The Ugly Duckling’s journey started in 1972. He was born in District 6.
Moving to Westridge, Mitchell’s Plain- after the mandatory ousting from District Six in 1975, he now believes that it was the perfect educational and social exposure that helped develop his understanding of graffiti.
Thirty-five years ago, Falko painted his first graffiti artwork in Westridge. It was on the doctor's surgery in Silverhurst road, however the artwork was not completed.
The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling
Award winning and global icon Falko Fantastic got his start in the world of street art in Cape Town in the late 1980s, before South Africa’s first democratic elections. His family was uprooted from their home in District Six in Cape Town and forced to remake their lives in Mitchells Plain. He was just 16 at the time when he was asked to paint a school wall in Mitchell’s Plain. Falko Fantastic talks about graffiti as a kind of fate in his life. Today his impact is not just recognised across South Africa but he has achieved international acclaim. Falko Fantastic is truly one of the Grand masters of South African street art but hasn’t forgotten the heartbeat of the streets or the power and humility that can come from a can of spray paint.
