Like many aspiring artists, Aakash Nihalani was studying at New York’s prestigious art school NYU, trying to keep his work-life balance in check, when one day, like many artists who’ve made it, he experienced the Eureka moment that came to define his style and direction. He tells the story with a nonchalance that betrays the precision of his work.

‘I looked at it and the shadow was kind of the same shape that I was using in my print work so I took the tape I was using to hang the prints and I outlined the shadow of it. That’s how the tape thing started’. So what can only be described as an accident in the lab, soon became a fully blown experiment in pop-up street art. After perfecting his technique indoors, he did a quick sketch on the sidewalk outside, took a step back and thought to himself ‘there’s something in this’.

I never felt comfortable using spray paint. Tape was just kind of this perfect medium where I could put a line up and if I didn’t like it I could take it down immediately and nothing was permanent’. Though he would never say it himself, Aakash’s medium perhaps represents a new interpretation of street art. Aware of a world were trends and tastes move so fast, he’s chosen the transfer rather than the tattoo.