Stephen Powers (American, b. May 25, 1968) was raised in Philadelphia, where he graduated from the University of the Arts before relocating to New York City in 1995. Powers's alias, ESPO (Exterior Surface Painting Outreach), won him notoriety not only in the Graffiti world, but also helped establish him in the Contemporary Art world. After establishing himself as a publisher for On the Go Magazine and the author of several books (The Art of Getting Over, First and Fifteenth, and Studio Gangster), Powers began showing work in notable galleries such as New York City's Deitch Projects.
In 2005, he organized the Dreamland Artist's Club, a project that allowed professional artists to help Coney Island vendors by repainting their signs. Soon after, Powers was the recipient of the Fulbright Prize and spent six months working in Ireland, creating public artwork with the help of local teenagers from troubled areas in Dublin and Belfast. In 2008, Powers returned to Coney Island, where he installed the Coney Island Waterboarding Thrill Ride. In the summer of 2009, Powers embarked on his Love Letter project.
Many responses to Powers's artwork have been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Juxtapoz, and Artforum. His work has recently been the subject of solo shows at Joshua Liner Gallery, in New York, NY (2012), V1 Gallery, in Copenhagen, Denmark (2011), White Walls Gallery, in San Francisco, CA (2009), Alice Gallery, in Brussels, Belgium (2009), Patricia Armocida Gallery, in Milan, Italy (2008), and Deitch Projects, in New York, NY (2004).
Eva F began her career as the street artist known as thechalkjungle/tcj, creating joyful chalk art on boarded up storefronts in New York City during the pandemic of 2020 and transforming her life experience to become a citizen artist. Without formal training, spreading positive feelings during challenging times, her street art has been covered in U.S. and international news outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, The Guardian, Nashville Voyager, and Artnet, among others.
After conquering the streets, she began studio work to continue her approach of transforming all kinds of emotions into images that are simple, joyful, and full of energy. After being featured in multiple group shows, she made her solo debut in January 2022 with “serious lists" in the meatpacking district of New York City.
Her work has also been featured in music videos, including Stronger by Devin Marie and Love Wins Again, Say Goodbye by Leon Evans and Jimmy Harned, as well as multiple book publications. She is grateful to the street and graffiti community, with a special mention to Steve ESPO Powers, who gave her the sage advice to “keep drawing.”
In her desire to remain authentic and true to her roots, eva f is always looking for ways to maintain the feeling of her initial medium of chalk in her street art – bold strokes, bright colors and the physicality of working with her hands. Even with paint, she chooses her hands as her tool instead of a brush. A portion of her sales benefit God’s Love We Deliver, a New York City based charity.
