Dolk
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Dolk Lundgren, or simply Dolk, is a Norwegian stencil artist whose work has rapidly gained popularity since first being introduced to the masses via the Wooster Collective(street works) and Pictures on Walls(commercially available prints).
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Dolk Lundgren, or simply Dolk, is a Norwegian stencil artist whose work has rapidly gained popularity since first being introduced to the masses via the Wooster Collective(street works) and Pictures on Walls(commercially available prints). His "official" biography, courtesy of Pictures on Walls, states, "The premier stencil artist in Norway and wise beyond his years Dolk has been voted "most likely to succeed" by his classmates at vandal school."
  
 
At times, it has been speculated that Dolk is pseudonym for famous Bristol-based stencil artist Banksy.  It was assumed, due to stylistic similarities, that Dolk was merely an outlet for Banksy’s less challenging, more fun works.  This has been refuted several times, most notably by thethugsdontwork, the respected Banksy expert and frequent poster on the Banksy Ebay forum.
 
At times, it has been speculated that Dolk is pseudonym for famous Bristol-based stencil artist Banksy.  It was assumed, due to stylistic similarities, that Dolk was merely an outlet for Banksy’s less challenging, more fun works.  This has been refuted several times, most notably by thethugsdontwork, the respected Banksy expert and frequent poster on the Banksy Ebay forum.

Revision as of 02:18, 13 July 2006

Dolk Lundgren, or simply Dolk, is a Norwegian stencil artist whose work has rapidly gained popularity since first being introduced to the masses via the Wooster Collective(street works) and Pictures on Walls(commercially available prints). His "official" biography, courtesy of Pictures on Walls, states, "The premier stencil artist in Norway and wise beyond his years Dolk has been voted "most likely to succeed" by his classmates at vandal school."

At times, it has been speculated that Dolk is pseudonym for famous Bristol-based stencil artist Banksy. It was assumed, due to stylistic similarities, that Dolk was merely an outlet for Banksy’s less challenging, more fun works. This has been refuted several times, most notably by thethugsdontwork, the respected Banksy expert and frequent poster on the Banksy Ebay forum.

Along the same lines, Dolk’s work has been criticized in some quarters for being derivative and overly influenced by Banksy, most notably his 2005 Work “Puppy Love”(edition of 200, numbered and unsigned, 450x320 mm), a touching vignette showcasing a dog humping R2D2 set on a pink background. This work bears the both the same name and color scheme as a Banksy original, the only difference being Banksy’s focus on two combat vehicles having doggy-style intercourse. Thethugsdontwork succinctly summed up the general consensus with regard to “Puppy Love” by stating, “dolk's first print was banksy-lite”. The print can be viewed here: [1].

Popular acclaim for his commercially available work lagged far behind his street-work credentials until the 2006 release of Che(signed, edition of 750, 500x700 mm) and Che XL(signed, edition of 100, 1000x700 cm). This 2-color print, an “instant classic” as per Pictures on Walls’ description and “banksy heavy” as per thethugsdontwork, features a cigar-smoking Che Guevara proudly pointing to his t-shirt, emblazoned with artist Jim Fitzpatrick’s rendering of Alberto Korda’s (in)famous, much pirated 1960 image of – Che Guevara. Dolk’s print is considered by many to be the ultimate riff on Che, who has become a capitalist powerhouse in death. Dolk’s work highlights the irony that an image of the individual French philosopher Jean-Paul Satre once called,"the most complete human being of our age,” and an icon of communism worldwide, now appears on hot-selling retail products ranging from t-shirts to mousepads to thong underwear. The standard version of the print can be viewed here: [2], with the limited XL version(identical except for size) viewable here: [3].

Dolk followed up this successful work with the June 2006 release of “Burger King”(edition of 250, signed and numbered, 700x500 mm). This work, featuring Prince Charles wearing a Burger King crown, set against a blue backdrop, is a re-work of a Dolk street piece for the broader English art market. The original work featured King Harald V of Norway adorned with the well-recognized Burger King crown. This image can be seen here: [4]. With regard to Dolk’s print, Pictures on Walls’ advertising copy read, “Dolk gets it spot on with a charming portrait of the man who will never be king”. The print is viewable here: [5].

“Che”, “Che XL” and “Burger King” have met with widespread acclaim and have further enhanced both Dolk’s visibility and his popularity in the commercially available art world. Dolk, and his fans, have benefited tremendously by very fortuitous timing. His emergence has been accentuated by an unprecedented lack of Banksy screenprint material. This lull, marked by no Banksy artwork being available via Pictures on Walls, has forced many a less-affluent Banksy addict to look elsewhere for their fix. A large percentage of these stencil junkies have found Dolk to be their methodone.

Dolk’s street work, which first brought him international acclaim and still remains much more highly regarded than his commercial prints, is well-represented in Norway(Oslo), Denmark(Copenhagen), and Germany. Some of the most popular pieces are:


The provacative “Officer Down” Officer down.jpg


The melancholy “Girl With Teddy”(not an official name)File:Dolk girl with teddy.jpg


The controversial “9-11” File:9-11 dolk.jpg


The silly “I am your father” File:I am your father - dolk.jpg

and the classic Dolk piece, "Che", in it's natural habitat Dolk che.jpg


More information about Dolk can be found at the Dolk Lungren Fan Forum: [6], the Ebay Banksy Discussion Group: [7], the Wooster Collective: www.woostercollective.com, and the non-English Streetart, [8].

His commercial prints are available through Pictures on Walls, [9].