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Creative Smarts: Natural Beauty
Not everyone can say their job is like being a superhero, but for Quint that’s exactly how his work makes him feel
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Not everyone can say their job is like being a superhero, but for Quint that’s exactly how his work makes him feel. The mysterious Bali-based street artist has been stealthily spreading his message of love and beauty around Indonesia for the better part of 15 years. With roughly 500 pieces under his belt, it’s not uncommon to walk around the streets of Kuta and Canggu and spot Quint’s women crouching in corners or dancing on walls.
“I always try to make people happy,” Quint said. “I feel like a ninja who goes out at night to try to save the world. But the difference is I don’t want the police to know about it because, to them, it’s illegal.”
Like so many street artists in Indonesia and around the world, Quint hides his identity. He strategically blocks his face in photographs and, when asked, he will often say his full name is Quint Essential. Armed with his spray paint, stencil and a bandana (his lucky charm), he will usually put up his signature stencils under the cover of night. And like any good superhero, Quint has a mission: to fill the world with just a little more love and beauty.
“In my definition of ‘beauty’ and ‘love’, the two are always connected,” he explained. “People will always love beautiful things. Seeing beauty is something that always makes people happy, and ‘love’ is the most beautiful word in the world to me.”
For Quint it’s people — specifically women — who epitomize this definition of beauty and love. While the artist will occasionally feature animals in his work, he almost always uses women as his subjects. It is his edgy black-and-white stencils of women that Quint has become known for and that ultimately gained him representation by the Nyaman Gallery in Bali.
The carefree and wild women that Quint chooses to portray might appear to be professional models. At first glance, it’s easy to assume that their outfits have been carefully picked out, their hair perfectly coiffed, their bodies meticulously posed. But, according to Quint, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As Quint explains, he finds beauty in the most unexpected and natural of places. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that he tends to randomly stumble upon his muses on the streets.
“I always try to find my subjects on the street,” he said. “You never know when and where you will find inspiration. The streets bring me so much inspiration.”
Quint’s process is as unpretentious as the monochrome stencils he has become known for. When he spots a subject on the street, he simply walks up to them and asks them to be his model. If they agree, he photographs them on the spot. For Quint, the more spontaneous and natural the process is, the more beautiful the outcome.
“I like them to pose however they want, to be whatever they want,” he says. “Sometimes I just play the music they like and let them express themselves. And I don’t like make up or [if they’re too] dressed up. I like [women to be] the way they are. I like to keep them natural.”
It might sound simple, but his process takes time and precision. Photos need to be printed and stencils made. Quint always makes four stencils, cutting each one out by hand. It’s a painstaking process that can often take an entire day to complete. Once he has completed his stencils, he must then hunt for a location.
“I like dirty or raw walls. They make my girls [look] more beautiful,” he said. “That’s the point, I want to make very dirty places look beautiful.”
