Dimitri Totikov / Waterloo, ON
ABOUT
DIMKA.
The artist behind Celebrity Spray Paint.
Portraits, found objects, and walls.
FAMILIAR FACES.
UNEXPECTED
SURFACES.
Dimitri Totikov, known as Dimka and Celebrity Spray Paint, is a Waterloo, Ontario artist working across stencil portraiture, mixed media, and murals. He uses hand-cut stencils, spray paint, and found objects to bring familiar faces into new surroundings.
Musicians, actors, athletes, and cultural figures recur throughout his work. David Bowie appears among layers of graffiti in a collaboration with @oxyjennart. Taylor Swift stretches across a field of vinyl records. Johnny Cash takes his place on the body of a guitar.
The surface becomes part of the image. Brick adds texture to John Lennon. Corrugated cardboard sits beneath Travis Barker's blue portrait. Broken records give Jimi Hendrix's hair a raised, sculptural edge. From a framed portrait to an exterior wall, there's something to see up close.
The process
HAND-CUT.
BUILT IN
LAYERS.
Hand-cut stencils build a likeness through separate layers of spray paint. Sharp edges sit alongside colour, drips, lettering, and the texture of the surface underneath.
In the Hendrix piece, broken vinyl records surround the portrait and are sealed in resin. The records carry the image beyond the flat surface of a painting.
Conversations
THE STORY
IN HIS
OWN WORDS.
Creative People Podcast
Episode 86 / October 25, 2021
Spray-paint Artist: Dimitri Dimka: Be the Banksy
Dimitri joins Ryan Leacock for a conversation about moving from Russia to Canada and finding his way back to art later in life.
Listen on Spotify