Artwork Description
Marching to Oblivion Nightshift Silkscreen Print by Dalek- James Marshall 13 Color Hand-Pulled on Nightshift Card Stock Fine Art French Paper Co Limited Edition Screenprint Artwork.
2025 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 12 Artwork Size 18x24 Silkscreen Print
Marching to Oblivion Nightshift by Dalek (James Marshall) in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Marching to Oblivion Nightshift is a 2025 limited edition silkscreen print by American artist James Marshall, known professionally as Dalek. This hand-pulled screenprint is executed in thirteen colors on Nightshift Blue cardstock provided by the French Paper Company, a material choice that adds depth and richness to the saturated neon palette. Each print in the edition of twelve measures 18 by 24 inches and is signed and numbered by the artist. Dalek is recognized for his ability to merge the graphic power of graffiti with the conceptual nuance of contemporary pop aesthetics. This print exemplifies his approach, featuring a character in mid-march across a minimal platform, caught in a moment of chaotic animation. It continues the tradition of Dalek’s hybridization of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, offering a fusion of hand-crafted technique, cartoon logic, and layered commentary on repetition, identity, and movement.
Character Design and Color Theory in Motion
The character in Marching to Oblivion Nightshift is an evolved iteration of Dalek’s signature Space Monkey figure, which first appeared in his early 2000s work. Rendered in high-contrast greens, purples, and blues, the figure juggles mallets and orbs with an expression that suggests manic joy or mechanical precision. The forms are sharp yet playful, occupying a visual space between Saturday morning animation and the visual codes of graffiti tagging. The character’s exaggerated limbs, oversized eyes, and dynamic posture project energy and volume, qualities central to Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork. These forms emerge from the background with crisp clarity due to the precision of screenprint layering, where each color is added by hand in sequence. The piece plays with spatial depth and surface illusion, making it both a spectacle and a meditation on repetition and performance.
Materials and Printmaking Craft
Dalek’s commitment to fine art printmaking is evident in the level of detail and control required to produce a 13-color silkscreen on dark-toned French Paper. The Nightshift Blue stock is a deliberate departure from traditional white backgrounds, offering a deep foundation that intensifies the vibrancy of the neon inks. This technical choice enhances contrast while grounding the character in a nocturnal atmosphere. The hand-pulled process not only honors the roots of street art as a physical and labor-intensive form, but also situates the piece within a lineage of craft-based art making. Every color alignment, registration mark, and clean edge testifies to the labor behind the image, making each edition both a finished work and a documentation of process. Within the context of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, this commitment to print fidelity mirrors the hand-painted dedication of murals and throw-ups.
Contemporary Positioning and Artistic Intention
Marching to Oblivion Nightshift exists at a crossroad of character art, street culture, and fine art editioning. James Marshall continues to define a unique visual territory where his characters do not speak with words but with posture, movement, and repetition. This silence allows viewers to project their own narratives onto the scene, creating a dialogue that aligns with the viewer-driven ethos of street art. The tension between joy and oblivion in the title suggests a deeper reflection on routine, spectacle, and distraction in modern life. By issuing this work in a deliberately limited edition of twelve, Dalek emphasizes the importance of intention and scarcity, key concepts that contrast with the reproducibility of digital imagery. Through projects like Marching to Oblivion Nightshift, Dalek strengthens the voice of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork as a serious, evolving discipline capable of combining critical theory, visual pleasure, and masterful production.
