@highdoctornick - Ikarus DTR
Christchurch graffiti art legend Nick “Ikarus” Tam is one of the founding members of the city’s foremost graffiti art collective, the DTR Crew. Ikarus lives and breathes the genre and has accumulated an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of graffiti art. This knowledge, combined with his flawless clean-line style, makes him one of the city’s most respected artists.
When Ikarus is not graffiti lettering, his artistic style leans more towards installation and sculpture work, exploring the pressures of operating on the fringes of society. The empathy within Ikarus’ art is also reflected in his youth work. He was instrumental in Christchurch’s Project Legit before it lost its home in the 2011 earthquake, working to channel the artistic expression of inner-city kids—many of whom were referred to the program by the Youth Justice Department.
More recently, Ikarus has played a crucial role in fine-tuning the design and, alongside the rest of the DTR Crew, painting the Riverside Market Mural. The mural itself has quickly become a widely loved Christchurch landmark, earning a 'Certificate of Special Recognition in Heritage Tourism' at the 2021 Canterbury Heritage Awards.
