If you know me, you should know by now I like to spam my social media with street art posts. By no means I am a street art expert, but I've grown to recognize quite a few artists when I'm strolling on the streets.
Unlike New York City, Philadelphia is much smaller, which allows me to recognize repeating art quicker. I'm not sure when and why my interest in discovering street art had grown, but something about taking photos of someone's work before they are taken down encourages me to take more photos. And since then, I've spent a large amount of time on Instagram finding artists to follow and new locations to explore. By now my friends are probably tired of having to stop for me to take photos whenever we are out... but hey, you never know when the pieces will be destroyed or get drawn on.
That being said, here are my 5 favorite local Philly street artists:
1. Amber Lynn (@amberellaxo)
This is nothing new to some of you; you've probably seen her work EVERYWHERE, or at least recognize her famous heart piece. With over 13,000 followers on Instagram, Amber is a local street artist that garners the most recognition with her signature black hearts. Look closely next time you are in the Fishtown & NoLib area; you will definitely see one of her work. Her recent art mural by Honeygrow's headquarters on Front Street is a must-see!
2. Aubrie Costello (@xoaubriecostello)
Aubrie, the Queen of Silk Graffiti, is another local street artist that you should follow. Her silk art is often a word or a phrase on a piece of fabric and quite noticeable. I had the pleasure to attend her recent art show "Show Me What You Want Me to See" — a collaborative short film, dance performance, and site-specific art installation. She offers custom pieces, which calls for a nice tapestry for your house/apartment! (peep the Game of Thrones reference below)
3. Nero One (@nero_one)
I met Nero One once at a South Street festival and he was kind enough to sell me his one piece for cheap! Just like Amber, Nero One gained a lot of attention from his style of work. He has a variety of styles — some are just words/phrases, some are the famous black cats, and some are unique depending on what he wants to express. For example, he did a piece on Star Wars when the previous movie came out. Check out his latest "You Belong Here" mural by Spring Garden!
4. Blur (@blurstreetart)
Known for her advocacy of female empowerment, Blur's art speaks for women. Her signature "mouth" pieces, a metaphor of "speaking up", often include empowerment phrases. I was honored to be part of her project "Speak Now PHL" and was featured in one of her posts on Instagram. My piece, written with "You are worth more than you think" is up at 5th & Spring Garden! Blur has an on-going project called "Note 2 Self", featuring personal stories submitted by different women.
5. Inphltrate (@in.phl.trate)
My new favorite local street artist, Inphltrate, caught my attention recently. Her signature work is a black coffin. As I keep seeing her art everywhere, I've decided to purchase one of her pieces with the phrase "After you, hell should be easy". She has one of her pieces by my apartment at Temple, but unfortunately it's already slightly ripped.
Discovering street art is quite time consuming, especially when you don't know where a specific one is located. But, it is something I enjoy to do during my downtime.
Side note: I've met all the street artists except for Inphltrate and they are all so down to earth and approachable! And yes, I definitely fangirl-ed in front of them.