Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

Some of BMD's work through the years.

The legendary street art collective BMD has split up.

Known for their distinctive wall markings, often including warped animals and cartoon objects, the two Taranaki artists behind BMD have announced they are parting ways.

As part of the separation process they have revealed their identities as Damin Radford-Scott and Andrew J. Steel.

CHARLOTTE CURD/FAIRFAX NZ Andrew J. Steel, left, and Damin Radford-Scott formed street art duo BMD 10 years ago.

The contemporary art duo have spent the past 10 years building their brand into an internationally recognised mark.

Throughout their partnership the men behind the murals chose to conceal their individual identities.

They once cited the reason for their anonymity was an effort to have their work judged for what it was and not for who the artists were.

But since announcing their split the pair have decided it was now time to unmask themselves.

Friends since the two attended Devon Intermediate School in New Plymouth Radford-Scott and Steel have spent a decade embellishing public spaces throughout the region, across New Zealand and overseas.

However, in more recent times the pair had started to move in different creative directions and they agreed the split had been on the cards for a little while.

Radford-Scott, who works independently under the artistic moniker of Milarky, said it was inevitable.

"We've changed as people, we used to gel really well together but it's not quite like that anymore," he said.

The 27-year-old said while BMD was the perfect platform to grow themselves creatively it no longer served them as individuals.

Despite amassing a healthy public following and a throng of contracts as BMD, who this year scooped second place at the New Zealand Interior Awards for an installation titled Surface, Radford-Scott said the two artists would continue producing work - just not together.

"We're not really stopping what we're doing we're just changing a little bit.

"I think it's a positive thing."

The now Auckland-based Steel said the demise of BMD was a natural evolution.

He likened it to being in a band where the members musically changed course.

"We used to play the same songs but now we are playing different songs and instruments," he said.

Steel, also 27, said 10 years was a long time to be in a working relationship with somebody.

"We started out as something that we never envisioned would grow to what it is now."

He said with hard work and time people got behind them and their scale of work had escalated.

"But also in that time people change and I am not the same man I was 10 years ago, neither is he and neither is what we are trying to do," he said.

Nostalgically it was sad to mark the end of an era but Steel said the two had so much more in them that, if anything, the public would benefit from the split.

"I'm excited about what he's going to do and what I'm going to do and people have really backed BMD and so it's about channelling that into the next platforms."