Art / Street Art
Pahnl revealed as Upfest 2017 official artist
Birmingham-based duo Pahnl have been announced as this year’s festival artist for Upfest, designing the logo and all the official artwork.
Pahnl first took part in Upfest in 2009 and have been returning ever since. “We’re psyched to be the festival artists for 2017,” the duo say.
“There’s a whole host of reasons why we love Upfest; it’s always an amazing time and a place where we’ve made so many of our friends, so it’s an honour to have designed the logo for this year’s edition.”
Pahnl are all about using small spaces to publish their work which often consists of miniature figures of both people and animals.
Before primarily working in miniature, Pahnl painted a piece on John Street outside the Bank Tavern in 2009.
“It was a great day of painting beside Elmo, 20/20, Los Stencilos, Pistol, JK47 and maybe I’m forgetting a few names now,” Pahnl remembers.
“The weather was good to us that day, too! This was back in 2009 and I don’t think I had done much large stuff at that point.
“To be fair, I’ve not done much large stuff since, as I tend to prefer painting my work at a diminutive scale.”
Upfest runs from July 29 to 31 this year, with some 300 artists from around the globe once again partaking in the live street art and a graffiti spectacle.
It is this that inspired Pahnl: “This year’s festival logo takes inspiration from the festival itself, so you’ll see our characters taking photos on their phones, kids getting artists to sign their books, an artist looking at a picture reference on his phone for their piece, professional photographers taking snaps, people enjoying good food, great music blaring out, someone walking away with a purchased piece of art.
“I’s an eclectic piece that shows people what the festival is all about.”
Here are some of our favourite Pahnl pieces from over the years:
For more information about this year’s Upfest, visit www.upfest.co.uk/page/upfest-festival
Read more: In photos: the best of Upfest 2016