Funqest’s Avatar Jazzes Up New Haven

In the heat of late July, while walking down Orange Street between Wall and Elm I came across a man perched on a scissor lift, with a paint brush and his art evolving on a parking lot’s side wall. He was working on a commissioned piece on the side of a building, stretching several stories. The color was vibrant, the lines distinct, the outlines popping.

Stunned, I had to stop and snap a few pictures. I returned several times, trying to get the graffiti in different light, different times of day, different angles.

I had to delve deeper.

Street artists like FunQest are part of the “post-graffiti” movement who have been accepted into the mainstream artworld, and frequently are invited or paid to create murals or blocks of art in communities. Cities offer natural canvases for the work, and like the unleased out buildings along many Main Street USA towns that now showcase local artists in their vacant show windows, the side of buildings welcome the light, color and story a street artist can provide.

FUNQEST is originally from Gifu, Japan. Anime and manga were major influences on his work. He moved to East Harlem and began his street art career. He uses his Buddhist philosophical beliefs to incorporate a message into his vibrant pieces. His work has been seen in North Carolina, New York, Connecticut and Mexico and elsewhere.

Working primarily with acrylic paints, sprays, and pens, first he sketches whatever comes to mind and then brings it to his studio to develop. His art can be found in on the street, in galleries, at popup events, apartment building walls and of course, across the country.

NOISE ART: Using strong colors, thick outlines, a fantasy with clarity that burst with energy, he calls his work "Noise Art"

His most recent exhibit was at the Triangle Loft near Chelsea Market in Downtown Manhattan.

Street art is part of urban renewal/urban improvement. In New Haven there has been a several years-long collaboration with organizations like Straight Up Art, Town Green Special Services District and the New Haven Innovation Collaborative. You can find out more about New Haven initiatives like the New Haven Arts here and here and here is a gallery of some of the local outdoor art: https://www.downtownnewhaven.com/wwgallery

As for FunQest, you can find follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and his website.

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