Stink Nekk Interview

Who are you?

Wassup I’m Louis, the s is silent. I’m 20 years old and I create art, quite literally all day everyday currently under the name stinknekk.

A recent campaign for the Stink Nekk Tees

Why ‘Stink Nekk’?

Growing up drawing, I knew the importance of an identity with your art. Names like Kaws stood out to me and I was always looking for something to adapt into a “tag”. Eventually I had my Instagram name as stinknekk when I was about 15, a few years before I even started writing it alongside any drawings. It originated from a joke me and my close friends had at the skate park. At some point I wrote it on a drawing and just kept doing it because of how the words and letter flow together to create a full word that has a unique and inserting look when it’s written out in a “graffiti format”.  After everything on instagram started to pop off I continued to realise how such a super outlandish name can be beneficial. Having my artist tag be something so unique instead of  writing “by Louis” at the bottom of a painting, caused people to actually remember the name because of its absurdity.

You’ve managed to gain quite a large instagram following, what was the process like of building that over time?

Literally just consistency and a small knowledge on how the algorithm works. It’s obviously going to reward you for spending more time on their app since that’s how they make money, so the more you push content that’s high quality and unique the more rewarding it will be.

What were some of your early influences in art?

Andy Warhol,Kaws, Jamie Hewlett, Kim Jung Ji and David Choe to name a few. Being introduced to the band Gorillaz when I was very young was a major inspiration. I remember sitting on the floor watching their animated music videos on repeat. The designer of those characters, Jamie Hewlett, is still the goat in my eyes. I was drawn to the grungy and dynamic poses which his character portrayed and wanted to achieve that myself.

How did you get into the drawing style that you use today?

Skating was a massive influence with the graffiti culture that you're subjected to. But I also think pop artists like Kaws and Andy Warhol are what makes my art unique. I want to display a mixture of street art and pop art which explains my uses of bold colours to draw your eyes to certain subjects within the drawing. This is a direct comparison to something you might find in pop art with artists like Andy Warhol using the bold red of the “Campbell soup can” painting to catch your eye.

What is your art about?

Everything I create is quite literally things that interest me or seem to be an interesting subject matter. If I think it will look cool I’ll draw it. Expressing a certain feeling 

Do you see yourself doing this full time in the future too? What do you aspire to be?

100 percent, I want to be an artist, it's that simple. When I was younger I knew it was the direction I wanted to move towards. It’s not an easy job to get, I know you have to work hard to make it happen. Call it delusional but I know it will work.

You’re from Melbourne right? What’s the scene like over there?

Originally I was from the Mornington peninsula which is a sick place but I wouldn’t say I fit in there. Everyone was off playing footy and wanting to start an apprenticeship so I always found myself to be a bit of an outcast with the interests which I had. People thought it was kinda weird until it started to work.

Would you say that it is quite involved with Skate culture?

The town I originally grew up in was really small (Balnarring) and when they first built a skate park there it was frowned upon by a lot of people as it drew in a bunch of teenagers who all got pretty out of control. But the skate culture was thriving, with some people focusing on actually skating and others focusing on smoking and setting shit on fire. It was the best…

What inspires you?

Everything if you look at it correctly. I’m inspired by the greats. Watching other people achieve high levels of success inspires me to create bigger and better projects to achieve their level of influence and skill. If they’ve made it possible there’s no reason I can’t if I continue to work hard enough for it. I’m also influenced by people’s actions. If you look at the best in any field they all have patterns of success that inspire me.

How do you keep your work fresh/not burn out?

If you’re trying to make it as a career, you can’t lean on the crutch of burnout, you have to treat it like a nine to five. Burnout I feel is just an excuse. It's important to push through it even if the ideas aren’t as good. Sometimes something is always better than nothing. Create it now and make it good later. 

Does music inspire your work?

A trillion percent. I always make sure to listen to music that directly correlates to the feel of the art work. Depending on the pose or subject matter I listen to music which provokes a feeling of confidence. It wouldn’t make sense to me to draw a guy who looks swag and outgoing to sad music. I like to channel the music into my work. 

You’ve done commissions for some big names, one of those being Aron Williams. What’s it like to have your art being sought after by the greats on the internet right now?

As much as there is controversy around Aron and his brand Mertra, it was still cool seeing people who have made it in any industry want my work. It’s obviously a massive feeling of achievement seeing people with a level of stature want your work. It shows you have something unique and it continues to inspire me to create as you never know who will desire your work in the future. 

That recent collab with JD for the Nike Shox giveaway too, crazy work! Tell us about that 

I still feel like this is the biggest achievement to date! Having a brand of that scale willing to work with me is inspiring for anyone. Originally they sent me an email about promoting shox and with the help of my management team we managed to swindle our way into a giveaway collab. Having the shoes pile up in the studio was ridiculous. Nearly twenty thousand dollars worth of shoes surrounding me was simultaneously epic and daunting. Promising to customise every single box was serious effort and dedication. The photoshoot turned out far better than expected. My photographer Angus MacDonald understood my vision and with his creative insight and skill not only was the project elevated but I had fun making it happen. It’s definitely a highlight of my career so far. 

Artwork for a Stink Nekk X JD giveaway

What are some of the craziest projects you have worked on?

One that flew under the radar was an event for Kasubi, a well known clothing brand. I tagged up a staircase and Room painting across the windows of her bar in Melbourne. It was an amazing project and opportunity but was a little out of my comfort zone. Typically I lean towards characters instead of typography. Creating the fifteen foot high menu board was unique and exciting when I was so early into the game.

You just released a drop of your own Stink Nekk hoodies right?

Yes, if you wanted one too bad they are all sold out! This was definitely a level up from the tees we dropped. The custom features within the hoodie such as measurements, zip pulls and screen printing on the side of the hood exceeded a typical hoodie design and with the help from Tommy we created a high quality and unique piece which my audience seemed to love!

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

A lot. Definitely going to start producing more clothing/accessory based items; belts, jeans and necklaces. Producing things that are typically more high end is something that I want to strive towards as the grungyness of the art and the sharpness of the necklaces will be a cool juxtaposition. With heaps of art stuff in between who knows maybe there’s an exhibition happening soon?

What’s one message that you would give to our readers?

Dude, just go for it. You always have a chance it just comes down to how bad you want it…