Mau Mau
British graffiti legend Mau Mau is synonymous with his wily and quick-witted fox character, a truth-to-power mouthpiece adorning walls, surfboards and billboards across the globe.
Mau Mau, a native of coastal Devon, adopted his tagging alias while surfing in Ghana, where locals struggled to pronounce his given name, Mark. He first gained attention designing graphics for surf and skate apparel brand Sewerside, which he co-owned and operated from 1995 to 2001. Mau Mau turned to street art after the company shuttered, painting message-themed pieces tackling topics from affordable housing to the Bush administration’s war on terror. He developed the unnamed fox while collaborating with Bristol, England’s famed TCF and Burning Candy graffiti crews: “I've always loved cartoons, so when I came to painting the fox, it felt like it was meant to be,” Mau Mau says. “A cartoon fox is so neutral. You can make so many statements with it, without showing a bias. I love that.”
Mau Mau’s hilariously barbed and savagely concise commentaries on social injustice, corporate greed and environmental catastrophe now grace cityscapes, galleries and private collections the world over. He made his first Vertical Gallery appearance in partnership with longtime creative ally Beejoir, co-headlining the 2017 duo exhibit ‘Foreign Policy,’ followed two years later by ‘Bombing walls and painting bridges,’ his U.S. solo debut. Mau Mau returned to Vertical in 2025 for ‘#wishyouwerehere..’
