenhagen / Denmark

2011 – Love Tour – Gallery Kawamatsu -Tokyo/Japan

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025 – Four Ways – Galleri A – Oslo / Norway

2025 – Trio Show (w/ HaMa & Sandra Chevrier) – Galleri Bi-Z – Kristiansand / Norway

2025 – Urban Motion – KIRK Gallery – Aalborg / Denmark

2025 – Ukiyo-E in play – Adachi at Tokyo National Museum – Tokyo / Japan

2024 – Context Artfair – Harman Projects – Miami / USA

2024 – VISION-S – Hawley Projects – Margate / United Kingdom

2024 – Urban Fractions – KIRK Gallery – Aalborg / Denmark

2024 – Art on Paper – Harman Projects – New York / USA

2023 – Context Artfair – Harman Projects – Miami / USA

2023 – Ode to… – Vertical Gallery – Chicago / USA

2023 – Urban Fragments –KIRK Gallery – Aalborg / Denmark

2023 – Art on PaperHarman Projects – New York / USA

2022 – Scope Art Fair
 – Galleri A – Miami / USA

2022 – Context Art Fair – Harman Projects – Miami / USA

2022 – Spring Break – Mazel Gallery – Brussels / Belgium

2022 – ALEX FACE 20 years – Bangkok / Thailand

2022 – Urban Art Fair – Mazel Gallery – Paris / France

2022 – District 13 – Mazel Gallery – Paris / France

2022 – Graffitiprints 10 years – Hawley Projects – Margate / United Kingdom

2022 – UVNT Art Fair – Mazel Gallery – Madrid / Spain

2022 – Street Chronicles – Streetartnews – Seoul / Korea

2022 – District 13 – Mazel Gallery – Paris / France

2021 – SHE – OsloNowhere / Shoot Gallery – Oslo, Norway

2021 – Urban Art Fair – Mazel Gallery – Paris / France

2021 – Break that wall – Mazel Gallery – Brussels / Belgium

2020 – Inside Out – KIRK Gallery – Aalborg / Denmark

2019 – DUO (with Henrik Kleppe) – Galleri Kollekt – Oslo / Norway

2019 – IKIGAI  Basement Ginza / Streetartnews – Tokyo / Japan

2018 – Context art fair – Blackbook gallery – Miami / USA

2018 – Art Elysées- art fair – Nextstreet gallery – Paris / France

2018 – Kollekt & Kunstveggen – Galleri Kollekt – Oslo / Norway

2018 – CO- Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2018 – Northern Exposure – Nordic Museum Seattle – Seattle / USA

2017 – Context ArtFair – Blackbook Gallery – Miami / USA

2017 – Unstoppable – Urban Nation Museum – Berlin / Germany

2017 – Fluorish – MESA art Museum curated by Thinkspace – Mesa / USA

2015 – Context art fair – Blackbook Gallery – Miami / USA

2015 – HOME  Reed Projects Gallery – Stavanger / Norway

2015 – Outsiders In – Reedprojects Gallery – Stavanger / Norway

2015 – Your kid can’t do this – aMBUSH Gallery – Sydney / Australia

2015 – I LOVE Kabul – Graffitiprints – Kabul / Afghanistan

2015 – Different Strokes –Hin Bus depot – Penang / Malaysia

2015 – 2 for 2 – Vertical Gallery – Chicago / USA

2014 – Scope Artfair – Blackbook Gallery booth – Miami / USA

2014 – ARTmageddon – Vertical Gallery – Chicago / USA

2014 – LA Contraband 2 – Riviera 31 – Los Angeles / US

2014 – Stencil Bastards 3 – Starkart Exhibitions – Zurich / Switzerland

2014 – Different Strokes – Bottleneck Gallery – New York / US

2014 – A-Laget utvalg ’14 – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2014 – Scope Artfair – C.A.V.E. Gallery booth – New York / US

2014 – Scope Artfair – Blackbook Gallery booth – New York / US

2013 – Juleutstilling 2013 – Galleri Bi-Z – Kristiansand / Norway

2013 – Buy, Work, Consume, Die – Reedprojects gallery – Stavanger / Norway

2013 – A-Laget utvalg ’13 – Winter – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2013 – Home sweet home – Bottleneck Gallery – New York / US

2013 – LA contraband – Los Angeles / US

2013 – About time – Galleri GEO – Bergen / Norway

2013 – The dirty art – Blankspace – Oslo / Norway

2013 – Moniker Artfair – Souled out Studios bunker – London / UK

2013 – True Colors – Shop 13 – London / UK

2013 – A-Laget – 10 year anniversary – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2013 – Bybildet: Redefinert – Oslofjorden Kunstsenter – Drøbak / Norway

2013 – Stencil art Norway – Reedprojects Gallery – Stavanger / Norway

2012 – A-Laget utvalg ’12 – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2012 – A-Laget utvalg ’12 – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2012 – Match Point – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2012 – Street Smart – Bergen Kjøtt – Bergen / Norway

2011 – Deflate the hype – Black Pop Gallery – Copenhagen / Denmark

2011 – A-Laget utvalg ’11– Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2011 – ULTRA 004 artfair – Gallery Kawamatsu booth – Tokyo / Japan

2011 – Young Art – Scandic Vulcan – Oslo / Norway

2011 – T&J Artwalk – Blomqvist – Oslo / Norway

2011 – A-Laget utvalg ’11 – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2010 – Punk’s Not Dead – Gallery North Gate – Tokyo / Japan

2010 – A-Laget utvalg ’10 – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2010 – Mattia Benefit – Naples / Italy

2010 –
 Strike the Street – Rome/Italy

2010 – Punk’s not Dead – Tokyo/Japan

2010 – A-Laget Utvalg ’10 – Oslo/Norway

2010 – Totally Pretty Dirty – Tokyo/Japan

2010 – A-Laget  Utvalg ’10 – Oslo/Norway

2009 – Dreams & Nightmares – Vancover/Canada

2009 – A-Laget Utvalg ’09 – Oslo/Norway

2009 – Threesome – Hannover/Germany

2008 – Outside – L.A./US

2008 – A-Laget Utvalg  ’09– Oslo/Norway

2008 – A-Laget Utvalg ’08 – Oslo/Norway

2008 – Merry Crunchmas – Manchester/UK

2008 – The End is Nigh – Newcastle/UK

2007 – Melbourne Stencil Festival – Melbourne/Australia

2007 – Urban Art Agenda – Melbourne/Australia

2006 – Vinyl Killers – Detroit/US

PROJECTS & FESTIVALS

2025 – Oscarshamn Streetart – Oscarshamn / Sweden

2024 – Installation at Straat Museum – Amsterdam / Netherlands

2023 – Out in the Open – Streetart festival – Aalborg / Denmark

2023 – Upaint – Urban Art festival – Monaco / Monaco

2022 – NuArt Aberdeen ‘22 – Aberdeen / Scotland

2019 – CVTA Street fest – Civitacampomarano / Italy

2017 – NuArt Oslo ‘17 – Oslo / Norway

2017 – Wynwood Walls – Miami / USA

2017 – NuArt Aberdeen ‘17 – Aberdeen / Scotland

2016 – Dubai Street Museum – Dubai / UAE

2016 – Cities of Hope festival – Norther Quarter – Manchester / United Kingdom

2015 – Outdoor Festival – Caserma Guido Reni – Rome / Italy

2015 – NuArt festival ’15 – Tou Scene – Stavanger / Norway

2014 – NuArt festival ’14 – Tou Scene – Stavnager / Norway

2014 – Memorie Urbane – Gaeta / Italy

2014 – Project M3 – Curated by NuArt – Berlin / Germany

2013 – NuArt festival ’13 – Tou Scene – Stavanger / Norway

2012 – Commission – ONS – ONS fair – Stavanger / Norway

2011 – T&J Artwalk – Oslo / Norway

2011 – Tennis arena decoration – Riksanlegget for Tennis, Hasle – Oslo / Norway

2011 – Super City Bros – DogA – Oslo / Norway

2011 – Toms charity – Galleri-A – Oslo / Norway

2009 – Urban Paint festival – Bristol / UK

CONTACT

CONTACT

For general contact, please use the contact sheet or email me here: love@martinwhatson.com

For inquiries or commission questions, please contact MW Studios here:
studio@martinwhatson.com
or visit the shop shop.martinwhatson.com

Partner galleries:

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