'Childhood Treasures' by AKUT, 2020
Limited Edition release based on the artist's original from 2021.
23.6 x 23.6 Inches
60 x 60 Centimeters
9-color giclée print on matte, mould-made 310gsm Hahnemühle fine art paper.
Limited Edition of 75 (#20/75)
Hand-signed, numbered and dated by the artist in pencil.
ABOUT THE ART
When I was a kid the world was magical, there was no bad in anything. And despite of what people might have thought about childhood in east Germany, I was always thinking of the future as a bright adventure with great things to come. Decades later now I know there ARE boarders, there IS injustice, pain, war, poverty…the list of existing problems is way too long. Although this canvas can be understood as a generic symbol for our questionable handling of our planet as a heritage to our progeny, there’re also many personal details in it.
The metal box is filled with items from my childhood then and items of importance for my son now. Handing over my treasures, including our planet earth, to my son is a natural act. He added his treasures to the box, but he is not sure about the miniature earth and wonders whether this is actually an item belonging to it. This was the first time I took a photo of my youngest boy, who is my only biological child, as a reference. Thus the original canvas to this print is actually a dedication to him and my new role as a father.
ARTIST BIO
Falk Lehmann better known as Akut, is a German street artist and photographer. One half of the artistic duo Herakut, he is also known for being the founder of the legendary graffiti collective the Ma’Claim Crew works can be found on their collaboration with URBAN NATION on Project M/13 in 2018.
Originating from Schmalkalden, Akut was one of the first to bless his city with graffiti, dating all the way back to the late 80’s where his works shared a different and unique moniker than the graffiti found in any other major city across the globe, instead of tagging and lettering, Akut focused his works upon photo-realism.
An educated artist with a background in Communication and Graphic Design, Akut also creates impactful work as a photographer. His series of photos depicts various social issues that people are confronted with everyday, from the many people in Hawaii mad homeless, due to the rising price of housing in America, to Nepalese child labourers.