Stash – real name Josh Franklin – was born in Long Island, New York in 1967. He is considered one of New York’s graffiti legends, pivotal to the East Village scene of the early 1980s. Stash exhibited his first canvases alongside pop art pioneers Keith Haring and Jean-Michael Basquiat when he was only 17. While his contemporaries turned to Pop Art, Stash stayed true to the subway, working on trains until 1987 when he created his last underground piece alongside Zephyr. Stash’s early works on canvas demonstrate ​loyalty to his early career in the use of subway map-collages and signature bold outlines and clean shapes. By the late 1990s, Stash had pioneered the use of graphic elements of graffiti on streetwear through high-profile collaborations with companies such as Nike and Bathing Ape. The move ensured his work reached a much wider audience than the gallery visitor and played a key role in the widespread understanding of graffiti, which in turn led to its public acceptance. Stash is now firmly established as an innovator and influencer in the world of urban design, and his fascination with the urban environment is also evident in his perfectly executed photographic work, which features a combination of city motifs alongside the latest lighting and printing techniques.