Temper, aka Arron Bird, is widely recognised as one of the most successful and talented graffiti artists of his generation.
Temper first picked up a spray can at the age of 10 and hasn’t looked back since Quickly mastering the art, he was involved with a number of graffiti art crews across the 80s just as the hip-hop culture that accompanied it was making its way from the US to UK shores.
Temper has excelled in his genre, developing a unique style of graffiti art which allows him to work in illustrative and free-hand ‘traditional’ graffiti, as well as detailed and exquisite figurative work reminiscent of the Old Masters and breathtaking photorealist landscapes.
Temper has not only been critically acclaimed by his peers in the art world - becoming the first graffiti artist to ever be awarded a solo show in a major public gallery (Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, 2001) - but also from fans and collectors of his creations, producing private commissions for Roman Abramovich, Saatchi & Saatchi and the BBC to name but a few.
In 2001, Temper was commissioned by global brand Coca-Cola to create the artwork for their drinks brand Sprite; resulting in art by Temper appearing on over 100 million cans and bottles around Europe in what was the biggest graffiti advertising campaign ever seen.
Temper, the artist, grew from the hip-hop and graffiti art culture which predominated his formative years, nowadays he continues to take inspiration from street art, popular culture, comic book art and music, as well as being heavily interested in symbolism and influenced by philosophy, astrology and icons of our time as well as the cult of celebrity. But, most importantly, he is inspired by his own experiences, ups and downs, his own journey continues to inform his art and ideas.