FAILE: Between the Sheets

FAILE (U.S.) is the Brooklyn-based duo of Patrick McNeil (b. 1975) and Patrick Miller (b. 1976). They first met as teenagers in Arizona and reconnected in New York City in the late 1990s, initially working as a trio with Aiko Nakagawa (Lady Aiko, b. 1975) before she left in 2006 to pursue her solo career.

FAILE began creating work in 1999 and quickly became central to the rise of contemporary street art. Their name, an anagram of “A Life,” reflects the fragmented, pop-cultural collage style that defined their early practice.

From the beginning, their imagery stood out, borrowing from comic books, skateboarding, pulp novels, religious icons, and arcade graphics. The result was a visual language both familiar and mysterious, nostalgic yet challenging. At a time when large-scale murals were not yet central to the street art culture, FAILE worked through more intimate street-level interventions, placing stencils and wheat-pastes in alleyways, on billboards, and on kiosks. Finding their work “in the wild” felt like urban archaeology, layered and weathered over time. These small interventions carried detailed messages and built connections with audiences in cities across the U.S. and Europe, including Amsterdam, where they have been active since the early 2000s.

Their distinct visual world quickly made them a recognizable voice in street art: pulp girls, wolves, surfing horses, and space shuttles. These recurring motifs formed a kind of folklore, giving audiences icons to follow and reinterpret. Like Shepard Fairey’s early Obey work, FAILE’s imagery disrupted expectations and turned fragments of modern culture into new symbols.

Over time, FAILE expanded their practice beyond the street into printmaking, sculpture, painting, and large-scale installations. They describe their process as a constant exchange, “bringing the outside in and the inside out,” mixing street interventions with studio-based experimentation. Layers remain at the core: gritty underpaintings transformed into silkscreens, collages, fabric works, or arcade-inspired installations. “Each part holds its own meaning, yet becomes more powerful in context,” they say.

Between the Sheets looks back at 26 years of FAILE’s evolution, highlighting their love for layering, storytelling, and material play. The title nods to both the literal surfaces they use and the depth of their imagery. The exhibition returns to the paper medium that defined their early years while also debuting new textile columns in STRAAT’s main hall, merging their iconic visuals with contemporary installation practice.

FAILE’s work has been shown at the Brooklyn Museum, Tate Modern, Lincoln Center, Dallas Contemporary, and in Times Square, as well as in leading museums and galleries across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Through it all, they have stayed true to their roots, balancing playfulness with depth, and mystery with honesty. With Between the Sheets, their long relationship with Amsterdam’s streets comes full circle inside STRAAT’s museum halls.

FAILE: Between the Sheets
Patrick McNeil & Patrick Miller
Saturday 27 September 2025 - Sunday 18 January 2026
STRAAT Mezzanine-Space

Click here to download the exhibition catalog.