Fine Art Magazine February 2019

A R T I S T F E A T U R E T R O I K A C O L L A B O R A T I V E A R T F O R A C O N T E M P O R A R Y W O R L D TIES THAT BIND , Original Painting , 20” x 30” 26 TROIKA ARTIST FEATURE Troika is an influential art collective which brings together three extraordinary artists. The three are close friends with their own successful careers who have chosen to collaborate on a series of projects devised around their passion for music, film and contemporary culture. They work together on every canvas and liken the experience to playing in a band where the guitarist, singer or drummer may be taking the lead at a particular moment, but they are still creating the music together. Between them the members of Troika have a huge array of accomplishments, from university degrees to a qualification as a tattooist, and have worked with clients ranging from the BBC and the Home Office to Apple, Google and the Glastonbury Festival. Their history embraces film direction, musical composition, community art projects and university lecturing, and they are all committed to philanthropic work which has made an impact in a number of settings. Working in their studio ‘the Bunker’, Troika begin each new work by preparing stencils and patterns which they do digitally. They then treat the canvas using mixed media and painted elements inspired by the Far East or urban graphics, including spray paints, inks, acrylics and oils, and layer the stencils to build up the image, often placing a figurative element as the final step. They are inspired by styles and techniques from art history as well as by current, urban trends and combine all these elements within their work. Many of the references you see in their paintings are inspired by graffiti or street art that they have captured whilst exploring cities around the world.