GoSee recommends Slinkachu : Little People in the big city

Slinkachu (* 1979) is a British street artist, photographer and blogger. He first began attracting attention with his Little People, which he has been installing in various spots across London since 2006. His art has been presented in a series of exhibitions in London and Norway.

The public have been familiar with his work since his installation of scenes with painted train model figures (Little People) which he arranged in various scenes on London’s streets. The scenes vary from everyday situations to accident scenarios, for example a figure floored under a stubbed out cigarette (Stubbed out, 2007) or an office worker pulling himself up from the gutter (Drain Guy, 2007).

He also works on installations with several figures and other objects, for example with They're not Pets, Susan, 2007, which presents a man with a rifle next to a young girl and a dead bumble bee. According to Art magazine his figures signify “the isolation and loneliness in cities”. An additional project presents the Inner City Snail Project, which saw common garden snails decorated with miniature graffiti and other markings placed across the city.

Slinkachu describes his love of miniatures in ART as follows: “I like the idea that almost no one can see work. As we all inadvertently or purposefully ignore a lot of what surrounds us in the city.” Thus fancily dressed miniatures pose in front of cigarette stubs or dash through an apple peel as daring skaters.

He creates his Little People in a 1:87 scale on open streets and distributes them across his hometown of London. Those that wish to Slinkachu’s will have to pay close attention!

But those that do manage to sharpen focus their gaze on a world of little people, will discover absurd everyday dramas, which aren’t all too uncommon in the full scale world – yet they are equally, or particularly often overlooked. A book has recently been published documenting the artist’s work.


Slinkachu: Little People in the Big City
128 pages, € 12,95
ISBN 978-3455380606
Hoffmann und Campe
February 2009


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