Super Solveig

February 24, 2009 9:17 AM

Meet the new star of street art - 10yr old Solveig. She's painted the Berlin Wall, designed tattoos, and even has her own little female possee, the All Girl Crew.
posted by mippy (39 comments total)

Holy crap. MAD can control!
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:24 AM on February 24, 2009

Very cool! Her craftsmanship is very good, sense of scale, proportion, color, and humor, all spot on. I really like the breakfast one.
posted by Xoebe at 9:25 AM on February 24, 2009

She appears to be actually tattooing someone in one of those photos.
posted by thirteenkiller at 9:25 AM on February 24, 2009

Yes - the tattoo photos are ace.
posted by Pants! at 9:29 AM on February 24, 2009

Nice
posted by DU at 9:30 AM on February 24, 2009

So, so awesome.
posted by hellphish at 9:31 AM on February 24, 2009

She is my new hero. I wish I had a little gang of art chicks when I was ten.
posted by mippy at 9:33 AM on February 24, 2009

Joke? Most images seems to include her name, age, and a taunt - "what have you done?" I'll wait for the video of her completing one of these before I assume it's her and not her big brother pulling a prank.
posted by billysumday at 9:39 AM on February 24, 2009

Big brother? And the quote in the article calling her a "female Banksy"? The amazing thing here is that she's so young, not that wimmin kin drawl.
posted by DU at 9:42 AM on February 24, 2009 [4 favorites]

Indeed, DU. Clearly I was implying that women can't draw. Big sister, big brother, big whomever. Does it really matter?
posted by billysumday at 9:46 AM on February 24, 2009

I didn't mean to accuse you. Just that your sex change of the possible artist along with the fact that they highlighted an irrelevant variable in the link combined to make me want to warn this thread to 'ware sexism.
posted by DU at 9:47 AM on February 24, 2009

Thank you, thought police! May I be on my way now, officer?
posted by billysumday at 9:48 AM on February 24, 2009

*facepalm*
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:52 AM on February 24, 2009

...and a taunt - "what have you done?"

It is not a taunt. Solveig explains:

The skeleton on the left is not very good and is always messing up the hair cuts. The one on the right is the boss and drops the cups of tea when he sees what the other one has done.

This does look fishy --- a bit too polished. Might be just some creative adult support.

Still not as annoying as Banksy though.
posted by ghost of a past number at 10:00 AM on February 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yeah the letters lack the can control - I bet she does the letters and someone else does the rest - that sort of cartoon style can take a long time to learn - i do hope it is her tho!
posted by By The Grace of God at 10:03 AM on February 24, 2009

I went to grade school with a few kids who were easily this good at drawing, so I don't see why it'd be very hard to believe that a creative, artistically inclined young girl could do these things. "Video proof" is more something you demand when someone says they spotted a UFO, or cleared Devil's Gulch on their BMX.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:06 AM on February 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Indeed, there's no reason not to believe this is real. That tattoo is badass, also.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:08 AM on February 24, 2009

Not saying that she's not capable of doing it - just that it is very impressive, and that the history of art is littered with the work of so-called prodigies that, it is later revealed, are actually the work of parents or other mentors. So, I'm always naturally suspicious. Anybody can snap a picture of themselves putting the final touches on an amazing painting/picture/graffiti wall, but it doesn't really prove that they, you know, did it.
posted by billysumday at 10:10 AM on February 24, 2009

Oh, I wish I had a NYC subway car from the late seventies, early eighties. Then I'd comission her to do a piece on it, no question about it.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:13 AM on February 24, 2009

Too polished? This is polished, this is a beginner with some skill (but this looks sketchy - she's too short to reach the top of that wall, and the control is a lot sharper than other images). Maybe her posse helped her out - maybe they collaborate. And it seems she's been tagging since age 8. There's some video of her, according to Dark Daze, though they don't link it.

The original gallery titling her "the female Banksy" is shorthand for "female graffiti artist," with some other connotations towards cheeky design, instead of being some naughty vandal bent on defacing public property. Kick Action has a good bit on her, noting the Banksy comparison is not fit (or maybe premature), and links to other women who bomb/tag.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:25 AM on February 24, 2009

Not saying that she's not capable of doing it - just that it is very impressive, and that the history of art is littered with the work of so-called prodigies that, it is later revealed, are actually the work of parents or other mentors. So, I'm always naturally suspicious.

That the little girl is lying is a weird thing to be suspicious about. Seriously, she didn't reproduct Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" using only fingerpaints and Play-Dough. I'm not seeing the "prodigy" comparison here. She and her friends made some awesome graffiti. I think the angle of the story here is that a group of young girls have a crew, period, not that it's genius. It's just a very cool story and pretty decent art.

I'll grant, though, that in order to allay any suspicions that anyone who ever created anything really did do those things, video proof would be solid. And even then, with the video editing software these days? I'd still be suspicious.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:27 AM on February 24, 2009

I'm not sure why anyone would interpret the 'what have you done' as a taunt, seeing as it's clearly underlined as: "What have you done." I wouldn't think her explanation would really even be needed. I mean, I'd be pretty shocked if I was running a hair salon and my employee cut the letters 'SOL' into people's hair. Unless, y'know, they requested it.

For those saying the story's too 'polished' (what?) to have been created by her, I gotta say although the tea was a nice touch if it were faked they clearly would have added a monocle falling off the skeleton's face for full effect.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 10:33 AM on February 24, 2009

The only thing that is impressive to me is the focus it must take to finish such a project. The art itself is really nothing spectacular, many 10 year-olds can paint or draw better. Not too many 10-year-olds have the focus to undertake such a large work and see it through.

Also, I'd consider "female Banksy" to be an insult. Who the hell has the nerve to call a 10-year-old a "female douchebag"?
posted by explosion at 10:41 AM on February 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Uh, yeah, but no. Banksy, douchebaggery aside, does some pretty impressive work. This is magic markers and school notebook design. Which is fine—she's 10. Duh. But not really noteworthy. This is an indulged kid who will hopefully do some stuff that will be worthwhile later when all the "OMG CUTE" wears off.
posted by klangklangston at 10:51 AM on February 24, 2009

"This does look fishy --- a bit too polished. Might be just some creative adult support."
"Yeah the letters lack the can control - I bet she does the letters and someone else does the rest"
"Anybody can snap a picture of themselves putting the final touches on an amazing painting/picture/graffiti wall, but it doesn't really prove that they, you know, did it."

YGTBFKM.

- Solveig filling in what is clearly her self-outlined letters/objects.
- Sketching elephant's head > final
- Painting facial features > final, working on next character
- Snorkeler, painted "in front of a lot of people." > final

Seriously, people.
posted by prinado at 10:53 AM on February 24, 2009 [3 favorites]

Seriously, people.

To be fair "girl child paints wall" is a pretty extraordinary claim requiring the utmost in detailed documentary evidence.
posted by DU at 11:16 AM on February 24, 2009

"To be fair "girl child paints wall" is a pretty extraordinary claim requiring the utmost in detailed documentary evidence."

If "Girl child paints wall" was the story, it would neither be controversial nor published.
posted by klangklangston at 11:24 AM on February 24, 2009

If this is only cool because of who the artist is, than who cares? Wasn't that part of the stunkism motto?
posted by garlic at 11:26 AM on February 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Stuckism.

And this is a human interest story. Young girl and her young girl friends form grafitti crew. The "lol fake" is baffling.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 11:41 AM on February 24, 2009

I hope she's sticking to "legal" walls for now, since it seems she has the support of her parents in this. I like graffiti myself, but the law still says it's illegal. Hate to see anything bad happen, is all.

Maybe I'm secretly envious, since my parents gave me shit for drawing the Star Trek captain's bridge in crayon on our basement wall as a little kid. They stifled me!
posted by orme at 12:14 PM on February 24, 2009

drawing the Star Trek captain's bridge in crayon on our basement wall

Do you mean recreating the bridge in the basement by drawing in crayon on the wall? Or just a picture of the bridge?
posted by DU at 12:15 PM on February 24, 2009

This is awesome. I don't know whether or not to hope for her arrest resulting in bigger fame and mentorship.
posted by not_on_display at 2:25 PM on February 24, 2009

This is totally awesome. I don't know which is more badass, that she actually tattooed someone or that someone allowed a ten year old girl control of a tattoo needle.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:55 PM on February 24, 2009

I like graffiti myself, but the law still says it's illegal. Hate to see anything bad happen, is all.

Yes, exactly. Serious question to everyone, and not meant as snark: is this not illegal? Why is the story here not "little girl breaks law in clearly visible way"?
Perhaps an answer to that would help me be less grouchy about graffiti.
posted by roombythelake at 4:41 PM on February 24, 2009

Why is the story here not "little girl breaks law in clearly visible way"?

Because it's pretty?

Also, not all graffiti is illegal. You can get permission from some municipalities to do graffiti in specified areas.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:47 PM on February 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

drawing the Star Trek captain's bridge in crayon on our basement wall

Do you mean recreating the bridge in the basement by drawing in crayon on the wall? Or just a picture of the bridge?
posted by DU at 12:15 PM

Basically just the big screen and various controls, so that you felt like you were actually on the bridge, albeit in a "Simon In The Land of Chalk Drawings" sort of way. I barely even got one mission underway before I had to turn the whole damn ship around and head back for dinner.
posted by orme at 5:37 PM on February 24, 2009

She needs to wear gloves and masks please!
posted by P.o.B. at 9:07 PM on February 24, 2009

Why is the story here not "little girl breaks law in clearly visible way"?

On her Flickr stream are the bridges under the Westway. I used to work round there and graffiti art is legal to execute - otherwise I guess the council would have grim concrete pens broken up by the odd football game.
posted by mippy at 3:38 AM on February 25, 2009

Yeah, the area in Brighton where a lot of her stuff was done (Black Rock) is also a designated graffiti area.

Oh, and she's great, I love that she's from Brighton!
posted by ClarissaWAM at 9:13 AM on February 25, 2009