Tyler B Murphy is a South African artist living in Cape Town. He has been tattooing since 2001, and painting walls since 1994. In more recent years he has been spending time making hand-painted signs. Much of his work is inspired by etchings and scraper board works from years gone by. Tyler’s son Keya Tama was also born in South Africa and is now based in New York City. His practice explores the contrast between ancient iconographies and modern folklore. Utilizing recurring motifs of people, animals, and nature, his murals tell stories of the past and the future.

This is the very first father-son canvas in our STRAAT collection. Tyler and Keya wanted to represent their love for the craft of graffiti, street art, tattoos, and sign painting. They used sign painting-inspired techniques to create an ancient-looking aesthetic that has a contemporary feel. Their work Seldom Told, Never Forgotten was created as part of the ORIGINS: Family & Legacy exhibition at STRAAT, featuring Tyler B. Murphy, Keya Tama, and Keya’s mother Faith XVLII.