Tinku 🇬🇹 Stencil Artist • Guatemala • Mexico City

[tinku]

Hi everyone! I have been a member of this forum for some months, but it is until now that I decided to create a thread to show you some of my work (I published some images on the "Introduce yourself" section, but did not know where my work would go/fit). I discovered this forum indirectly, through an Instagram image posted by snik .

I am Guatemalan, but I'm currently based in Buenos Aires (March/Nov.) and Mexico City (Nov./March). Feel free to contact me if you are around.

I started making stencils in 2012. Here are some images of my work (+ on www.eltinku.com and on my Instagram account).

All my works are handcut (the recent ones taking more then 4 months/1000 hours to cut) and based on photographs taken by my father.


Tributo (Winner - Stencil Art Prize 2016)
Handcut stencils, aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas.
105 x 85 cm (41.3" x 33.5")
Tinku, 2016

https://instagram.com/p/BKNuoWHhZ1z

https://instagram.com/p/BCbP5xwws5x

https://instagram.com/p/BEBQteOvwcF

Retorno (Highly Commended - Stencil Art Prize 2015)
Aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas.
148 x 98 cm
Tinku, 2015

https://instagram.com/p/0If3yTQsyJ

La Espera (Highly Commended - Stencil Art Prize 2014)
Handcut stencils, aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas.
150 x 150 cm
Tinku, 2014

https://instagram.com/p/zlSDAMQs1b

Video shot by La Marmota Azul in Mexico City

"La Espera" is the portrait of an old rom man met by my father in the post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. He had survived the Second World War, passing through a Nazi concentration camp, and the Siege of Sarajevo, during the Yugoslav war. When my father met him, he was waiting for his first WWII reparation payment, made by the German government more than 50 years after the conflict ended.

I painted this mural in a XIX century building, that was about to be demolished to build a shopping mall. The last tenants, who were born there and had lived in the building for more than 70 years, were being thrown out by the new owners.





Rom boy from Bosnia-Herzegovina (Untitled)
Acrylic paint and aerosol on found object.
63 x 44.5 x 1.5 cm
Tinku, 2014

I got caught by the Buenos Aires police while painting this outdoors, so this is the only version of this piece.

Dalit
Buenos Aires, Argentina

https://instagram.com/p/ziWlywws4C

Rom boy from Bosnia-Herzegovina (Untitled)
Tinku, 2013

https://instagram.com/p/zgtwk8wsxW

Girl from Soweto (Untitled) (homage to Madiba)
Two-layer stencil.
Tinku, 2013

In 2017, I made Soweto, in collaboration with 360º and Cune. Soweto is a three-dimensional stencil on lightbox, so instead of using the stencil layers to paint the portrait, the cutouts themselves make the image. Due to the way they are painted and located, the portrait reveals itself when the layers are lit, creating a dynamic three-dimensional feeling.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRtSUJvlfdc

[Aza]

Beautiful

[treweman]

Tinku's art is very, very impressive. And I should know, as "Retorno" (at least one version of it) now proudly hangs in my office where dozens of students get to enjoy it with me each day. The piece is actually quite large, and took several weeks to properly stretch and frame. In situ ...

[mla]

Looks fantastic, treweman

[kaotek]

Amazing work. The detail really shines.

[jkrx]

Fantastic work

[jimmy]

wow, nice work

[tinku]

Thanks a lot for your comments and enthusiasm. It means a lot.

I have been working on a new project for more than 3 months now (still a couple of weeks left to finish it).
I'll keep posting some updates on this thread (and edit the first post once I finish cutting/painting).

Here goes a little preview:

[Liverpool ste123]

That is freakinnnnnnnnnn' awesome!

Highly talented skill you have there...

[peted]

Retorno - is staggeringly beautiful, the detail is magnificent - I think we have a new star in our midst - keep them coming Tinku!

[docean]

This is some of the most intricate stenciling I have ever see.  incredible work!

[tinku]

Thanks a lot, Liverpool ste123 , peted and docean .

Weaving:

[tinku]

Some months and many blades later, all the layers are cut. Time to paint.

[sawfinger]

cor!

[londonboy]

Some serious skills there!!!

Wow!!
I m really impressed..
Absolutely love that..

[tinku]

Tributo

4-layer stencil.
Aerosol and acrylic paint on canvas.
105 x 85 cm (41.3" x 33.5")
Tinku, 2016

____________

On 16th May 1999, Guatemalans were summoned to participate in a popular consultation to pass or reject a series of Constitutional reforms, which were previously suggested in the peace accords.

Voter turnout was 18.5% and the ‘No’ vote won in all four questions on the ballot paper; however, it did not surpass the 10% of all registered voters in any of the questions.

The hegemonic civil, military and evangelical sectors all united behind the ‘No’ vote; organizing and financing a strong campaign of misinformation: “if you do not know the proposals, its better to vote No”, “if you vote Yes, you are a guerrilla”, “if you vote Yes, taxes will increase”. Despite this, the Yes vote won in regions with the highest indigenous population, consequently, the most affected by state violence during the war.

Among many objectives, the consultation process aimed to prove Guatemala was “multicultural, multilingual and multiethnic” country. It also sought to reform the role of the army, absolving it of internal security, allowing civilian courts to prosecute common crimes committed by army personnel, and allowing civilian personnel to occupy high positions of the Ministry of Defense.

360° took this photo of a quiche woman, who walked amidst the morning mist on 16th May 1999.

Let this stencil be a new homage to the life and struggle of the Guatemalan indigenous women who, once again, give us lessons of dignity and courage.

[tinku]

Details
45 x 30 cm (17.7" x 11.8")

[dranfan14]

amazing work! wow

[kel]

Stunning work tinku

[tinku]

Thanks a lot to all of you for your support and confidence.
It was great to see many members of this forum participating in the biggest stencil event in the world, with awesome pieces. I wish I was closer to Australia!

[Daniel Silk]

Amazing work Tinku! The most detailed stencils I have ever seen.

[Aza]

Congratulations. A truly deserved winner

[rhubarb]

Amazing work. 😊

[Black Apple Art]

Stunning work and dedication to such a slow, detailed and painstaking process. Looking forward to seeing more.

[sugar72]

Sept 11, 2016 12:28:49 GMT 1 tinku said:

Thanks a lot to all of you for your support and confidence.
It was great to see many members of this forum participating in the biggest stencil event in the world, with awesome pieces. I wish I was closer to Australia!

Wondering whether you sell your pieces and if so where?

[lollo88]

You are incredibly talented my friend, your work really is a head-turner.
Is there any way someone can purchase some of your works?

[tinku]

Thanks a lot for your kind words and interest, Daniel Silk , Aza , rhubarb , Black Apple Art , sugar72 and lollo88 .

I did reply to the PMs I received and answered to some of you privately, but I am sorry about not having answered as I should have on this thread. This month was quite busy (I am still at university and we had the elections of the student body + exams), but this frenetic rhythm will slow down soon and I will have time to immerse myself on the stencils once again.

It is a big honour for me to get comments like yours on this site, as I know this community is very familiarised with most of the artists I admire (and some of you, like Aza , are amazing artists yourselves).
I am still learning and there are many things I want to work on and improve at, so it is always a pleasure and a great tool to read most of the information this community produces. I hope we are wise enough to keep it this way (I have seen that some threads end up in long discussions or fights and most of them are not constructive).

In order to make this post a bit less boring, I'm leaving an image of Tributo, painted in Guatemala. I wanted to put emphasis on the parallelisms (both in form and content) between the Virgin that was already pasted on the door and the woman I portrayed:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEBQteOvwcF

[ABC]

I feel to Tinku is making a few stencil artists panic right now you my friend have just raised the bar pretty damn high. Stunning work.

[sugar72]

Indeed thanks for replying to my messages. The pieces are awesome but finances holding back.

Though if you have 2nd thoughts about the boy piece, give me a shout!! 😉

[treweman]

Oct 5, 2016 0:51:46 GMT 1 tinku said:

Thanks a lot for your kind words and interest, Daniel Silk , Aza , rhubarb , Black Apple Art , sugar72 and lollo88 .

I did reply to the PMs I received and answered to some of you privately, but I am sorry about not having answered as I should have on this thread. This month was quite busy (I am still at university and we had the elections of the student body + exams), but this frenetic rhythm will slow down soon and I will have time to immerse myself on the stencils once again.

It is a big honour for me to get comments like yours on this site, as I know this community is very familiarised with most of the artists I admire (and some of you, like Aza , are amazing artists yourselves).
I am still learning and there are many things I want to work on and improve at, so it is always a pleasure and a great tool to read most of the information this community produces. I hope we are wise enough to keep it this way (I have seen that some threads end up in long discussions or fights and most of them are not constructive).

In order to make this post a bit less boring, I'm leaving an image of Tributo, painted in Guatemala. I wanted to put emphasis on the parallelisms (both in form and content) between the Virgin that was already pasted on the door and the woman I portrayed:

I normally don't re-post images when I leave a reply, but in this case, I make no apologies.  As much as I like Tinku's art on canvas, seeing this stencil in situ makes me realize the true power of street art.  This is truly brilliant, Tinku.