Stephen Powers is a contemporary American artist best known for his text-based conceptual works. Frequently emblazoned on the sides of storefronts, large buildings, and gallery walls, his works are influenced by graphic design and traditional sign painting. Powers studied briefly at the Art Institute of Philadelphia and at the University of the Arts. Moving to New York in the early 1990s, he established his career as a graffiti artist, going by the alias ESPO (Exterior Surface Painting Outreach). The artist’s work primarily deals with issues of legality and political disenfranchisement. After years of illegally painting storefront grates throughout the five boroughs of New York, he was arrested for protesting Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Brooklyn Museum. Powers' work has gained significant recognition and acclaim, leading to projects such as his A Love Letter to Brooklyn (2011). Beyond his art, he has established himself as a both a publisher and author, including work for On the Go Magazine, and books such as The Art of Getting Over, First and Fifteenth, and Studio Gangster. The artist lives and works in New York, NY.

(Courtesy of the Artist)