The Spirit of Frank Ape
Written by Libby Cook
Published on February 2nd, 2026
The mid-afternoon crowd pushes from the downtown N-train platform and disperses through the World Trade Center station. Corporate suits hustle back to the office while Tribeca moms carefully guide their children home from school dismissal. I trail behind a pack of tourists, and we’re greeted by the sunshine that peers through the sleek white ribs stretching up to the spine ceiling of the Oculus. I follow the signs for Fulton Street as our crowd completely disperses. Just outside the building, the Fulton murals vividly take shape as I spy Frank Ape, the character I and so many others have ventured to visit.
The simple, joyful smile of this hairy, colorful creature grins at me from the corner of Fulton and Greenwich. Turning the corner toward Vesey, dozens of him line the wall in an array of gleeful poses.
Tourists and locals pause to admire and photograph the Franks as they stand at attention, leap, gather for a group selfie, and hang upside down. Through his many variations in size and color, Frank’s smile remains consistent, signaling his joy to greet and sit with you for just a moment. The scene expertly mimics life happening around him in the square. The diverse crowds gather in a brief moment of connection before moving along. Frank is a true reflection of the human spirit, and his creator, Toronto-born artist Brandon Sines, solidifies that vision with a quote mirrored on either side of the mural: “Everyone’s different, and everyone’s the same.”
High above the square, Sines’ brings Frank to life in his World Trade Center studio, which he notes has been a “huge blessing”. But long before Frank Ape propelled his career to such captivating heights, Sines recalls art constantly being incorporated into his life.
“Anything I’ve ever felt passionate about I’ve instinctively depicted through art,” Sines says, “From Ninja Turtles when I was four, to comic books when I was twelve, to my relationships when I was nineteen and twenty, and it continues to this day.”
At eleven years old, Sines considered a career as a comic book illustrator, but never imagined being an artist full-time until he witnessed the success of Frank. He experimented with various art styles, primarily through street art in Bushwick and even a self-published book of work titled Lips and Drips.
“[The book] is a good example of my non-Frank art,” Sines says, “Very wild, messy, instinctive, and drippy. It comes from a deep place that is untamed.”
Pre-Frank, art for Sines was purely passion, an ultimate tool of self-expression. Today, he continues to use street art as an outlet.
“I’m a self-taught artist that learned from the necessity to express myself,” Sines says, “Putting up work in the street now is a natural extension of my movement throughout the city. It’s more like a diary of my adventures versus making this specific piece for this specific location.”
Self-expression drove Sines to connect with the New York art world when he first moved to the city in 2010, then led to Frank Ape in 2011. Sines describes Frank’s creation as subconscious and the key to contributing to the street art scene in a way that was both anonymous and present.
“Frank gave me the armor to express myself and my voice while still feeling protected.” Sines says.
The public excitedly embraced Frank. People began taking photos with Sines’ character around Manhattan and Bushwick, posting it and tagging him. The pieces began to come together, and Sines saw Frank’s potential.
“Seeing and hearing people identify with Frank was a powerful moment of realization.” Sines says.
Soon after the street art buzz began, Sines put his work in the Living Gallery at Bushwick open studios. A well-known celebrity purchased four of his first Frank Ape pieces.
“It was really cool to see someone who could have pretty much anything they wanted in the world, see my work for the first time, and want to live with it on their walls.” Sines says.
These first moments of Frank’s success inspired Sines to keep creating, connecting with people, and using his art to promote positive messages. In Sines’ early street art, he depicted Frank in scenes of classic films, album covers, and other cultural references. He wanted to introduce Frank as being as important as pop culture icons.
“It’s kinda cocky in retrospect, but it was so fun and felt right to me.” Sines says.
Today, Frank’s voice has evolved to be a more vibrant, whimsical, and sociological representation of the collective human spirit, in an effort to promote understanding, self-expression, love, and peace.
Sines now poses questions before he begins working, such as “why now?” And “how is this helpful to anyone?” He’s found that it’s helped him create work with a more positive impact.
“I just think there is something so powerful when art connects with someone on a level that they start to see themselves in the work.” Sines says. “It can heal and inspire and so much more.”
Today, Sines keeps a running list of ideas, observations, and topics that inspire him in the studio. Typically, a piece of work is nearly complete in his mind before he even begins to physically create anything. It’s quite a shift from his early art, when he’d allow the physical construction to lead him to exciting creations. Though Sines states he’s “laser-focused” on Frank Ape currently, he may share more of his non-Frank work when the time feels right.
“I’ll continue to follow the creative pull wherever it takes me,” Sines says, “That’s what got me to where I am.”
Frank has led Sines to some monumental opportunities. These include Frank Ape pieces in an online showcase for the Guggenheim’s 60th anniversary, the one hundred foot mural at the World Trade Center, a Frank painting-turned episode-winning garment on season 13 of Project Runway with designer Amanda Valentine, a Frank book titled “There’s Magic Inside All of Us” sold at the Strand, and perhaps, most notably, a collaborative collection with The Gap.
In January 2022, The Gap launched its first NFT collaboration starring Frank Ape, in an effort to celebrate artists and provide customers the opportunity to own limited-edition pieces. Sines designed visual assets for the brand, which were used to create designs pending his approval. Sines also provided existing designs and worked with the Gap team to create new designs, such as new interpretations of the classic Gap logo, including a limited edition logo hoodie covered in embroidered Franks. Only one hundred were made. The collection consisted of over twenty apparel designs donning Frank’s famous grin and messages of positivity and equality.
The project was highly collaborative and allowed Sines to create works for a market larger than ever before.
But, no matter the audience size, showcasing Frank and his message has brought Sines fulfillment.
“There’s my studio practice that feeds my soul without any intermediary forces and the brand side of things that allows me to do things at a larger scale and reach wider audiences.” Sines says. “I really like collaborating with brands and bringing Frank to life in ways I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do in the studio.”
In and out of the studio, the magic shines through for Sines. In 2024, he published his book, “There’s Magic Inside All of Us”. The publication, sold at the Strand Bookstore, is a curation of Frank pieces, thoughtfully knit together to represent the human experience. Frank’s story flows from page to page as he ponders dreams, challenges, and journeys through his original and whimsical lens. Sines’ inspiration for the project stemmed from Matt Groening’s pre-Simpsons work titled, “__ is Hell”. The black and white comic series posed witty takes on mundane, every day experiences.
“I had a general idea of the vibe I wanted: a black and white book similar to the [Matt Groening] book series.” Sines says. “They are precursors to a universe that is being built…It was another curatorial learning experience of how a piece can feel different when juxtaposed next to another, or directly after another.”
Frank’s narrative remains flexible and always evolving. Sines has developed over one hundred different characters within Frank Ape’s universe, each with their own name and backstory.
Sines aims to expand on Frank’s social commentary, themes, concepts, and interactions with these other characters in an animated form. Meetings for possible development deals have taken place, but the project remains in the conceptual stage for now, as Sines will need to build a dedicated team to make it happen.
“It’s on my dream project list, and I can’t wait to make it a reality.” Sines says.
Credit to Sines’ genius character and story development, Frank’s voice can exist in every timeline and place.
The creature’s spirit reflects human identity and experiences in an easily relatable way and it still has many forms and mediums to take. Sines also wants to showcase Frank’s world through large-scale inflatable sculptures. Sines was a finalist for a multiple-site installation of inflatables on the Avenue of Americas, but the project was unfortunately halted due to the pandemic lockdown. He hopes to see the idea happen in the future, possibly in cities around the world with pieces specially designed for each location.
“Although those ideas are a few years old, I think they are very dynamic and would be great to see realized.” Sines says.
If not across the globe, Sines would be just as pleased seeing Frank as an inflatable or float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“That would be a surreal experience, beyond wow!” Sines says. “Along with the animated series, that would really be a bucket list item for me. Because if that happens, that means Frank has reached enough people to be embraced on that scale.”
Sines is currently preparing for a solo show and other not-yet-announced opportunities in the new year. You can keep up with Sines and Frank Ape through Instagram Frank_ape and their mailing list on FrankApe.com.
“People sharing and collecting my work helps me continue to do more ambitious things.” Sines says. “I encourage everyone to reach out and stay connected. It’s a big part of the journey, and I love to hear from everyone.”
Libby Cook is a freelance writer originally from Maine, but currently based in New York City. She enjoys writing features about unique individuals in art and fashion. While attending Ithaca College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism, her feature stories on local artists, designers, and creatives were published in Life in the Finger Lakes magazine and the Ithaca Times. She also developed and solely ran an upstate New York travel blog for LIFL. Outside of writing, Libby works in NYC schools as a youth sports coach and trainer. She specifically loves basketball and still plays in a city league with friends. She also enjoys attending concerts, art shows, and fashion events.
Instagram: @llcook.j
Website: libbycookblog.wordpress.com