Ikaroz Catalogue Raisonné Drafts 2004-2026

Fanzine featuring sketches by Ikaroz, published by Toxoplasma Press. Limited edition of 150 copies, all signed.

When the graffiti writers from up north—or maybe more specifically Umeå—started to move down to Stockholm in the mid '90s, it felt like a big blessing. The graffiti scene in Stockholm had gradually become more and more hostile and aggressive and to me it all felt a bit destructive. So to meet those calm, soft-spoken guys was very refreshing. Okokok, I have to be honest, I didn't totally understand their style in the beginning, but it slowly grew on me.

Ikaroz was to me at that point just someone who did characters, maybe he did letters too, I'm not sure but that's how I saw him. It wasn't until around the year 2000 that me and Ikaroz went out one late night. How I remember it is, we had a vague conceptual idea that we should do fast one line street pieces with no fill in, so there was no way to hide the mistakes. I just remember being focused on my lines, then backing away and looking over to see the Ikaroz piece and realizing how much better he had handled the task. And that he did fun letters!

And that's exactly how I still feel 25 years later when I look at his pieces. Especially now when I'm going through his old sketches, I'm getting so inspired because it looks so effortless, but when I pick up a pen and try to draw as free and loose as him, it just looks like shit. And that just makes me even more impressed with what I see.

I felt it was worth sharing, so here we go, 109 outlines from one of Sweden's most important writers ever: IKAROZ.

-Akay 2026