{"id":2031592,"date":"2026-07-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2031592"},"modified":"2026-07-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:00:00","slug":"enigmatic-iconography-and-incomplete-narratives-merge-in-phlegms-murals-and-engravings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2031592","title":{"rendered":"Enigmatic Iconography and Incomplete Narratives Merge in Phlegm\u2019s Murals and Engravings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a mural by Phlegm on the side of a building featuring cartoonish figures and objects merged with lots of different shapes\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by @streetartatlas. All images courtesy of Phlegm, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Enigmatic Iconography and Incomplete Narratives Merge in Phlegm\u2019s Murals and Engravings<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T12:00:00-05:00\">July 7, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F07%2Fphlegm-murals-engravings-street-art-printmaking%2F&amp;title=Enigmatic%20Iconography%20and%20Incomplete%20Narratives%20Merge%20in%20Phlegm%27s%20Murals%20and%20Engravings\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"475635\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In his characteristically illustrative, enigmatic style, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/phlegm_art\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Phlegm<\/a>\u2019s monochrome compositions evoke wonder, mischief, and riddles. Hybrid figures, strange interactions, and uncanny combinations of objects fill his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/phlegm\">idosyncratic murals<\/a>, about which we can only speculate the meaning. \u201cI think a lot about the barriers between people understanding each other, and I think I enjoy making artwork that floats in some grey area,\u201d the London-based artist tells Colossal.<\/p>\n<p>The past several years have been dominated by a fascination with copper engraving, \u201cto the point where I pretty much stopped painting murals,\u201d Phlegm says. He\u2019s spent much of the time in an almost monastic reverence to printmaking techniques of the Northern Renaissance, initially delving into the work of a group of German printmakers known as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Little_Masters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Little Masters<\/a>, who practiced their craft on minuscule surfaces just an inch or two across.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-8.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\" title=\"Phlegm\u2019s reimagining of Albrecht D\u00fcrer\u2019s \u201cKnight, Death, and the Devil\u201d (1513)\" data-rl_title=\"Phlegm\u2019s reimagining of Albrecht D\u00fcrer\u2019s \u201cKnight, Death, and the Devil\u201d (1513)\" data-rl_caption=\"Phlegm\u2019s reimagining of Albrecht D\u00fcrer\u2019s \u201cKnight, Death, and the Devil\u201d (1513)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2551\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-8.jpeg\" alt=\"a contemporary etching inspired by Renaissance compositions of knights and armor\" class=\"wp-image-475643\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Phlegm\u2019s reimagining of Albrecht D\u00fcrer\u2019s \u201cKnight, Death, and the Devil\u201d (1513)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Phlegm then embarked on an ambitious completist project focused exclusively on Albrecht D\u00fcrer\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Knight,_Death_and_the_Devil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Knight, Death, and the Devil,<\/a>\u201d which he created in 1513 and incorporated a wealth of iconography, the meaning of which is still debated by art historians today. \u201cI spent a great deal of time collecting old copies of it, studying it under a microscope, and figuring out how the image was created,\u201d the artist says. \u201cThe last two years, I\u2019ve been engraving my own version where I\u2019ve replaced everything for my own but tried to stay true to the line work and layout of the composition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In what may seem to be in total opposition to the broad strokes required to paint a mural several stories high, engraving requires painstaking attention to detail. But as he returns to mural-making, Phlegm revisits themes that crop up regularly in his work, from folk law and ritual to prehistory and archaeology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think in my work, I\u2019ve always loved telling broken stories that can land as either dark or light\u2014 narratives that feel hard to read clearly,\u201d he says. With archaeology, for instance, \u201cyou can piece\u00a0together tangible parts of a story and get glimpses of moments from the past, but it\u2019s often broken or without context. I\u2019m very drawn to this feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The idea of <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/bjaesthetics\/advance-article\/doi\/10.1093\/aesthj\/ayaf025\/8471734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">honesty<\/a> in art is not a new one, but discussion of its role has emerged with more gusto in the era of the internet, social media, and generative AI. Phlegm describes his approach as one centered around honesty, which might be further defined in terms of candidness, sincerity, and attention to detail. His cryptic works appear to possess a narrative, but what that is, we\u2019re never totally sure. But that\u2019s the point. \u201cI often meticulously work out their\u00a0history and intricate stories only to leave out large chunks,\u201d the artist says.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\" title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_caption=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-6.jpg\" alt=\"a mural by Phlegm on the side of a building featuring flowers and insects against a black background\" class=\"wp-image-475641\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by @streetartatlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In designing a mural, he might write an entire story and format a set of frames like one might find in a comic book, but only a fragment of this tale gets translated onto a wall. \u201cIt helps me make something that feels authentic and stops me approaching\u00a0the space with a mindset tainted by trying to make something look good,\u201d he says. \u201cLooking good tends to come secondary to the storytelling.\u201d Nevertheless, having focused for a time on very intricate, small-scale work, his approach to large-scale murals has become what he describes as more fluid and confident.<\/p>\n<p>See more on the Phlegm\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/phlegm_art\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, and you can also stay updated via his <a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@phlegm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\" title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_caption=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-7.jpg\" alt=\"a mural by Phlehm on the side of a building featuring a group of owls standing around a glowing egg\" class=\"wp-image-475642\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by @streetartatlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-1.jpeg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-1.jpeg\" alt=\"a contemporary etching inspired by Renaissance compositions\" class=\"wp-image-475636\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\" title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_caption=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-5.jpg\" alt=\"street artist Phlegm works on a mural on the side of a building featuring cartoonish figures and objects merged with lots of different shapes\" class=\"wp-image-475640\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by @streetartatlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-475635\" title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_title=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\" data-rl_caption=\"Photo by @streetartatlas\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/phlegm-2.jpg\" alt=\"a detail of a mural by Phlegm on the side of a building featuring cartoonish figures and objects merged with lots of different shapes, including human skulls\" class=\"wp-image-475637\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by @streetartatlas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget 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All images courtesy of Phlegm, shared with permission Enigmatic Iconography and Incomplete Narratives Merge in Phlegm\u2019s Murals and Engravings July 7, 2026 Art Kate Mothes Share Email Bookmark In his characteristically illustrative, enigmatic style, Phlegm\u2019s monochrome compositions evoke wonder, mischief, and riddles. Hybrid figures, strange interactions, and uncanny combinations of objects fill [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2031592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2031592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031592\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2031592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2031592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2031592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}