 Name Tim De Haan | ||
Similar Rone, Banksy, ROA (artist) | ||
Phibs for 140 art
Phibs is the nom de plume of Tim De Haan (born 1974), a notable graffiti artist operating out of Sydney, Australia.
Contents
Phibs x workshop
Biography
Phibs was born in a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia before moving to Sydney in the late 1980s and then Melbourne in 2001. Phibs has been commissioned to large scale artworks by companies such as Absolut Vodka. He also has been commissioned to decorate a number of buildings across Sydney such as Max Brenner chocolates in Paddington, the Glow Cafe in Newtown and a number of alley ways throughout the city of Sydney. He has also travelled to countries outside of Australia where his work can also be seen on walls in Berlin, Miami and New York. Whilst in Melbourne he worked with the Fitzroy-based Everfresh Studio Collective, alongside street artists Rone and Mike Makka.
Phibs was featured in the 2005 documentary, RASH, where he discusses his roots in graffiti art and paints murals with United States hip hop artist Chali 2na.
Phibs was also one of the Australian street artists featured in Jon Reiss' 2010 documentary webseries, Bomb It 2.
In September 2015 the premiere episode of Event, which aired on Foxtel Arts, featured Phibs as its Australian Artist in Residence.
A number of Phibs’ print works have been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia for its permanent collection.
Phibs is currently based in Sydney.
Style and influences
Phibs uses a complex wildstyle graffiti that incorporates interwoven and overlapping lettering and characters. His compositions usually feature animals such as fish and birds in a vibrant mix of complimentary colours. He explores an interest in shapes by fragmenting and breaking up these subjects. Another common theme in Phibs’s work is the use of indigenous and tribal motifs, particularly koru style curls. Phibs credits writers, D-Lite and Crim, for helping him create his own distinctive style.