Queen Elizabeth II

A vibrant, large-scale mural of a young Queen Elizabeth II, rendered in the artist's signature kaleidoscopic style, located in the indoor/covered area of Camden Market Hawley Wharf.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

• Background: Born Carlos Eduardo Fernandes Léo in 1975, Kobra grew up in a low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of São Paulo, Brazil. With no formal academic art training, he is entirely self-taught. His father was a weaver and his mother was a homemaker.

• Early Career: He began his artistic journey around age 12 by illegally tagging and painting graffiti on the streets of São Paulo, which led to several arrests during his teenage years. In the 1990s, he transitioned to paid work painting advertising posters for an amusement park before evolving into a professional muralist.

• Signature Style: Kobra is globally recognized for his vibrant kaleidoscopic technique, which combines hyper-realistic black-and-white shading (often using airbrush and spray paint) with a striking overlay of bright geometric shapes like triangles and diamonds. His goal is to create a 3D effect that bridges the gap between painting and sculpture.

• Global Impact: He has painted over 3,000 murals across five continents. He often focuses on historical figures, local history, and themes of peace, human rights, and social justice. He believes strongly that art should be accessible to everyone on the streets rather than hidden away in museums. Some of his most famous large-scale murals feature icons like Anne Frank, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and a record-breaking piece created for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
  

HUNTER NOTE:

Original hunt and photograph by hunter Lulo.