Fnnch

fnnch (pronounced finch) is a pseudonymous American street artist based in San Francisco. He often utilizes stencils and spray paint. His subjects frequently feature nature, such as birds, and pop art imagery, such as his honey bear series.

fnnch's work has been displayed at Burning Man, Stanford Redwood City, and San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

His studio is based in the Mission District.

Early life fnnch is from Kirkwood, Missouri. to attend college. He moved to San Francisco in 2011 What began as a joke between friends, fnnch said that the series is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the zeitgeist of the sparkling water brand and how that symbolizes the faltering popularity of soft drinks. On the arts and politics, fnnch has said, "Something that is truly political is divisive, and I want to be additive." The imagery is derived from the bear-shaped honey bottles commonly found in grocery stores. On why he chose to use the honey bear, fnnch said, "I think it's a universal symbol of happiness. It's got nostalgia, it's got desire because it contained sugar, which is something we deeply wanted as kids, and it's an all around positive image." Variations of the bear often incorporate different items and clothing, such as sunglasses and a gold chain to represent Run-DMC.

In January 2018, fnnch plastered 450 honey bear stickers on poles in South of Market and downtown San Francisco to seek the reduction of punishment for the posting of street art stickers and wheat paste adhesives on public property from a misdemeanor to a minor infraction. In order to comply with local laws about postings, fnnch mounted his prints with zip ties.

In April 2020, fnnch began wheat-pasting mask and soap themed honey bears onto boarded up businesses in the Castro District of San Francisco as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. He expanded to other neighborhoods in the city within the month. He later launched a painting fundraiser sale, with 50% of profits going towards a local non-profit. He went on to sell 20,000 units by March 2021. fnnch conducted other fundraising sales benefitting various non-profits and organizations, such as the Roxie Theater and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Due to his rise in popularity, he went from donating $12,000 in 2019 to more than $300,000 in 2020. The mural was dedicated to fnnch's gay uncle.

In April 2021, fnnch partnered with San Francisco Department of Public Health to use the honey bears in a poster ad campaign at bus stops operated by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency encouraging vaccination against the coronavirus in San Francisco. However, the url listed on the posters was incorrect.

Critics have said that the honey bears homogenized the street art scene in San Francisco. Street artist Ricky Rat wrote, "I can't claim that the Honey Bear is to blame for the gentrification rampant in the City, but it certainly characterizes that culture. By virtue of its cute, homogeneous ubiquity the Honey Bear is a reminder of the worst qualities of this gentrification — white privilege, corporate power and social conformity."

Non-fungible tokens In March 2020, fnnch sold two non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of his works via events hosted on the Clubhouse app. The caricatures of tech founders Mark Zuckerberg, Daniel Ek and Tobias Lütke as honey bears sold for 38.88 Ethereum or about $64,000. Twenty percent of the proceeds went towards COVID-19 relief via GiveDirectly.

He has likened the rise of NFTs in 2020 to the dot-com bubble.