ABOUT URBAN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

Kai “Raws” Imhof was born in 1990, in Königs Wusterhausen, Germany and raised in Berlin. After finishing his A-level, the artist started the training as a graphic designer in Berlin, which he finished in 2015 by winning the best graduation work award. After that, he decided to become a full-time artist.

Raws’ artistic career started in 2004 when he was painting the streets as a classic graffiti writer. During his early years as a sprayer, he painted illegal bombings and tags on walls in his neighborhood. Due to clashes with the police, he decided (around 2008) to deal with the aesthetic side of graffiti writing. By painting high-quality colorful pieces, over the years he became a famous artist in the international graffiti scene.

Later when he started his graphic design training, he dealt with the history of fine arts. Movements like Bauhaus or Blauer Reiter and artists like Kandinsky, Richter or Picasso made him rethinking his own standards and views and had big impact to his following career as an artist. Since then, he is combining his addiction to abstraction, graphics and arrangement with an urban approach.

Raws was invited to many events and exhibitions all over the world. The artist had opportunities to show his work in countries like Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark or France. When it comes to exhibitions, Raws was part of the international renowned The Haus – Berlin Art Bang show in Berlin in 2017. In 2019 Raws had his first big Soloshow at the Urban Spree Gallerie in Berlin. Later he also took part in artfairs like Monumenta in Leipzig, Affordable Artfair or MISA from König Galerie. Since then, his career evolved and Raws had international exhibitions all over the world like in the Museum of Graffiti in Miami or cooperated with big brands like adidas, Cupra or Marvel and became a well known contemporary artist.

Artist statement

Kai “Raws” Imhof is an artist who deals with the abstraction of urban aesthetic elements, digitalization and social challenges. The central means here, in addition to the medium of spray cans and the color world of certain urban movements, is the compositional arrangement of the elements. Imhof thus combines his past as a graffiti artist with the influences of modern graphic design, contemporary art and social themes.