Experience - Oura Sananikone

2024, acrylic paint and silkscreen ink on canvas

Oura Sananikone was a very interesting artist to listen to. His work is incredibly detailed, complex, and brings new layers of emotion and thought to the graffiti styles that he focuses on. One of the most fascinating things about Sananikone to me was his insanely wide range of interests; he went from painting, to graffiti, to comic books, to toys, and still continues to dabble in all of those mediums throughout his different works. I would say that was my biggest takeaways from his talk, that it is okay and even encouraged to have a wide variety of interests and ways to make art. Additionally, Sananikone's process was very cool to hear about. He does plan out his work, but it sounded like he usually ended up going in different directions, especially when it comes to the comics that he makes. He does not set limits or restraints on himself or tell himself what he can and can't make, and I think that is very admirable and something that I would like to work on with my own creative journey. I also really appreciate Sananikone's style; his line work, text style, and color choices all seem so intentional, and every single one of his pieces come together in a coherent and beautiful work. I would love to look even further into his work and am very glad that I got to listen to his talk today.