KRIS K
Kris K is a globally based multidisciplinary artist with a practice that spans the mediums of digital illustration, oil, acrylic and design.
With a single line, Kris K illustrates the visage of her portraits in one continuous movement - her brush never leaving the surface of the canvas. Her portrait’s eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, ears and overall face are created in one go, with one unbroken line. A unique blend of traditional and modern influences, Kris K’s works have a femininity that exudes poise, confidence, and an undeniable power.
Kris K’s practice frequently explores the interplay between minimalist sketching and bold, unconventional color palettes. The results are works that evoke a sense of fluidity and chance, all while being deeply rooted to the central thumbprint of her iconic style. Collaborations with figures including Lindsay Lohan, leading visual artists, musicians, and enterprises have been a consistent thread in KrisK’s creative explorations. Visual artists worked with include pplpleasr aka Emily Yang, Sabet, Gabe Weis, ArinaBB, Dario De Siena, earlyWoRm, and Greg Overton. Musicians include Rae Isla and TAROT. Enterprises include ‘Steve Aoki X The Untamed’, Ethereum Worlds Metaverse, NFT.NYC and OpenSea.
As a leading Artist and Founder in Web3, Kris K practices at the forefront of Art and Technology. Her iconic ‘Bull Market Girlfriends’ CryptoArt NFT collection launched in 2021 to immediate and resounding success, with each 1/1 work receiving dozens of offers within minutes. Her subsequent releases, including limited editions, have been acquired by thousands of collectors globally. Artworks by KrisK have been exhibited globally, including in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Singapore, Ibiza, Dubai, Mexico City and Geneva.
THE ORIGIN STORY
"you need to decide for yourself you will create all that you were destined to create"
Born and raised in the Republic of Tatarstan, Kris K's early years saw the beginnings of an ability and drive that manifests itself in the art we see today. As a child and teenager, Kris K would spend summer holidays at her grandmother's house in the countryside, sketching with paper and pencil. At the age of 21 she stepped into the world of entrepreneurship and fashion. 36 hour return bus trips twice a week to Moscow saw her selecting and acquiring high-quality garments from the previous season’s fashion. Overseeing a process of alteration, Kris K realigned these pieces with her creative vision and contemporary tastes. This foray into fashion marked Kris K’s first multi-disciplinary artistic endeavour, one which grew her business to several locations.
It was a life-changing decision to travel to Spain at the age of 25 that would set KrisK on her path to becoming the artist she is today. She fell in love with the art, architecture and culture of the country, particularly that of Barcelona. Kris K recalls, "It became clear how important art was for me, how important creating was”. Her several years in Spain saw the beginnings of large scale works on canvas. Relocation to Montreal followed, with Kris K spending her time between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It was during this period that Kris K experienced a near-death event, getting caught in a rip-tide and coming face to face with what seemed to be the certainty of death.
“For ten minutes I was fighting for my life - and then I let go. I realized this was the day I was going to die. Suddenly I wasn’t scared, I believed I couldn't get out no matter how hard I tried. I looked at the sky, I noticed its beauty, and it hit me - I wasn’t going to be leaving anything behind me as an artist. Bringing existence forward from a blank canvas is the greatest feeling, creating something that will live on. I felt deeply at the core of my being the loss for all the works that would never come to be. I began thinking of my husband and my mom, I felt so bad for the impact on them. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me, I called out in my mind “Please don’t take me, I’ll create something beautiful for this world, I promise, just let me go”. Somehow I fought the currents, grabbing onto corals, pulling myself to safety. On reaching the shore I realized - this is my second chance, there will be no more messing around, I will dedicate myself to my art. It’s not enough to have talent, to be born an artist, you need to decide for yourself you will create all that you were destined to create”.
KrisK’s practice is deeply rooted in the art style of ‘Lineage’, of which she has been instrumental in founding.
The hallmarks of Lineage are a continuous contour line, abstraction and minimalism.
From the brush stroke’s conception, to its concluding destination, Kris K’s line charts a path that is both a conversation with its origins and a journey into the unknown. Like branches from the lineage of a central trunk, this approach extends beyond the visage and into the wider work. Core to Lineage is the nature of abstraction - of evolution, of departure from the linear. Through form and palette, Kris K’s work breaks from convention. Perspectives shift and dance, colors resonate both in their independence and their unity.
There is an inherent minimalism to the deftness in which Kris K channels emotions - nuance that finds a home through the unique experience of each observer. As rivers carve their mark across landscapes, so does the fluidity and confidence of Kris K’s forms. This union of design and fate, of choice and chance, give Kris K’s work a cohesion that emanates life and legacy.
Lineage can additionally be understood to represent the broader tradition of Abstract Art - a continuation and a unique development on what has come before. Minimalism, Pop Art, Surrealism and Contemporary Art styles border and intersect with Kris K’s work. Lastly, Lineage is evocative of the evolution of Art onto the landscape of new technologies - Kris K’s work sits on the bedrock of the physical and the blockchain.
"A Sail seeks storms" - illustrated with a single continuous line