Kolly Gallery 2019 by Kolly Gallery

KOLLY GALLERY 2019

RETROSPECTIVE 2019

Since 1991, every day, I value and do everything in my power to bring graffiti to the heights of art history. First, I started by drawing tags, then lettering. I found myself a blaze. I got a lot of markers and spray cans of all colors. I could appreciate the incredible diversity of street furniture. I explored train depots. I had extraordinary and also the worst meetings ... especially with the police. I saw the first exhibitions. All these experiences have allowed me to find my place in this movement; that of a gallery owner. Today, with almost 200 exhibitions around the world, from New York to Phnom Penh, via Zurich, I am proud to allow dozens of artists to live from their passion. The work you have in your hands represents a year of real teamwork: my extraordinary collaborators Tania and RaphaĂŤl, the artists we defend body and soul and especially you, the collectors with whom we can share our passion and our emotions. Graffiti is much more than a means of expression, it is also a lifestyle, a philosophy. Julien Kolly, 2020

1993

direction and curation - Julien Kolly texts - Tania Di Brita graphic design - RaphaĂŤl Demierre proof reading - Peter Gaechter ÂŠ2020 Kolly Gallery All rights reserved. With exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form, without prior written permission from the publisher. For further inquieries contact info@kollygallery.ch

KOLLY GALLERY ABOUT Since 2006 the Kolly Gallery has been promoting artists who started their artistic pursuit as graffiti writers and eventually developed their art, concept and style towards contemporary art. The gallery aims to represent the universe of international graffiti art, stretching from some of the historical pioneers to the contemporary emerging protagonists of this unique art movement. In the past twelve years, the Kolly Gallery has held over 100 exhibitions in Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Paris, New York and Phnom Penh, among other places. Starting in 2006 and previously known as GT29,Â and later La Grille, the gallery has acquired international renown in the graffiti art scene.Â The Kolly Gallery has been based in Zurich in the picturesque Seefeld area since 2014. Behind the scenes, there is a team of experts in curating, art history, communication, graphic design and photography. The gallery is currently connected to the best graffiti artists in the world and strives to exhibit their unique art pieces in Zurich and abroad. The Kolly Gallery is thankful to the artists, collectors and the artistic community who share the vision and the experience behind it all!

INDEX 01.

TILT AC/DC

14-25

02.

SOLOMOSTRY SCREENING

26-37

03.

ZEST UNDERCOVER

38-49

04.

SUPAKITCH GOLD CRACK

50-61

05.

THIERRY FURGER BUFFED - SWISS GRAPHIC DESIGN

62-73

06.

ILK CARPETS

74-85

07.

JONONE PLAN B

86-97

08.

MOSES & TAPSTM IMAGE OF GRAFFITITM

98-109

09.

SWEETUNO 5 QUICKS

110-121

10.

SPEEDY GRAPHITO Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ART DANS LA PEAU

122-131

11.

MADC CHERRY BLOSSOM

132-145

12.

L‘OUTSIDER L‘HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS

146-157

13.

PAVEL RTUE QUIET DATES

158-167

14.

MAMBO INTERACTIONS

168-179

15.

DAIM THE SWISS CONNECTION

180-191

16.

FLYING FÖRTRESS LEAVE NO CANS BEHIND

192-203

17.

TILT TROUBLED WATERS

204-215

18.

MAMBO VOLKLINGEN STUDIES

216-227

19.

SUPAKITCH LANDESCAPE

228-237

20.

BUFF MONSTER COMPOSURE

238-247

21.

GOLDEN GREEN DROP SHADOW

248-257

22.

NASTY UNDERGROUND FRAGMENTS

258-269 11

23.

ZEST SCRATCH OFF

270-279

24.

KORALIE ACCLIMATATION

280-289

25.

LOUANE ICH GANG

290-299

26.

SOLOMOSTRY SUMMER VIBES

300-309

27.

MIST PRIMAL & ROUGH

310-321

28.

JONONE PALM TREES AND ICE CREAM

322-331

29.

L‘OUTSIDER DE L‘HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS À LA SINGULARITÉ

332-341

30.

MOSES & TAPSTM SCRATCHITITM

342-353

31.

MADC SEQUENCE

354-365

32.

CRASH TEXTURES

366-373

33.

TILT TILT X MOSES & TAPSTM

374-385

34.

NASTY ICONIC SURFACES

386-393

35.

ILK CALL FROM THE DARK

394-405

36.

IMON BOY THEY ARE OUT THERE

406-417

37.

SUPAKITCH SAME BUT DIFFERENT

418-427

38.

CEDRIX CRESPEL LIGNE BLEUE ZÃ&#x153;RICH ACT1

428-437

39.

SPEEDY GRAPHITO SILHOUETTES

438-447

40.

ZEST WAVES

448-459

41.

MIST EVILHEADS

460-469

42.

JONONE COUNTDOWN

470-479

43.

FLAVIEN ON AND ON

480-491 13

Tilt is a recognized graffiti artist from Toulouse in the South of France. In the 1980s, he discovered the graffiti movement and read important books such as Spraycan Art and Subway Art which made a great impression on him. He did his first tags on a skateboard ramp back in1988. As an artist he has travelled the globe and has been nourished and influenced by the urban environment. Interestingly, Tilt leaves his mark in the form of a throw up wherever he travels, in 55 countries and counting, including the the USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Taiwan, China, Canada, Philippines, Indonesia, and more than a dozen countries throughout Europe. Tilt is well known for his primitive and fetishist bubble style graffiti that he practiced more than a dozen years. In June 2017, his last bubble style pieces were exhibited at the Kolly Gallery. Since then Tilt has broken with the more aesthetic and Pop Art tradition of bubbles in favour of a more raw and deconstructive approach to graffiti.

TILT AC/DC

UNTITLED 65 2019, mixed media on plaster board 130 x 90 cm 18

0 4 . 0 3 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 0 9. 0 3 . 2 019

TILT AC/DC Transience, decontextualization and gestural traces of an urban environment are portrayed in Tiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new body of work. He has dedicated himself to a very pure and anti-aesthetic approach, which makes graffiti writing unique and intriguing. The artist was inspired to entitle the exhibition AC/DC because it is one of the most primitive as well as most well known scratchiti appearing in the public space globally. In addition, the artist has engraved it in many of the art works of this series.

The heritage of graffiti is the essence of my anti-aesthetic approach. Layers of paint, spray paint and markers provide a certain depth and intricacy in his works. Roughly designed and impulsively scratched surfaces commemorate primitive caveman markings and drawings on walls to assert human existence across time. Within his altered practice he focuses on the beauty of tagging, dripping, as well as its transience. He uses wild and illegIble tags, throw ups and deliberate drips only as formal aesthetic tools. In deconstructing subcultural and semiotic codes, Tilt plays with the decontextualization of writing, textures and intensity.

The compositional layers are sensibly chosen in their colours and dynamics in order to create a piece deconstructed, disintegrated and juxtaposed. The ponderous heritage of the graffiti tradition is used as a tool to evoke a representation, or memory, of the rebellious and anarchic act of a past era of this subculture. The new works of art constitute a synthesis between exterior and interior space. Tilt’s series critically questions and crowns the challenge of the institutionalization of graffiti. On the contrary, by hanging a re-enacted wall fragment in an exhibition space, he brings about a ‚sacralisation‘ of graffiti.

UNTITLED 66 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 100 x 70 cm 22

UNTITLED 67 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 100 x 70 cm 23

Solomostry is an Italian artist who joined the graffiti movement in 2000 in Milan, when he was only 14 years old. At that time Milan’s underground was covered by a wild style of graffiti on walls and panels, as well as tags. He was immediately fascinated. In his beginnings he was part of three different crews and practised graffiti writing for the following five years. When he started to collaborate as a scenographer for techno parties in clubs, he realized that traditional graffiti writing was not a suitable topic for his artistic expression. He then began to create a character who would come alive at these techno parties in the Milan club scene - SOLOMOSTRY. The artist started to design his first big monsters at the back of the stage, overlooking the dancing crowd until the first light of the morning. A monster born in the darkness and to the sound of loud techno music. Solomostry in Italian means “only monsters”. A monochrome monster composed of lines with imposing and staring eyes. Solomostry is not only the main character of the artist’s art works but also his alias. Solomostry has since obtained a degree in graphic design & art direction and works in his studio in Milan.

SOLOMOSTRY SCREENING

11. 0 3 . 2 019 – 16 . 0 3 . 2 019

SOLOMOSTRY SCREENING Screening is a very personally inspired series by Italian artist Solomostry. Screening describes a personal reflection - a survey of himself and his personal collection of memories. It includes a set of emotions and reflections, where only the strongest survive. Level by level and bit by bit the Screening continues to understand which elements to leave behind and which to keep. The artist strongly believes that within this process of Screening, including its artistic expression, the true personal path will emerge. The paintings contain different patterns of net fragments and line textures that come together to form an abstract ensemble. These represent the past emotions and experiences that have been layered and stored in the body.

Screening is a personal metaphor on how past experiences and emotions are based internally in a single body that ultimately is ours. 32

SCREENING 3 2019, ink and acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm 33

SCREENING 1 2019, gardening sprayer filled with ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm 34

The Screening series is a metaphor for past emotions and experiences that have been stored internally - ultimately in everyone’s individual body. Translating this concept on a visual level results in an expressive net of lines. Here composed of a straight and clean line, there it’s scruffy drips and sometimes wild colour splashes. But the lines themselves always remain monochrome. As unique as the various line textures are also the artist’s working materials: ink, brush and water sprayers. In Solomosty’s artistic practice the streets represent the place where he discovered a unique form of art as well as a kind of playground where he dares to try new techniques, tools and ideas without any rules. Freedom in the streets means a lot to him. Whereas in the studio he reflects and digests what he has just experienced in the streets and tries to implement and manifest it in his studio-based paintings. His paintings radiate the urban harshness and the rough impact of the streets while his bold and giant staring monster is omnipresent.

Zest (Franck Noto, b. 1980) grew up in an artistic family and already discovered graffiti when he was eight years old. In 1995 he made his first attempt at graffiti. From there he started spraying and experienced graffiti as a way of expression. With the TDM crew he felt a safe fraternal setting that led him to create murals from New York to Noumea through the capitals of Europe. A self-taught artist, he eventually started painting in a studio around 2000. Zest’s artistic signature can be found on numerous murals around the globe – Toulouse, Montpellier, St. Tropez, Bordeaux, Buenos Aires, Las Vegas and Zaragoza. During his artistic pursuits, the design and fashion world crossed his path which resulted in collaborations with Philippe Starck, agnès b and Uniqlo. Zest’s inspiration is unlimited. He is passionate about exploring harmonies between form and colour, where he synthesizes the various influences into his unique style. His art works transmit and reflect the accumulation of his experiences as an active member of the graffiti world in a contemporary way. The energies found in the different disciplines are translated by the use of basic shapes and primary colours.

ZEST UNDERCOVER

18 . 0 3 . 2 019 – 2 3 . 0 3 . 2 019

ZEST UNDERCOVER Zest’s compositions are flashy, colourful and vital. The series Undercover deals with the energetic and lively layers of paint hidden behind a monochrome surface - usually over decades of time or even forever! The artist’s main objective thereby is to re-enable the colour explosions to find their way back to the surface. This series shows a glimpse of the vitality hidden behind what would otherwise go unnoticed. Time and space find a way of coexisting and breathing the creative force into the here and now.

Zest juxtaposes visually explosive multilayered backgrounds and abstract monotonous facades. Sometimes the varnish is literally and brutally ripped off, sometimes the artist brings background and surface into an abstract composition. Each piece reflects a different intensity of expressiveness. All of them are based on a dark ultramarine blue varnish, whereas the bright colours emanating from underneath succeed each other through dynamic cycles of life.

UNDERCOVER 2 2019, acrylic on canvas 120 x 120 cm 46

UNDERCOVER 3 2019, acrylic on canvas 120 x 120 cm 47

While translating this concept to a holistic level of interpretation, the artist claims that, as soon as the external appearance begins to fade, the true self will appear. This means the clean layer of varnish is translated to the facade that each individual in our society shows on the outside. Underneath that facade lies a vivid and multilayered set of emotions and intentions, which makes the individual human character on the inside unique.

He emphasises: â&#x20AC;&#x17E;Everything we are trying to erase, comes back to the surface.â&#x20AC;&#x153; Therefore the obscured aspects of the inside are always determined to find their way to the surface and ultimately explode in their uniqueness. His art is no longer a translation of what he observes, but rather an expression of his inner sensations, which he carries on the inside out.

Everything we are trying to erase will come back to the surface.

Supakitch started graffiti at the age of 12 and took a degree in Graphic Design in 1997. Liquid matter, light and movement are at the centre of his artistic practice. Through his art works the spectator is allowed to enter a contemplative experience where the gesture and movement, the relief and reflections on the resin offer a vision on a distorting mirror or a window on a water surface. SupaKitch plays with the feeling of conciliation (?) before the vision of a horizon or the fascination and apprehension before a dark surface where the background cannot be seen. His work is inspired by real matter to transform it into abstraction while stimulating nostalgic feelings and summer memories. His works have been exhibited in Europe, the United States and Asia.

SUPAKITCH GOLD CRACK

2 5 . 0 3 . 2 019 – 3 0 . 0 3 . 2 019

SUPAKITCH GOLD CRACK SupaKitch’s new series, entitled Gold Crack, contains abstract compositions suggesting an aesthetic of natural elements, such as the smooth marble surface, the ever-changing face of the ocean, the abrupt horizon line and finally the crack in a wall. SupaKitch’s works of art combine two different associations of the term ‘crack‘. One derives from the graffiti tradition, the other alludes to the Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi. SupaKitch remembers that cracks were one of the first ornamental and decorative devices for the stylization of graffiti pieces. Cracks are also a substantial part of each and every wall and represent a natural sign of material age or change. Thus every crack or scar on a surface tells its very own story.

GOLD CRACK BLUE 2019, resin, pigment, fiberglass, acrylic and gold leaf on wood 120 x 50 cm 56

It is about seeing beauty where most people see imperfections.

The keywords imperfection, transience, and incompleteness are all interlaced with the term wabisabi, a Japanese aesthetic concept that dates back to the 16th century. SupaKitch translates ‘wabi‘ as a reference to plenitude and modesty that he feels for natural phenomena like the swiled and marbling effect created randomly by the resin in his paintings. He translates ‘sabi‘ as the manifestation of time on an object such as cracks on marble or concrete walls of contemporary urban constructions, which are reflected in the cracks in his paintings.

Ultimately the series Gold Crack was inspired by kintsugi (jap. “golden joinery“), the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. This philosophy highlights the repair as part of the history of an object and is an invitation to admire its blemishes. Contrary to Western society, where the aspiration of performance and enrichment is basically inherited from generation to generation, in Eastern traditions life is seen more as a journey, where everything is a continuation and never stands still. The modesty of accepting defects, transience, and incompleteness emphasizes this philosophy and the aesthetic approach of SupaKitch’s series.

GOLD CRACK GREEN 2019, resin, pigment, fiberglass, acrylic and gold leaf on wood 120 x 50 cm 60

GOLD CRACK WHITE 2019, resin, pigment, fiberglass, acrylic and gold leaf on wood 120 x 50 cm 61

Thierry Furger (b. 1975) lives and works in Switzerland. During the 1980s he discovered the world of graffiti and has never stopped observing and exploring its phenomena. In 2007 he began to show his own creations, inspired by the transience of graffiti. He has exhibited his artworks in Zurich, Bursins, Weil am Rhein, Basel and Paris. Next to the production of art, Furger has followed and documented the subculture of writers especially in Europe for over twenty years. Since 2007 he has been intensively studying the transience as well as the aesthetics of removed illegal tags and graffiti pieces. From a multi-year examination of ephemeral phenomena the famous series Buffed Paintings evolved. Taking a totally different perspective from other artists, he considered the challenges for graffiti writers as well as for cleaning institutions. In 2017 he broke with the ephemeral tradition of Buffed Paintings and surprised the public with his new series Sgraffito, presented at the Kolly Gallery for the very first time. Scratching surfaces is an ancient decorating technique, which had its revival in the graffiti culture of the 1980s, called scratchiti.

THIERRY FURGER BUFFED: SWISS GRAPHIC DESIGN

01. 0 4 . 2 019 – 0 6 . 0 4 . 2 019

THIERRY FURGER BUFFED - SWISS GRAPHIC DESIGN During his lifelong research on graffiti as an ephemeral phenomenon, Thierry Furger developed his iconic style called Buffed Paintings. For the new series at Kolly Gallery he buffs famous Swiss graphic design posters of the 20th century. In the public space they often compete with each other - graffiti and advertising. They have some fundamentals in common: taking, imposing and even changing the public space and cityscape without asking for permission. Both graffiti and advertising use each others’ strategies, as well as influencing each other. In the series BUFFED - Swiss Graphic Design, the advertising and graphic design industry is turned upside down and becomes “graffiti-fixed”.

Advertising slogans and brand logos are replaced by significant graffiti terms. The clear signage and graphic aesthetics are “cleaned” by graffiti killers and Furger’s buffing technique. In traditional graphic design, the compositions are strong, bold and strongly coloured. The typographies are clear and neat. In Furger’s buffed version the designs are smudged, disturbed and faded. Wipe marks and drips running over adorn the new aesthetic. Typographies are replaced by tags. Furger’s series pays homage to famous graphic designer Karl Gerstner, the super popular design of the ABM (Au Bon Marché) bag, as well as the 1920s design of the renowned Odeon at Bellevue in Zurich. Furger builds bridges on different levels - thematic, ideological, personal, public space-related as well as artistic. Personal memories of his youth, of entering the graffiti world and his professional background as a graphic designer were shaped by the strategies of the advertising and design industry. The reinterpretation of his iconic buffing technique is remixed by lyrics from old school rap music, a driving force in Furger’s youth, which still has an important significance today. Standing astride these ideologically rather different practices, Furger developed this striking series.

Actually, the best thing is not to think and just paint.

HOMEBOY 2019, spray paint and acid on aluminium 130 x 92,3 cm 69

TAGGER 2019, spray paint and acid on aluminium 130 x 92,3 cm 72

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ALL GOOD 2019, spray paint and acid on aluminium 130 x 92,3 cm 73

Ilk was born in the Seine St. Denis district of the Paris suburbs, where he lives and works today. In 1998 he started writing graffiti in Paris. Torn between geek and street culture, as well as growing up in the Parisian suburbs and therefore glimpsing various traditions, was a rewarding experience for the artist. He obtained a degree in Fine Arts in 2002 when he started to work as an art director as well as a digital graphic designer mainly in the music, luxury and fashion industry. His transition from graffiti to art on canvas was not seamless. Eventually he started painting on canvas to relax his mind and in order to get his hands dirty after all his clean, computer-based day job. Through his creative practice he tries to counteract the dramatic and brutal onslaught of information that submerges us every day through the mass media. His surreal and unique world of eclecticism leads him to important collaborations, such as being an ambassador for Converse Cons in 2014 or designing the iconic Timberland Yellow Boot in 2016. His exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Munich and other European cities continue to gain attention.

ILK CARPETS

0 8 . 0 4 . 2 019 – 13 . 0 3 . 2 019

ILK CARPETS Ilk’s visual repertoire is changing constantly from concrete organic shapes to writing. Sometimes image and lettering even superimpose or merge to one. Ilk’s artistic practice has developed from a rather concrete reflection on everyday life to a more abstract cosmology. As an enthusiast of black metal music, Warhammer video games, horror movies, he surprisingly enough adores old Walt Disney cartoons of the 1930s, like Mickey Mouse’s Steamboat Willie or The Skeleton Dance.

Through the abstraction of his daily interests and surroundings the artist creates compositions rich in structure and texture. The finely painted and diversified structures of the different layers as well as the single elements of the composition, create a suspenseful interplay for the viewer. The soft transitions and contrasts in color and texture render the images extremely multi-layered and elegant.

CARPET 2 2019, acrylic, spray paint and glitter on canvas 130 x 89 cm 82

CARPET 4 2019, acrylic, spray paint and glitter on canvas 146 x 97 cm 83

Is there a shape of an animal or is there a writing? Ilk plays within the combination of every day imagery as well as lettering and merges different visual languages with a friendly pastelcolor palette. Ilkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s symbolic language blends elements of his daily life and his personal interests, which gives his artworks an organic yet graphic, surrealistic and sometimes psychedelic aesthetic. The series Carpets is an evolution of his three dimensional vases to

two dimensional rugs. Also instead of placing rugs, as everyday item on the floor, in his opinion they deserve a place on the wall. The pictorial language as well as its symmetrical composition of the painted carpets strongly remind typical native or indigenous arts. The utilization of daily and profane elements in artistic expression as well as the importance of culture and ethnology is related to tribal and folk art. The unique and powerful originality is not always stifled by education, socialization or even institutionalization.

The funny thing is that carpets should be laid on the floor, but instead they hang on walls.

Born John Andrew Perello in 1963 in New York, the self-taught artist developed his signature colourful abstract style with dynamic brushstrokes, drips, and patterns. John ‘JonOne’ Perello himself describes his art as “abstract expressionist graffiti“. Although many other writers have painted figurative characters, he very early decided to express himself differently using only writing. This decision made him stand out from other others as well as catching the attention of gallery owners. In 1985 his works were exhibited for the first time at the Rick Librizzi Gallery in New York. Soon after, in 1987, he moved to Paris, where he still lives and works. Since 1990 his works have been exhibited in countless solo and group exhibitions around the world, including Tokyo, Monaco, Paris, Zurich, New York, Hong Kong, Brussels and Moscow. The multifaceted interests of John ‘JonOne’ Perello led him to various collaborations with Hennessey, Guerlain, Air France and many more. 2015 turned out to be a culminating point of his career, when he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur from France. He was then commissioned to reinterpret Eugène Delacroix’s famous painting Liberty Leading the People, which was inaugurated at the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the French National Assembly.

JONONE PLAN B

15 . 0 4 . 2 019 – 2 0 . 0 4 . 2 019

JONONE PLAN B The art works presented in the series entitled Plan B show the artist’s energetic, cryptic and polychrome canvases. Multiple layers and thick brushstrokes adorn his large-sized and explosive paintings. Profoundly rooted in the graffiti scene of the 1980s, he has made excellent use of his obsession with tagging. What might appear as abstract lines, cryptic shapes or intentional drips of paint to the viewer, actually represent his own tag “JONONE”, sometimes also in variations as “JONONE ROCK”. Upon closer inspection, individual letters and even his tag are recognizable. The regularity of repeating his tag over and over again is not monotonous; on the contrary, it is diverse, complex and dense. Eventually the writing develops into an abstract pattern within the beauty of infinity.

Looking back through the history of art, many artists, like Lawrence Weiner or Cy Twombly, made writing a part of their concept. But the artist that JonOne is most compared to is Jackson Pollock. Maybe at first sight the abstract aesthetics and the energy of the canvases are comparable, but in their details they are very diverse. Jackson Pollock did not intend to illustrate writing, as his artistic background of abstract expressionism derives from the New York School in the 1940s. As an autodidact JonOne has had no fine arts education. Through the obsessively repetitive writing of his tag, his roots in graffiti are still evident.

THE SMITHS 2019, acrylic and Posca marker on canvas 150 x 200 cm 93

RUSHED 2019, acrylic and Posca marker on canvas 120 x 120 cm 94

Although raised in the heart of African-American and Hispanic communities and although he should have been pursuing a regular and normal path, he always knew there was no Plan B. There was only one way. His journey though the urban jungle led him to his artistic essence: repeating his tag: his signature as well as his name.

Your own mythology, the urban legend that you associated with your name, you wrote it, you painted it.

MOSES & TAPS™ are the avant-garde eccentrics of the graffiti scene. By now their fame has crossed the borders of Germany. In 1994, Moses and Taps began to design the public space independently of each other. They each concentrated on their common medium: spray cans, paint and trains. In 2007 they founded the artist collective TOPSPRAYER™. Since then they have attracted more and more attention through their ingenious, mostly illegal interventions and works in the urban space. This is why they are increasingly in demand for institutional exhibitions. Nevertheless, the collective continues to work anonymously and always illegally. As a conceptual work in the field of traditional style writing, the collective sprayed 1000 trains in 1000 days worldwide between 2008 and 2010. This resulted in the book MOSES & TAPS™ INTERNATIONAL TOPSPRAYER™ (2011). This was followed by a limited edition of another publication entitled SAME SAME™ (2014). Their studio-based artworks have been shown in Moscow, Taipei, Paris, San Francisco, Hamburg, Eindhoven and Zurich, to name just a few.

MOSES & TAPS™ IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™

100

101

102

2 2 . 0 4 . 2 019 – 2 7. 0 3 . 2 019

MOSES & TAPS™ IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™ The artist collective MOSES & TAPS™ belongs to the rare graffiti artists who maintained their anonymity despite their numerous illegal actions and commercial success. The IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™ series is characterized by abstract geometric interwoven forms and flashy colour combinations. The series derives from abstract, lookalike letters, which are merely a representation of graffiti writing. Outlines, shadows and dynamic forms suggest the unique graffiti code of the urban sphere. The principle of style writing is the stylized lettering of names and words.

103

Thus the verbal as well as the visual code inevitably obtains its unambiguous meaning. In IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™ however this core principle of traditional graffiti is ironized by the ‘meaningless‘ and ‘message-less‘ look-alike letters. Therefore it is not about real letters, but rather a deception of them. MOSES & TAPS™ confront the viewer with the normative ‘idea‘ of graffiti portrayed by colorful, intricate and illegible shapes. The attempt to decode the figures is hopeless. The viewer can neither define nor read the assumed fragments of letters. The inseparability of the individual elements creates the impression of a disorderly and cryptic tangle, which again emphasizes the interweaving of the whole figure. Nevertheless, the viewer is intrinsically forced to find a logical meaning and usually finds it through their very own imagination. They see what they want to see!

104

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IMAGE OF GRAFFITI 30 2019, spray paint and acrylic on shaped canvas 89 x 72 cm 106

IMAGE OF GRAFFITI 31 2019, spray paint and acrylic on shaped canvas 100 x 76 cm 107

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Regarding the series IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™, MOSES & TAPS™ pursue an extremely solid creative concept, which is basically closer to art than to vandalism. Feeling restricted by the prevailing rules of vandalism, the artist collective eventually found a way to question the rigid codes of the former subculture and beyond that - to break them. Even better, they make graffiti itself the concept of their works. The series IMAGE OF GRAFFITI™ examines the graffiti system and its perception in the social system.

The colors are still there, along with the formal codes, but the core of graffiti is gone.

109

Cédric Pintarelli, aka Sweetuno, was born and grew up in Basel. He has been living and working in Heidelberg (DE) for some time. In the summer of 1989, the Swiss graffiti artist created his first spray paint graffiti in his neighbourhood. He has created letters and typography ever since he learned to write. The idea of imbuing letters with a character and a special style fascinated him from a very young age and is still an exciting aspect of his creative practice. Since 2003, after a collaboration with Dare, his first and only mentor, in an exhibition entitled Subvision in Freiburg (DE), his artistic pursuits have taken on increased importance. Since 2008 Sweetuno’s art works are regularly exhibited throughout European cities, such as Stuttgart, Venice, Heidelberg, Stockholm and others. Besides his dedication and passion for graffiti, Sweetuno is also part of the Heidelberg, Mannheim and Munich theater world, working as a stage actor, director as well as stage designer. In Sweetuno’s opinion, graffiti can exist everywhere - in the streets as well as in the galleries. 2006 he wrote the first theatre piece about graffiti entitled Sky is the Limit, which was performed at the Nationaltheater Mannheim. As a matter of fact, Sweetuno even brought graffiti into the theatre!

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SWEETUNO 5 QUICKS

111

112

113

FROZEN STRAWBERRY FLOP 2019, plaster, emulsion, spray can and chalk on canvas 100 x 100 cm 114

2 9. 0 4 . 2 019 – 0 4 . 0 5 . 2 019

SWEETUNO 5 QUICKS Spring awakening, playfulness and dynamics best characterise the new Sweetuno series entitled 5 Quicks. Curved lines, dynamic swings and a little tag here and there are the basis of Sweetuno’s body of work. Traditional graffiti codes, style writing and letters rooting in the mid-1990s dissolve in abstract compositions of urban elegance. Sweetuno’s research into different ways to express typography as well as redeploying his old-school graffiti roots, mainly through movement and body language, is the driving force of his creative practice.

115

Scribbling, tagging and drawing is essential to find new ideas and shapes. As the title suggests, the series 5 Quicks shows swiftness, dynamics and determination. His creative approach to art is very intuitive. Scribbling, tagging and drawing facilitates the process of finding new ideas and shapes for his creations. The artist is inspired by studying photos, listening to music and eventually finds new colour tones and combinations. Nevertheless, the essentials of the streets and style writing never get lost: throw ups, tags, outlines and quite a few letters can be found in every unique artwork. They are outstanding in their usage of urban semiotics.

116

Due to Sweetunoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s versatile artistic projects, his studio routine is not steady, which means that his paintings are often created under varying conditions. This set of paintings reflects the effectiveness, resoluteness and continuity at the time of their creation. He allows freedom and intuition to guide him in order to reinforce the liveliness and expressiveness in his paintings. The amount of abstraction and style writing is perfectly balanced and blends into one.

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MAKE YOUR MARK 2019, plaster, emulsion, spray paint and chalk on canvas 100 x 100 cm 120

JUICY ORANGE FLOP 2019, plaster, emulsion, spray paint and chalk on canvas 100 x 100 cm 121

Speedy Graphito (b. 1961) lives and works in Paris and Los Angeles. Back in the 1980s he was part of the stencil artists group X-Moulinex. In 1984 he presented his first gallery exhibition using the name ‘Speedy Graphito’. He graduated from Estienne Art School in 1983 and devoted himself fully to painting early. Throughout the 30 years of his artistic career, Speedy Graphito has matured and perfected his technique across various media, including paintings, drawings, sculptures as well as installations. His world-wide artistic success was crowned by the first retrospective exhibition entitled Un Art De Vivre at the Touquet Museum in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, that ran from 22 October 2016 to 21 May 2017 (FR). Globalization, art marketing, art history, art markets, a proliferation of images and codes that draw upon the collective memory are the main elements of expression used by Speedy Graphito in his works of art. While the artist’s pieces will continue to exist primarily as products of consumption, his mind is free from the economic aspects of the art market.

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SPEEDY GRAPHITO Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ART DANS LA PEAU

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0 6 . 0 5 . 2 019 – 11. 0 5 . 2 019

SPEEDY GRAPHITO L’ART DANS LA PEAU What happens when street art tells art and cultural history? Speedy Graphito is renowned for his unique visual language juxtaposing emblematic images of art and culture. Breaking the boundaries between classical modernism, pop and street art, Speedy Graphito mixes and remixes various visual languages into personal reinterpretations. His recent creations are fascinating, elegant and archaic. The series pays tribute to the women who inspired great artists such as Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso and Tom Wesselmann.

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Léger had a very distant approach to his female portrayals, whereas Picasso gained considerable experience with various women, within his lively romantic life. The painter Wesselmann chose the nude as the enduring subject of his career. As usual in Speedy Graphito’s art works, the mixture and combinations of different iconic visual languages is the key feature. He considerately reinterprets iconic images of women in very attuned colour compositions. Art is Speedy Graphito’s reason to live. Creative expression is a huge part of the artist’s life and is like the blood running through his veins. In fact, the tattoos covering the bodies of the all-female protagonists of the recent series symbolize the passion for and commitment to his art, which is also reflected in the title L’Art dans la Peau. Visually, the tattoos feature the quite typical inscription technique of Speedy Graphito, containing words, symbols and indigenous patterns. The distinct writings on the female bodies merge with the backgrounds creating one unique and flawless world. In the eyes of Speedy Graphito, art has always been a reflection of the particular time period, thus art has always been an expression of the philosophy of each era. According to the artist, we now live in the age of sampling, recycling and remixing, a leitmotif conveyed in his paintings.

Art is my reason to live.

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LIKE A BIRD 2019, acrylic and marker on canvas 100 x 100 cm 130

DANSE AVEC LES NUAGES 2019, acrylic and marker on canvas 100 x 120 cm 131

Claudia Walde alias MadC is among the most successful female street artists. She was born in Bautzen, Germany in 1980 but raised in Ethiopia. She studied at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle as well as the Central Saint Martin’s College in London. As MadC sprayed her first graffiti pieces back in the mid-1990s, she gained respect for her burner walls, with dynamic wild style pieces placed in detailed sceneries. She is not only a talented and emerging artist but also a professional author for graffiti and street art, which shows her cultural and anthropological insight. She published Sticker City – Paper Graffiti Art (2007) and Street Fonts – Graffiti Alphabets From Around The World (2011). In 2018 she broke her own record when she painted the 1000-Wall, a wall with an area of 1000m2, for the newly inaugurated Hotel The Paragon in Chicago. This mural is most likely the largest art piece created by a single artist. MadC is very well known for her distinctive murals all over the world, including Mexico, America, England, France, Sweden, Germany and Tahiti.

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MADC CHERRY BLOSSOM

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13 . 0 5 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 18 . 0 5 . 2 019

MADC CHERRY BLOSSOM Claudia Walde alias MadC dedicates this series of paintings to springtime, hence the title Cherry Blossom. The development of the cherry blossom and the change from winter to spring is very inspiring for MadC. The colours of the flowers combined with the blue sky, green leaves as well as the white clouds are intoxicating, powerful and at the same time fragile and transient. All the colours and their various tonalities result in expressive and powerful pieces of art. Each canvas has its own mood and character, which allows a completely individual emotional experience to each spectator who thereby steps into a synesthetic perception of colours and emotions.

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In Cherry Blossom MadC accentuates her roots in graffiti by utilizing drips, splashes and flares. Instead of using graffiti writing in its formal and functional way, she has developed an artistic practice based on capturing its energy and expression. Her art pieces now stand out due to the abstraction of lettering and harmonic colour choices, as well as her use of diverse media. MadC paints intuitively and her art work conveys spontaneity and vitality. MadC finds her inspiration in her travels, in conversations and even in reading books. But collaborations with other artists also open up her mind to new approaches. By combining different techniques, such as acrylic, spray paint and water colours, her pieces attain a multi-layered and attuned appearance. Ultimately, in order for the artist to develop it is important to have the courage to be oneself and not to deny oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s roots.

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10:01-16022019 2019, water colour and spray paint on canvas 120 x 100 cm 138

12:09-05042019 2019, water colour and spray paint on canvas 100 x 100 cm 139

It is necessary to change materials and to develop a new visual language.

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L’Outsider was born in Bretagne, where he lives and works today. He discovered graffiti in 2001, at the age of 17. His studies at the École Bulle brought him to Paris, where he met new graffiti artists and with them formed the crew FD. From the very beginning, L’outsider was fascinated by the freedom and energy that performing graffiti in the urban space gave him. With his crew he sprayed many Parisian metro stations. Gradually he developed an individual creative approach, shaped by architecture, graphic design and contemporary art. His personal travels to different countries and cultures inspired him to incorporate global imagery, ancient pictorial patterns, calligraphic tradition and pop culture. Eventually, his work shifted from the ‘exterior‘ space to the interior. Working in the studio and producing canvases has opened the door to the gallery and art world. This has resulted in exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Weil am Rhein and other European cities. Nevertheless, he always returns to the urban space, which is based on spontaneity, intuition and site specificity.

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L’OUTSIDER L’HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS

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13 . 0 5 . 2 019 – 18 . 0 5 . 2 019

L’OUTSIDER L’HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS The artworks of the series L’Horizon des Événements contain very complex compositions incorporating a juxtaposition of various structures and vibes. It is astonishing how L’outsider combines rather distinct textures to one painting. Due to this high variance of patterns and fragments, the artworks almost seem to vibrate and shimmer. For the series L’Horizon des Événements, L’outsider was inspired by the black hole’s formation and activities.

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The acceleration of matter, before falling into the black hole without being able to get out of it, is an aspect that seems to reflect Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;outsiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current series. In addition, his artistic practice is constantly evolving and always in motion! His canvases nevertheless reflect his graffiti roots and therefore present abstract and planar compositions, complemented by wild splashes. Observing his visual imagery, he developed a practice of graffiti that is no longer based on the deformation of the letter but on a transposition of geometric shapes inherent to an elementary typography based on the letter.

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SENSATION ACCUMULÃ&#x2030;E 1 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 150 x 100 cm 152

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to just repeat my know-how as in my former job. Instead I want to surprise myself constantly. The series has been strongly influenced by and evolved from his street project madmaxxx. Throughout, the artist exclusively used the MontanaMadmaxxx spray can whose fat cap imitates an immense calligraphic pen. The ambition and the approach in these works are to find a new form of graffiti that contains neither a tag nor a throw up! The artist divides spaces into zones which represent accumulations of sensations, the fragmentation of matter and inspiration, playing with the balance of association and its meaning.

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SENSATION ACCUMULÃ&#x2030;E 4 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 150 x 100 cm 156

SENSATION ACCUMULÃ&#x2030;E 3 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 150 x 100 cm 157

Pavel Rtue (b.1989) is an emerging street artist from Russia who combines approaches of traditional graffiti, abstraction and figurative images and thereby creates rough, transient and highly expressive artworks. Recently he has been attracting a lot of attention on the internet and social media through his abstract pieces and murals. He started spraying in the 2000s, practicing typical graffiti fonts. In his first attempts he was trying to imitate amazing graffiti writing that he saw in magazines. Gradually, he developed a recognizable abstract style and by 2012 had found a way to express his unique style that he was able to call his own. He is nevertheless always looking for new techniques without losing the desire to experiment and discover new approaches to graffiti. He himself describes his works appropriately as contemporary abstraction and experimental muralism. Lately Rtue has devoted himself to an internal journey in order to find a new way of interacting with his art. An outstanding work of art is not limited to perfect composition, instead he is searching for figurative and harmonic solutions. In his most recent work, he tries to combine conscious and unconscious impressions hidden deep inside himself.

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PAVEL RTUE QUIET DATES

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2 7. 0 5 . 2 019 – 01. 0 6 . 2 019

PAVEL RTUE QUIET DATES The series Quiet Dates opens up spaces of silence, pause and reflection. The breeding ground for his creativity are situations, items and places, but especially encounters between two individuals. The artist is interested in – and inspired by – expressing how these life experiences communicate within us. In the beginning of Rtue’s artistic path in the graffiti world, he was focused on perfecting the abstraction of letters and structural composition. He nevertheless realized that his pieces lacked a certain soul. Through the urge to develop his visual language he had to dig deeper in order to express his own feelings visually. By using figurative images, the artist explored a new way of interacting with his artistic compositions.

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What seemed unclear at the beginning of the creative process ultimately reveals itself in its true depth and meaning to the artist. These works tell the story of how past moments came into being and which feelings were involved. His paintings are undoubtedly deeply interlaced with his own life experiences. Due to the abstract, monochrome and grey colour fields, the figurative imagery disappears. The intentional use of abstract elements on each canvas represents a pure manifestation of the unconscious, which overpaints the figurative image until empty deserted places arise, where the portrayed subjects will never meet again. The colour fields and their ephemeral aesthetic symbolize both past times as well as the transience of a moment.

Quiet Dates represents spaces of respite, where the artist brings his inner feelings to the surface.

Now I learn to trust my inner feelings.

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UNTITLED 1 2019, acrylic, oil, spray paint on canvas 140 x 100 cm 165

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Born in Chile in 1969, Mambo comes from a French-Hungarian family. He grew up in Latin America and started his artistic career in Paris. He now lives and works in Los Angeles. In 1985 he started with graffiti but stopped in 1992. From early on he pursued painting as a studio practice all the while still painting in the streets. Mambo has always been inspired by people, and human behaviour is a core topic in his art. In 2015, Mambo started with a new series of abstract paintings, signing them with his given name, Flavien, because they were so completely different from his paintings till then. The minimalist and abstract approach is a result of a long-time study and experience of art, but is also influenced by the years as an assistant to Sol LeWitt in the mid-1990s. Going from expressionist to optical and minimal art, Mambo enjoys, through Flavien, experimenting with different versions of styles that he admires. Mambo has exhibited in the USA, France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. He has recently worked on high-profile projects with a number of different companies, including Prada, Moynat, and Samsung.

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MAMBO

INTERACTIONS

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0 3 . 0 6 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 0 8 . 0 6 . 2 019

MAMBO INTERACTIONS The series Interactions portrays five different minimalist as well as caricatural portraits. These artworks are part of Mamboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Humans series, which includes a collection of minimalist and caricatural portraits painted on paper, using his significant signature colour palette: red, orange and dark blue. These portraits are intentionally painted as incomplete, enigmatic and minimal. Through the abstraction of the actual personalities, the artist aims to work out archetypes of different characters and tempers. In this way, he hopes that the viewer will be able to identify more easily with the motif and thus enter into an inner interaction with the portrait. Finally, self-reflection should be stimulated automatically.

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PROTECT 2019, acrylic on paper ⌀ 56 cm 174

COQUETTERIE 2019, acrylic on paper ⌀ 56 cm 175

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Some of the characters manifest a certain vintage vibe, which is not to be meant as nostalgia. In fact, with the minimalistic and slightly retro aesthetic, the artist would like to facilitate or even invite the viewer to look at their distanced self. Taking a distanced view often facilitates the process of letting go of daily controversies and encourages a perception of the s elf in a more timeless and universal manner. Mambo is well known for the holistic and sociological approach surrounding his artistic concepts. In fact, the exploration of human

interactions and the interdependence between individuals in society are central topics. These artworks are about human encounters and capture moments of emotion, reaction and interaction. The results of human interactions are truly countless. Mambo is committed to portraying these moments of encounter, because they are neglected in modern society, despite their importance to the sustainable preservation of society. Therefore the artist proclaims: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all different from each other, but we are all human beings and we need each other.â&#x20AC;&#x153;

My intention is to show, or remind, how interdependent we all are and how much we need each other.

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Mirko Reisser, aka DAIM (b. 1971), created his first graffiti pieces in 1989. By 1990 he had sprayed his first commissioned works; in 1991 he began to work as an independent artist immediately after graduating from high school and this is when he began to use his artist pseudonym â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;DAIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In 1996 the artist began his studies in fine art at the Lucerne School of Art and Design in Switzerland. In 1999 Mirko Reisser co-founded the studio community getting-up in Hamburg. DAIM has been part of several charity auctions, has been commissioned to paint murals, has participated in public art designs, in institutional museums as well as gallery exhibitions. Mirko Reisser is represented by ReinkingProjekte in Hamburg, by Galerie MaxWeberSixFriedrich in Munich as well as in Zurich at the Kolly Gallery. His art works have been presented throughout Europe and beyond. During his graffiti worldtour he left his mark in Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, USA, and Mexico.

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DAIM THE SWISS CONNECTION

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10 . 0 6 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15 . 0 6 . 2 019

DAIM THE SWISS CONNECTION DAIM is known for de- and reconstructing his artist pseudonym in countless variations as well as amplifying the complexity of writing. The artist fragmentizes, drips, and tapes his name tag, which ultimately results in a nearly hyper-realistic dynamic artwork. The exhibited series juxtaposes three early copperplate etchings with two spray-painted canvases. As the title of the exhibited series The Swiss Connection suggests, the three etchings were created during his studies back in 1996 at the Lucerne School of Art and Design in Switzerland. The artist dared to apply a totally different

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and quite unusual technique to create a graffiti piece. Aesthetically, there are no colours, only different shades of black. The technique of etching does not allow the artist much freedom. Nevertheless, he has managed to compose and perfect his renowned 3D forms and shapes. In terms of content the artist played by the rules of graffiti and therefore called on his crews TCD (Trash-Can Design) as well as FX from New York.

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SERIE 01 MA 1996, copperplate etching on copperplate-printpaper with deckles on four edges 28 x 37 cm, edition of 15 186

The two canvases belong to the rather more recent series DAIMaround which represent a highly graphic 3D writing. The unique thing about these paintings is that his name, usually placed in the centre of the painting, is now located on the margin instead. Now the free space gives rise to a moment of rest before the appearance of the massively dynamic and complex letter composition. Metaphorically speaking, it represents the beginning of Daimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conquest of the space. Finally, his architecturally composed design of letters, writing and style dissolves in an orchestrated wildness of color splashes, arrows and swings. Daimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art works are tightly linked to his personality, which makes them unique. Over time the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name has become more complex and will never stop evolving. He clearly perceives his name tag as a kind of self-portrait. He is dedicated to study, reflect, develop, paint and finally, create new the pieces.

I perceive my alias DAIM, as a self-portrait.

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DAIMAROUND - DYNAMIC CUT 2018, spray paint with 2x 12 stencils on canvas 50 x 40 cm 191

Flying FĂśrtress is a German graphic artist and illustrator who masters several techniques, mixing seriousness with comical elements. The aim of his artistic practice is to make people smile, therefore he always leaves a trace of humour in his art. FĂśrtress flits between the graphic and the graffiti world, between small and large formats, between silkscreens and tags. Most of all, the artist is known for his Troopers. His logo is a cute bear illustration with two paws. The artist seems torn between representing a cuddly toy and an effigy of an aggressive animal. Frequently the Troopers wear a German military-shaped helmet that recalls the Second World War. Its purpose is to preserve the beauty of that countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s graphic art heritage in the period between1939-45, leaving aside its propagandistic context, of course. He amuses himself with variations of the latter, always re-using the basic elements but changing the theme, motif or figure.

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FLYING FÃ&#x2013;RTRESS LEAVE NO CANS BEHIND

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17. 0 6 . 2 019 – 2 3 . 0 6 . 2 019

FLYING FÖRTRESS LEAVE NO CANS BEHIND The title of the series Leave No Cans Behind is deeply interwoven with the basic rules of the graffiti universe. Literally speaking, the theme is based on the military notion to “leave no man behind“, in other words to ensure all wounded or dead comrades are retrieved from the battlefield. Since his artistic beginnings, Flying Förtress has had a certain military connection in his creative practice, but always from a playful, light perspective.

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MULTONA 2019, spray paint on wood 50 x 40 cm 198

The artist translates this concept to the iconic Teddy Troopers, his wounded soldiers, by creating five variations of old, empty and pierced cans. This theme reflects a general rule within the graffiti universe which says that spray cans should never be left at the crime scene. Firstly, in order to prevent official investigations and secondly to prevent mischievous kids, so-called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;toysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, to find the remaining cans and spray over a completed piece. Additionally, stabbing spray cans drains an almost empty spray can of propellant and therefore renders it unusable.

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Aesthetically, the Troopers demonstrate various vintage and traditional spray can designs. As an aficionado of old vintage prints with a rough offset-print look, the artist has tried to recreate this. He has worked on wooden boxes and challenged himself to try out new techniques and has used a variety of different techniques, such as acrylic paint, spray paint and industrial markers. But the main twist of this series is the stab into the surface which realistically simulates the pierced Troopers from which the last piece of paint flows. Flying FĂśrtressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Troopers are his visual alias instead of a traditional graffiti tag. Finally, he is constantly searching for new ways of expressing his graffiti story though the use of his little friends.

My Troopers are my visual alias instead of a classic graffiti tag.

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TILT TROUBLED WATERS

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TILT TROUBLED WATERS Layers of paint, spray paint and markers constitute a certain depth and intricacy in this artist’s works. Roughly designed and impulsively scratched surfaces commemorate primitive caveman markings and drawings on walls to assert human existence across time. The urge to express a radical gesture and primitive elements are reminiscent of Paris’ carvings in Brassaï’s photographs. The title Troubled Waters is a reference to occupied territories and radical graffiti. Radical graffiti often pursues a rather anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian and anticolonial approach.

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The graffiti is mostly used in order to differentiate crews but often also for territorial delimitation. The artist draws the inspiration for this kind of graffiti especially from motorways, walls by train tracks, dirty suburbs and abandoned factories. Within his altered practice he focuses on the beauty of tagging, dripping, as well as its transience. He uses wild and illegible tags, throw ups and deliberate drips only as a formal aesthetic tool. The ponderous heritage of the graffiti tradition is used as a tool to evoke a representation or memory of a rebellious as well as anarchic act of a past era of subculture.

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UNTITLED 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 130 x 90 cm 210

UNTITLED 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 130 x 90 cm 211

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In deconstructing subcultural and semiotic codes, Tilt plays with the decontextualization of writing, textures and intensity. The compositional layers are sensibly chosen in their colours and dynamics in order to create a piece of deconstruction, disintegration and juxtaposition. In this series he focuses on simpler but still visually-intended and far more disruptive compositions in order to present those layers of writing in their purest way. This marks a further evolution in the process of Tiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetic research of raw graffiti.

I want to represent the essence of graffiti in the purest way.

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VOLKLINGEN STUDIES

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01. 0 7. 2 019 – 0 6 . 0 7. 2 019

MAMBO VOLKLINGEN STUDIES The new paintings of the series Volklingen Studies represent studies the artist made prior to his tubular mural. He painted the mural in a chimney inside at the Unesco World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte in April, 2019 for the 5th Urban Art Biennial.

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VOLKLINGEN STUDY 01 2019, acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm 222

The series Volklingen Studies is based on Mambo’s artistic concept called Brainology. This concept suggests that brains are equal to maps. He considers these ‘mental maps‘ as the foundation of the brain’s complexities. Mambo explores his fascination for the human mind as well as its various structures and facets in an artistic manner. His visual language can vary from figurative to graphic to abstract.

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The artistic concept Brainology was the narrative when Mambo started in 2008 and became more abstract along the way. The series exhibited is very narrative, abstract, organic and dynamic, based on a very spontaneous construction. By adding layers of solid colours as well as bold and thin grids of lines on top of each other, he organically generates a superimposed pattern. Each painting represents the brain at a certain moment. The paintings can portray the artist’s own brain but also everyone else’s. The multiple layering and structural texture of the paintings is reinforced by the various mix of media such as oil paint, fine acrylic and oil bars. The brain means more to Mambo than just a functional apparatus. On the one hand, it has a biological function, on the other it represents also an intersection between information, emotion and memory. The brain is always engaged - regarding one’s own body and psyche, as well as in one’s relationships to other people, animals, the whole ecosystem or the planet. It links everything together!

My inspiration for this series was to find a balance of calm and dynamic rhythms, combined in an organic network.

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VOLKLINGEN STUDY 02 2019, acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm 226

VOLKLINGEN STUDY 03 2019, acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm 227

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SUPAKITCH LANDESCAPE For the series LandEscape, SupaKitch was inspired to capture the seemingly coincidental states, conditions and circumstances of nature in the southwest of France. The artist has tried to render the various movements, shapes and statements of the elements, such as the shape of water created by the swell, incorporating the drawing of the sun’s reflections or the various shapes of the sand created by the wind. From SupaKitch’s point of view, the strata and ribs of the rock are the true witness of time.

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RYTHM 2 2019, acrylic, pigments, resin, fiberglass and gold leaf on wood 120 x 90 cm 234

Nature is the best artist. The series suggest a poetic yet abstract landscape, where colour fields and textures are well balanced and complement each other. The spatial references may be only slight but the moods inherent in the paintings are stronger for them. A planar synergy of attuned colours creates abstract yet organic landscapes. The detailed gold leaf adornments suggest an atmosphere of warm sunlight, either of a sunrise or sunset on the ocean shore. In SupaKitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique artworks an additional dimension of the interplay between surface and depth is created due to his particular approach and choice of materials, in this case fiberglass and resin layering. The artist gently and

sensitively translates his memories and impressions of the French coastlines to the paintings, incorporating layers of dyed resin and acrylic paint, as well as gold leaf. Fine yet striking linear and calligraphic structures belong to the filigree visual language of the artist. Whether as sunrays, decorative leaf elements or in the form of mystical calligraphy, they refine his works of art in every way. The compositions are harmoniously rounded off with a personal and emotional note, felt in the moment of surfing, while looking back at the landscapes of the southwestern French coast which transmute in the different intensities of sunlight.

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Buff Monster lives and works in New York City. Heavy metal music, ice cream, Pop art, Japanese culture and graffiti are among his major influences. His meticulously executed paintings have been shown in galleries around the world. He has also created a variety of limited edition collectibles including vinyl and resin toys, prints, shirts, stickers and two series of his ambitious trading cards and stickers called The Melty Misfits. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worked with some of the most recognizable brands such as Disney, Converse, Hello Kitty, Samsung, Nike, Coca-Cola and others. He has been creating pieces in the public space for the past 15 years. In 2015, he designed a mural project in Coney Island curated by Jeffrey Deitch and he was part of Banksyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.

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BUFF MONSTER COMPOSURE

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BUFF MONSTER COMPOSURE Buff Monster is well known for his adorable and iconic one-eyed characters, known as Mister Melty, living in brightly coloured lollipop landscapes. The bubble gum pink setting of his imagery became a distinctive trademark of his over the years. In the series Composure Buff Monsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characters, as well as the artworks, underwent a development of aesthetic complexity as well as digital enhancement. Visually, the compositions have became multi-layered, dense and enriched by structures and colours. Compared to earlier paintings, when the whole scene was clear and obvious, now the likable and cute characters are superimposed and cropped to the frame in a non-traditional way.

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Furthermore, the artist moved from the single-colour shapes to using rainbow gradients as fillings. Experimenting with different styles of lines, such as crisp, fuzzy, pixelated, coloured, the artist was inspired to develop techniques to paint rainbow gradients within the lines. This has led to a quite considerable shift in Buff Monsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oeuvre, since black lines have been a defining feature of his artistic practice, related to the cartoon and comic tradition. As to the title of the exhibition Composure, it relates to the tranquil state of mind that accompanied the artist while working on the pieces. Buff Monster perceived the time of this creative process as positive and harmonious and should therefore be transmitted to the paintings. Nevertheless, he had to make some sacrifices; in order to surrender to the creative process, he had to ignore his emails, Instagram and other typical aspects of our modern lives. He turned the disadvantages of our age to sources of inspirations. Thus gradients and pixellated lines are a reference to our increasingly digital lives and the significant changes that have occurred in the field of art. Artworks are being informed by digital techniques more than ever before, and are being seen digitally, mostly via social media, as never before.

Creating these paintings would be easier digitally but painting them with analogue techniques is important. 244

COMPOSURE 2019, acrylic and spray paint on cradled wood panel 30.5 x 30.5 cm 245

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Golden Green (b. 1979) grew up in Hamburg and first discovered graffiti at the age of 12. He literally sprayed every day and soon the negative consequences followed, as its practice repeatedly conflicted with the law. At the same time, he expanded his horizons by travelling through Europe, Asia and the USA and meeting artists from all over the world. Studying graphic design gave Golden Green an inspiring, mature and reflective perspective to his artistic practice in a different context. Since 2009 Golden Green has been a member of the worldwide acting sprayer collective Ultra-Boyz. Meanwhile his graffiti pieces in the urban space and studio-based art works influence each other. Combining graffiti and fine arts, Golden Green developed his own artistic signature, which has moved beyond the pictorial language of graffiti artistically without ever forgetting its origins.

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GOLDEN GREEN DROP SHADOW

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GOLDEN GREEN DROP SHADOW An enigmatic, visual language and surrealistic landscapes characterize this new series by Golden Green. The title, Drop Shadow, is a term deeply rooted in the graffiti and style writing tradition. A drop shadow is a visual effect consisting of an aesthetic element which looks like the shadow of an object. In the style writing tradition, the drop shadow is often used by writers to emphasize the letters of their pieces â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as well as outlines, gradients, highlights or 3D-blocks.

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As a former writer, Golden Green incorporated the drop shadow along with other traditional graffiti elements in his oeuvre, but they are no longer connected to letters. Instead of letters the artist uses linear, hard-edged and precisely painted shapes that are sometimes interrupted by organic and dynamic forms. Familiar shapes are somewhat transformed into something else which is and shall remain indefinable.

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SHADOW I 2019, acrylic on canvas 120 x 100 cm 254

For this series, the artist has chosen above all to examine especially the Drop Shadow as a feature in its various shapes and forms and which thus leads to different perceptions. The paintings contain 3D glass blocks that seemingly fly in a metaphysical landscape. The objects reflect light and cast shadow simultaneously. Organic structured material appears to pour into the empty space. The artist captures a frozen moment in a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;retro-futuristicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and surrealistic universe where there is no standing still. Everything is in a state of constant change and nothing at rest. A weightlessness, an indefinable calm and an inconspicuous energy surround the existing shapes and forms. Golden Greenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paintings appear to be alien yet are very compelling. The closer you look, the more illogical the compositions seem to become. There is no definition, there are no rules, but the freedom of interpretation is infinite!

The mood is quiet but full of energy.

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Nasty is a French street artist who is best known for his enamel signs of the RATP (Paris subway) that he has been using for more than a decade. At the age of thirteen he began to spray for the first time. In 1988 he tagged walls and metros with his lettering and gained popularity in the French graffiti scene. Along with fellow street artists, he strongly influenced and defined the codes of the Parisian graffiti subculture in the 1990s. Soon Nasty noticed that he preferred and tended to practice more of an ‘artistic vandalism’ rather than vandalism itself. Therefore, Nasty began to ‘kidnap’ outdated or unused subway signs, which he transformed into art objects using spray paint and his unique lettering style. His artistic work since 1988 has been documented in the book Nasty and Slice Artists On The Run (2009). The cultural channel Arte produced a documentary of Nasty’s work on the streets of Paris in 2010. Prestigious galleries and institutions have exhibited his work, for example, Magda Danysz Gallery, Palais de Chaillot, the Galerie Hélène Bailly, the Grand Palais and the Musée en Herbe, all in Paris.

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UNDERGROUND FRAGMENTS

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2 9. 0 7. 2 019 – 0 3 . 0 8 . 2 019

NASTY UNDERGROUND FRAGMENTS Nasty’s artworks are an homage to art in the streets as well as a reflection of his own artistic liberty, in terms of movement, colour, style, imagination and, of course, interpretation. His art represents the aesthetics of Parisian streets back in the 1990s. Tags, throw ups, drips and references to the urban environment, such as “REP YOUR CITY”, “PARIS CITY” or “SON OF LIBERTY” are common elements in all his paintings.

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SUBWAY CERAMIC 1 2019, spray paint on ceramic tiles 149 x 68 cm 264

SUBWAY CERAMIC 2 2019, spray paint on ceramic tiles 110 x 60 cm 265

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Nasty found his creativity especially in spraying metro plans, aluminum plates and ceramic tiles from Parisian subways. In this way he gave the streets, trains and subways a new calligraphic style and a colourful life. His style is characterized by bright colours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pink, purple or blue - to break the boring gray or white of the public buildings. To interrupt the monotony of urban walls, his throw ups diverge from the vertical as well as the horizontal construction of the walls. Passengers thereby recognize the distinctive style of his throw ups. Today he still uses

the traditional surfaces and materials, such as metro maps, signs, tiles and flat pressed spray cans, and with his striking calligraphic lettering he keeps the graffiti spirit alive and yet produces unique pieces. His longstanding dedication to graffiti as a form of expression is a central element of his oeuvre. He imbues the public space with his wild and unrestrained energy. The lively street aesthetic breaks up the rigid and cold walls of art institutions.

My work on the metro ceramics was born from the tension between the street and the gallery, finally it became my trademark. 268

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ZEST SCRATCH OFF

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0 5 . 0 8 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 . 0 8 . 2 019

ZEST SCRATCH OFF Scratch Off deals with the energetic and lively layers of paint hidden behind a monochrome surface usually for decades or even forever! The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main objective is to re-enable the colour explosions to find their way back to the surface. In this series Zest surprises with a totally new visual interpretation of the dismantling of the surface. The graphic compositions step into the background, whereas the gesture and the aesthetic of spraying takes on importance. The tight loop-like line is a new characteristic of a gesture that the artist is incorporating into the formal aesthetic of his canvases.

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Another new element is the colour palette. Adding to the artist’s rather flash colour choice – pink, ultramarine blue and yellow – in this series he presents a whole new side. For the first time, Zest’s colour concept has expanded to pastel tones from rose, to sage green to foggy blues. Underneath a monochromatic façade lies a vivid and multilayered set of colours. Each piece reflects a different intensity of expressiveness and therefore is unique in its radiance. From the very beginning, Zest’s artistic pursuit has evolved from figurative images to cubist, geometrical and even abstract worlds. His art is not a translation of what he observes anymore, but rather an expression of his inner sensations, which he carries from the inside out.

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SCRATCH OFF 2 2019, acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm 276

SCRATCH OFF 5 2019, acrylic on canvas 100 x 100 cm 277

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Koralie (b. 1977) is a plastic, visual and urban artist from a village in the Camargue area of France. Today she lives and works in Biarritz. She grew up in a creative and sensitive family, and painting, drawing and modelling have been Koralie’s passion since childhood. She studied architecture in Montpellier from 1995 to 2001, when she also discovered graffiti in Toulouse. This revelation led her to paint on the city walls in 1999. Since 2000 she has devoted herself entirely to her artistic vocation and she now finds herself in the ‘street art’ movement and has emerged as an established artist. Her techniques, surfaces and working materials vary according to the message and intention of the projects, and for this the multidisciplinary artist works on canvas or murals, wooden sculptures, weavings, vector graphics and videos. Koralie has exhibited her art in various international galleries in New York, Paris and San Fransisco. She has participated in exhibitions at the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (Mexico) and The Museum of World Culture (Gothenborg). She has also collaborated with major brands such as Carhartt, Ikea, Chevalier Edition, Reebok, Pierre Frey and Sessun.

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KORALIE ACCLIMATATION

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12 . 0 8 . 2 019 – 17. 0 8 . 2 019

KORALIE ACCLIMATATION The title of the exhibition Acclimatation heralds a new era in Koralie’s artistic practice. She understands the term ‘acclimatation’ literally as an adaptation to a new environment by nature as well as in a metaphorical and personal sense. She examines a new way of painting, which contrasts yet complements her well-known style. Nevertheless, the main essences of her artistic practice, such as her tribute to nature and spirituality, fascination for phyllotaxis as well as folkloric motifs are constantly maintained. The artist is particularly inspired by naïve art in general as well as the exuberant and exotic vegetation of Douanier Rousseau.

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Koralie typically masters perfectly symmetrical shapes that she can repeat identically. Her new works of art have a less perfect, controlled and phyllotaxic, but rather more painterly character. Her meticulously designed stencils are newly complemented by dynamic and powerful brushstrokes, thus bringing an organic authenticity to her work. In addition to the floral universe created by filigree stencils, freehand painted plant ornaments can now be found. Through the dynamic mixture of two opposite techniques, the artist succeeds in creating imaginary and poetic natural landscapes. The different representations appear as surreal and dreamlike, where the line between reality and fiction is vague.

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ACCLIMATATION II 2019, acrylic, oil paint and ink on canvas 73 x 100 cm 287

ACCLIMATATION IV 2019, acrylic, oil paint and ink on canvas 73 x 100 cm 288

She superimposes and supplements the phyllotaxic elements with handpainted brushstrokes according to her mood, which progressively balances the mismatches and ultimately brings life to the paintings through various textures. A new touch of dynamic brushstrokes takes the lead in her latest set of paintings and boosts the rigidity of symmetry with a lively flow. Koralie is a sensitive artist, who incorporates personal research, craftsmanship of indigenous cultures and homage to the complex beauty of nature into her versatile work.

In this series of paintings, I wanted to test my ability to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;let goâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;.

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Gaspard Louane (b. 1988) currently lives in Bern and s in both Fribourg and Zurich. In his teenage years, he found expression through rap in the hip-hop movement. He is one of the founding members of the FPZ (Free Painterz) crew who eventually evolved into the collective LES UNS. Louane studied visual communication and multimedia design at Eikon in Fribourg. 2010 to 2015 were important years for Louane’s own visual language which shaped his former artistic identity and pseudonym ‘Jack Little’ who developed into Gaspare Louane. He developed a unique artistic signature, consisting of intricate and interlaced letters on one side and cartoon-like animal illustrations on the other. Since 2016, Louane has been invited to participate in several exhibitions and art fairs in Europe and a year later was commissioned to paint a monumental mural in Munich. In 2018 he had the opportunity to create a mural of more than 30m2 height, entitled Bern City Streets Love, which was part of the exhibition Sandwich Between Walls at the Attisholz Kultur area in Solothurn (Switzerland). In 2019 he created a large mural in Fribourg. His artistic output has been presented in New York, Colmar, Fribourg and Zurich.

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LOUANE ICH GANG

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LOUANE ICH GANG Louane is well-known for his ambiguous font-based artworks. Sometimes they are easier to read and sometimes harder. In the series Ich Gang the pieces fascinate because of the intricacy of their figures, attuned colour combinations and the interplay between light and shadow. His personal interest and research for colour tonalities is due to the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colour blindness. By using only very few contrasts, he tries to discover and understand the extent of his own colour blindness. In his fascinating artworks where letters and forms blend, the artist plays with the idea of appearance and disappearance of letters, shapes and contents.

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Zurich’s everyday life was the inspirational source for this set of illustrations. The peculiarity of Louane’s illustration universe is the animal embodiment whereby each person represented corresponds to a certain animal. For his series Ich Gang he chose to portray Zurich’s main hub for commuters, tourists or lovers, Zürich’s Central Station. He has added to the otherwise so hectic station a romantic touch. Furthermore Louane has illustrated probably Zurich’s most popular summer meeting place, Oberer Letten. The captured cartoon scenarios are vivid and rich in detail. The animal personifications are bathing, flirting, spraying graffiti, strolling around and enjoying life. Louane seems to be a hidden observer of Zurich’s busy city life. He walks through the world with a sensitive mind and is therefore inspired daily by different impressions, encounters and life situations. In the end, the simple things in life nourish his artistic practice, as he never misses any detail. Louane, the thoughtful rebel, uses the practices of graffiti on a visual as well as a conceptual level and reinforces his art by strategies of communication.

The journey is the destination.

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ALLES WAS ZÃ&#x201E;HLT 2019, digital print 100 x 70 cm, edition of 50 297

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Solomostry is an Italian artist who joined the graffiti movement in 2000 in Milan, when he was only 14 years old. At that time Milan’s underground was covered by a wild style of graffiti on walls and panels, as well as tags. He was immediately fascinated. In his beginnings he was part of three different crews and practised graffiti writing for the following five years. When he started to collaborate as a scenographer for techno parties in clubs, he realized that traditional graffiti writing was not a suitable topic for his artistic expression. He then began to create a character who would come alive at these techno parties in the Milan club scene - SOLOMOSTRY. The artist started to design his first big monsters at the back of the stage, overlooking the dancing crowd until the first light of the morning. A monster born in the darkness and to the sound of loud techno music. Solomostry in Italian means “only monsters”. A monochrome monster composed of lines with imposing and staring eyes. Solomostry is not only the main character of the artist’s art works but also his alias. Solomostry has since obtained a degree in Graphic Design & Art Direction and works in his studio in Milan. Solomostry’s draws his inspiration from really everything that attracts his attention. He is inspired by the streets itself, its inhabitants, friends, lovedones and rivals. He is convinced that, traveling but also information and sensory experience are the source of inspiration - always being continuous.

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SOLOMOSTRY SUMMER VIBES

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2 6 . 0 8 . 2 019 – 31. 0 8 . 2 019

SOLOMOSTRY SUMMER VIBES The concept of this series Summer Vibes is inspired by the artist’s memories of summer. The artist spent long summer holidays on the Adriatic coast of Italy in his adolescence. It reflects the certain feeling that arises only in summer. The artist remembers the 1990s with the fluorescent colours of holiday makers’ swimsuits, the cartoon characters one would see in the video game arcade, the pop aesthetics of toy surprises distributed outside of ice cream parlours.

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During the day, Solomostry usually waited for the passing of the clouds that would give way to the summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main actor the sun. Sunny weather always excited him because it allowed him and his friends to play football on the beach with his favourite spider-man ball. He remembers the evenings, when he took his first summer love out on a stroll on the beach promenade. He remembers how the mosquitoes flying around were caught and eaten by bats at night in the garden. In recognition

of those memories he has entitled the five representations of the series Summer Vibes. The concept of this series is a reproduction of fragments of those summer sensations and colours that the artist felt during a part of his adolescence. In the 1990s those summer vibes were characterized by certain aesthetics, flashy colours, the smells of the Adriatic sea and a typical cartoon iconography, all of which left the artist with a sensation of freedom and a holiday feeling.

The aesthetics of that time made me feel free and on holiday.

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BATMONSTER 2019, acrylic on wood 50 x 65 x 2 cm 308

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Mist (b.1972) discovered graffiti along the railroads of the RER (Regional Express Rail) in the Paris region in the late 1980s. Captivated by the fascinating things he saw, he realized his first graffiti in 1988. Standing out from his competitors, in 1991 he was lucky enough to exhibit with Futura, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Musée National des Monuments Français. Also recognized as a pioneer of the so-called ’designer toys’ he designed vinyl toys called Orus, Malus, Lucius and many more. With much authenticity Mist has established the link between painting and the plastic universe as well as the balance between them. Mist went beyond the usual size of things when he created two huge and spectacular murals in Montpellier (2014) and Rennes (2015). Mist’s exhibition history spans a wide range starting in France and spreading around the globe. He participated at the Urban Art Biennial in Völklingen (DE) in 2013 and was part of the large-scale exhibition Language of the Wall. Graffiti/Street Art at the Pera Museum in Istanbul (TR) in 2014.

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MIST PRIMAL & ROUGH

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0 2 . 0 9. 2 019 – 0 7. 0 9. 2 019

MIST PRIMAL & ROUGH A sharp and edgy yet dynamic line style as well as expressive colour compositions represent Mist’s artworks at their best. In the series entitled Primal & Rough, the artist reverts to his primal and rough painting conditions of the streets. He therefore challenged himself to paint this series under very reduced light conditions. Mist demonstrates his dexterity not only of his technical skills but also in the conceptually elaborate variety of his work. The pieces displayed convince the viewer of the artist’s capability of abstraction and blend of letters along with characters he has been developing over his lengthy artistic career.

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TIME CAPSULE 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 130 x 97 cm 316

Mist’s abstract paintings are often inspired by the letters of his pseudonym, which is deconstructed in order to level up the traditional aesthetics of lettering. Mist doesn’t limit himself to abstract compositions, however. The figurations of his toy designs still shine through some of his paintings, which makes them very intriguing. Sometimes the art works seem like just ‘another’ abstract painting, but from another perspective there suddenly appears a sketch of a recognizable Orus.

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I challenged myself by trying to reproduce the light conditions of my too rare nights out. 320

BASIC INSTINCT 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 130 x 97 cm 321

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JONONE PALM TREES AND ICE CREAM

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2 9. 0 7. 2 019 – 0 3 . 0 8 . 2 019

JONONE PALM TREES AND ICE CREAM The works presented in the series Palm Trees and Ice Cream show another facet of JonOne’s dense, vibrating and explosive oeuvre. Multiple layers and thick brushstrokes adorn his largesized paintings. His practice is always connected to the primary gesture of graffiti - the tag. The abstract lines, cryptic shapes and interwoven patterns are all based on JonOne’s own tag‚ ’JONONE’, sometimes also in variations as ‘JONONE ROCK’. The regularity of repeating his tag over and over, is not monotonous; on the contrary, it is diverse, complex and rich. Eventually the writing develops into an abstract pattern within the beauty of infinity.

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TABLE FOR TWO 2019, acrylic and ink on canvas 120 x 120 cm 328

In this series particularly, the multi-layered nature of JonOneâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s art becomes evident. The backgrounds of the paintings are quite visible and this creates the ideal stage for his sassy and edgy tags. The exhibited paintings are reminiscent of his early works, where he not only focused on the tag itself, but also expressed his intentions in almost figurative colour fields. The different selections of paintings demonstrate the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facets of proficiency and versatility in his expressive and abstract practice. JonOne is inspired by everything he has experienced in his life. From a biographical point of view, his path was coloured by different tones, marked by various actions and influenced by different cultures. His journey through the urban jungle has led him to his artistic essence, which keeps on reverberating.

As time passed, my painting was nourished, enriched, by all theses different life experiences.

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L’OUTSIDER DE L’HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS À LA SINGULARITÉ

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16 . 0 9. 2 019 – 21. 0 9. 2 019

L’OUTSIDER DE L’HORIZON DES ÉVÉNEMENTS À LA SINGULARITÉ The artworks of the series De l’Horizon des Événements à la Singularité are a continuation of the previous exhibition entitled L’Horizon des Événements. The artist is inspired by the black hole’s formation and activities. And yet the lack of knowledge and understanding of these phenomena plunges him into a state of total fascination, close to the exaltation of creation. The recent discoveries about black holes fascinate L’outsider, because they leave room for the imagination and unsolved mysteries.

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SENSATION ACCUMULÃ&#x2030;E 9 2019, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 150 x 100 cm 338

I compose the paintings by splitting the composition into an accumulation of different sensations or experiences of my life. The canvases reflect his graffiti roots and therefore present abstract and planar compositions, complemented by wild splashes. An observer of his visual imagery concludes that he has developed a practice of graffiti no longer based on the deformation of the letter but rather on a transposition of geometric shapes inherent to the elementary typography of letters. The series has been strongly influenced by and has evolved through his street project madmaxxx. With the fat cap the spray can imitates an immense calligraphic pen. Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;outsider has learned to master and perfect this technique.

In this series especially the subject of singularity was significant to Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;outsider, because in his opinion there are parallels to the intentions of every artist. He sees the singularity and individuality of an artist as the ultimate goal. In his case he composes paintings by splitting the composition into an accumulation of different sensations or experiences of his life that in the end are juxtaposed and enter into a dialogue with each other.

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MOSES & TAPS™ SCRATCHITI™

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2 3 . 0 9. 2 019 – 2 8 . 0 9. 2 019

MOSES & TAPS™ SCRATCHITI™ SCRATCHITI™ refers to transience - to the constant coming and going of graffiti. The series was inspired by painted windows of so-called “whole cars“. The studio-based works are interpretations of train windows painted on the outside, which have been partially scratched off or buffed, usually through the railway’s cleaning services. Because the passengers are seated inside the train and the SCRATCHITI™ is painted on the outside, the image appears from the passenger’s perspective.

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SCRATCHITI/BUFFITI™ LVII – ILLUMINATI 2019, spray paint on anti-glare glass in a lightbox (painted cherrywood) 52 x 52 cm 350

SCRATCHITI™ LVIII – ILLUMINATI 2019, spray paint on anti-glare glass in a lightbox (wenge-wood) 52 x 52 cm 351

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Observing the art works gives one the sensation of sitting inside a train. In fact, the painted glass lies between the work and the viewer and thus functions as a picture carrier, which creates a mystical distance between the works and the audience. In this series MOSES & TAPS™ introduce an extension of the SCRATCHITI™ series, entitled BUFFITI™. These pieces are buffed, in addition to the scratched parts. Both the SCRATCHITI™ and the BUFFITI™ series visualize an extraordinary kind of reverse glass painting. The multi-layered process of spraying and removing is reflected and at the same time it aims to build a bridge for the aesthetic understanding between graffiti and graffiti art. The conceptual play of the counter perspective, ‘outside’ and ‘inside’, is a reference to the institutionalization of graffiti. The aim of MOSES & TAPS™’s conceptual practice is to increase the aesthetic understanding of the move from graffiti to graffiti art and back again.

SCRATCHITI™ is never a finished image but always just an interrupted snapshot in the infinity of transience. The artworks demonstrate the energetic cycle of graffiti and its cleaning process. The last word, however, is always left to graffiti.

The last word, however, is always left to graffiti.

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MADC SEQUENCE

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3 0 . 0 9. 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 0 5 .10 . 2 019

MADC SEQUENCE MadC is known for her abstractions and deconstruction of lettering. The series entitled Sequence refers to the process of creating a painting. Especially working with transparent and water-based colours, MadC aims to show the multilayered nature of her canvases. This requires one layer of paint to dry before the next one can be applied. Lately the artist has begun to accentuate her roots in graffiti by utilizing drips, splashes and flares. Instead of using graffiti writing in its formal and functional way, she has developed an artistic practice based on capturing its energy and expression.

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11:21-16082019 2019, acrylic, water colour and spray paint on canvas 100 x 100 cm 360

The paintings demonstrate the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delicate usage of colours. Combining different colours has various impacts on the observer. What can be soft and feminine sometimes is bold and powerful at others, and could be compared to the way MadC works: she mixes the strong and bold graffiti attitude with an intuitive, gentle and feminine touch. MadC paints intuitively and thus her works express spontaneity and vitality. Each canvas has its own mood and character - and thus allows the spectator to achieve a completely individual emotional experience. This phenomenon is known as a synesthetic perception of colours and emotions. MadC finds her inspirations while travelling, in conversations and even reading books. Collaborations with other artists also open up her mind to new approaches. The latest mural she created for the Jersey City Mural Arts Program was in June 2019 and once again she stands out with her fresh colours and the incredible size of 55m2, almost 18 floors high.

The pink looks either really feminine or really powerful.

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John ‘Crash’ Matos (b. 1961) was raised in the Bronx, New York. At the age of 13, he began to follow the older teens from his neighborhood to the train yards and began spraying. In 1975 he painted his first train. At the age of 19, Crash curated his first, and ground-breaking, exhibition Graffiti Art Success for America at Fashion Moda (NY). In addition, Crash has designed a mural for the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. With over 300 worldwide exhibitions, Crash counts among the pioneers of graffiti art rooted in the 1980s in New York City. Nowadays his works are represented in renowned art museums: Museum of Modern Art in New York, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Brooklyn Museum of Art in Brooklyn.

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WONDERLUST 2019, spray paint on canvas 100 x 100 cm 370

0 7.10 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 .10 . 2 019

CRASH TEXTURES In his series Textures the graffiti universe is always the primary focus but gives away more about the surroundings of graffiti. In this series the artist envisioned graffiti as a platform to be explored, such as surfaces, neighborhoods and people. Because his goal truly is to bring his own vibe to the world around him, hoping to communicate his individual experience of graffiti.

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I paint to communicate an experience. Colour explosions and different textures as well as the omnipresent icon of the eye are predominant features in Crashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s canvases shown in the exhibition. The different coloured splashed imitate amplified sprayed tags or throw ups on walls. Accompanied by the legacy of old school graffiti, Crash developed his compositions while traversing several abstraction processes. Lettering and tags became colour patterns. Lettering as well as writing constitute only a small part of the canvas. Full feminine faces from his earlier paintings in the 1990s were shortened to one essential icon - the eye. Nevertheless, the reference to the comic tradition in Crashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stylization of letters and facials becomes obvious. Central to the look of these canvas works is that both letters and characters only appear in fragmented versions, unlike the street versions. The stylization of Crashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letters and motifs convey a nostalgia, not only for earlier graffiti, but also for the advertising industry of the 1960s. The inclusion of elements such as comics, advertising and pop art give his works a certain retro look.

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TILT TILT X MOSES & TAPS™ The TILT X MOSES & TAPS™ series of artworks is a perfect match. Tilt’s gestural traces of the urban environment are mixed up by no other than MOSES & TAPS™. The collaboration shows layers of paint, spray paint and markers, which provide a certain depth and intricacy in their works. Rough designs and impulsive scratches and tags characterize the collaborative art works. The artworks show wild and illegible tags, throw ups and deliberate drips as aesthetic tools. The weighty heritage of the graffiti tradition is used as a tool to evoke the rebellious and anarchic act belonging to a subculture’s past.

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UNTITLED 105 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 130 x 90 cm 380

The medium is the message and their messages are multiple.

MOSES & TAPS™ experienced walls, yards, trains as well as suburbs firsthand. They painted countless trains, throwies, pieces and left their marks, in the form of tags and stickers, nearly everywhere. Tilt’s rather abstract concrete plates represent walls, the original, authentic surface of graffiti writing. MOSES & TAPS™ complement the represented walls with fragments of their tags, throw-ups and splashes utilizing their corporate colours yellow and cyan blue. In deconstructing subcultural and semiotic codes, the series TILT X MOSES & TAPS™ plays with the decontextualization of writing, textures and intensity. This series is focused on simpler compositions but is visually intended and far more disruptive which thereby present those layers of writing in their purest way. This collaboration was developed during MOSES & TAPS™’s participation at the Biennial Rose Beton in Toulouse. Rose Beton is curated by Tilt and Nicolas Couturieux. For the past three editions, they have invited artists to redecorate Toulouse’s walls in the form of an open-air gallery. MOSES & TAPS™ had already been doing their own thing in their own way in Toulouse.

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UNTITLED 103 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 160 x 110 cm 384

UNTITLED 104 2019, scratchiti and spray paint on plaster board 160 x 110 cm 385

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ICONIC SURFACES

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NASTY ICONIC SURFACES Iconic Surfaces represent Nasty’s first and purest connection to urban art. The aluminium plates are one of the first surfaces the artist was able to paint on 20 years ago. He is revisiting the aesthetics of Parisian streets of the 1990s. Tags, throw-ups, drips and references to the urban environment, such as “REP YOUR CITY”, “PARIS CITY” or “SON OF LIBERTY” are common elements in all his paintings. Nasty found his creativity especially in spraying metro plans, aluminum plates and ceramic tiles from Parisian subways. In this way he gave the streets, trains and subways a new calligraphic style and a colourful life. His style is characterized by bright colors – pink, purple or blue – to break the boring gray or white of the public buildings. To interrupt the monotony of urban walls, his throw-ups

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diverge from the vertical as well as the horizontal construction of the walls. Passengers thereby recognize his throw-upsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the distinctive style. Today he still uses the traditional surfaces and materials, such as metro maps, signs, tiles and flat pressed spray cans, and with his striking calligraphic lettering he keeps the graffiti spirit alive and yet produces unique pieces. His longstanding dedication to graffiti as a form of expression is a central element of his oeuvre. He contrasts the urban, wild and unrestrained energy and aesthetic of the streets with the sometimes rigid and cold walls of art institutions. His works are a tribute to art in the streets as well as a reflection of his own artistic liberty, in terms of movement, colour, style, imagination and, of course, interpretation.

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The subway signs are the surface that I chose 20 years ago to begin my adventure in art world. 392

SMOKING SIGN 2019, spray paint and acrylic on enamel subway signs (Paris) 45 x 25 cm 393

Ilk was born in the Seine St. Denis district of the Paris suburbs, where he lives and works today. In 1998 he started writing graffiti in Paris.Torn between geek and street culture, as well as growing up in the Parisian suburbs and therefore glimpsing various traditions, was a rewarding experience for the artist. He obtained a degree in Fine Arts in 2002 when he started to work as an art director as well as a digital graphic designer mainly in the music, luxury and fashion industry. His transition from graffiti to art on canvas was not seamless. Eventually he started painting on canvas to relax his mind and in order to get his hands dirty after all his clean, computer-based day job. Through his creative practice he tries to counteract the dramatic and brutal onslaught of information that submerges us every day through the mass media. His surreal and unique world of eclecticism leads him to important collaborations, such as being an ambassador for Converse Cons in 2014 or designing the iconic Timberland Yellow Boot in 2016. His exhibitions in Paris, Zurich, Munich and other European cities continue to gain attention.

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2 8 .10 . 2 019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 0 2 .11. 2 019

ILK CALL FROM THE DARK The series Call From The Dark is based mainly on a solid colour concept. In fact, Ilk realized that he often paints very colourful artworks, whereas in his personal life, he mostly tends towards darker colours and objects. As he was looking for a fitting title to his concept, the song Call From The Dark (1984) by Magma, a French progressive rock band founded in 1969, was playing in the background. From there he determined to create a series of paintings based on the evolution of colours.

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He started from a very bright and vivid palette and finished with a very dark mood. The colour progression begins with a pastel turquoise and blue palette, then blends into a pastel salmon colour, which then mutates to a bold pink-magenta. It then slowly merges into a sky blue, crosses over to a darker blue to end with a very dark colour palette indeed.

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CALL FROM THE DARK 3 2019, acrylic, spray paint and glitter on canvas 100 x 73 cm 402

CALL FROM THE DARK 5 2019, acrylic, spray paint and glitter on canvas 100 x 73 cm 403

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To emphasize his concept and the gradual transition of colours, Ilk integrates a colour and shape fragment of the previous painting into the following one. Ilkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visual repertoire constantly merges from concrete organic shapes to writing. Sometimes image and lettering even superimpose themselves or merge to a synthesis. In this series, one might on the one hand simply see different colours, textures and

shapes, mostly representing abstract paintings. But, on the other, here and there the silhouette of a leaf, a fruit, a vase or radically abstract lettering is recognizable also. Ilkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s symbolic language merges elements of his daily life and his personal interests, and gives his pieces an organic yet graphic, surrealistic and sometimes psychedelic aesthetic.

I often paint colorful art works, but in my personal life I actually like mostly dark colours and things.

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Imon Boy (b. 1991) is a Spanish artist from Malaga. He has been involved in the world of graffiti for years and honed his technique in the streets. His pieces alternated from stylized lettering to painting and drawings of graffiti-related memes. Nowadays his artworks, memes and illustrations are inspired by a wide range of topics, including graffiti itself, video games, the internet, cinema, music, travel, girls, friends and others. The subjects portrayed in his works are mostly interlaced with his personal life, reflections and analyses. With his egocentric view the artist describes small or bigger challenges of everyday life with a generous pinch of humour. Thanks to scholarships and exhibitions, his work has been seen at museums or galleries such as CAC Mรกlaga, Positive Propaganda (Munich), Birimbao Gallery (Sevilla), Affenfaust Galerie (Hamburg), District Gallery (Philippines), GoodSpace Gallery (Sydney), ArtcadeArt Gallery (Taiwan), La Causa (Madrid) or Martinez Gallery (New York).

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IMON BOY

THEY ARE OUT THERE

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IMON BOY THEY ARE OUT THERE The artworks of the series They Are Out There represent two key perspectives of Imon Boy that are connected to his graffiti universe. On the one hand he depicts scenes of confrontations between graffiti writers and the police. Mostly these confrontations end with a police interrogation or arrest, but Imon Boy adds a humorous twist to them. Nevertheless, the title They Are Out There clearly connotes that the police, the opponents, are out there chasing the writers.

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RAINY DAYS 2019, acrylic on canvas 116 x 89 cm 412

SEPTIEMBRE 2019, acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm 413

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Graffiti is wherever I want it to be, and that’s why it’s mine.

On the other hand, however, the artist paints incredibly detailed interiors. The rooms reveal the artist’s various inspirations. The somewhat older spray cans, music system, television or playstation indicate that the artist was strongly influenced by the 1990s. But he also grants other preferences a place in his interiors, such as plants, animals, video games, the internet, cinema, music, travel and girls. Even his wish as a child to become an astronaut was

captured in one of his art works. But graffiti, throw-ups, sketches and his name, Imon Boy, are never missing in any of his pieces! Imon Boy’s painting are rich in texture and content. His pieces in the public space are bold and captivating. The subjects portrayed in his works, on canvas or in the streets, are often interwoven with items from his personal life, reflections and analyses.

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SUPAKITCH

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

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SUPAKITCH SAME BUT DIFFERENT As the title of the series Same But Different suggests, SupaKitch portrays the simple and fugitive element of water in its wide colour spectrum, caused by the angle of incidence of the light as well as the time of day. SupaKitch is so utterly fascinated and inspired by the phenomenon of this transient moment that he decided to research and depict it. Therefore, the artist extracted the aesthetic essence of the intriguing element and removed the unnecessary parameters. The key aspects of SupaKitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water aesthetics are gesture, movement, light, colour and matter.

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With SupaKitch’s background as a graffiti artist, gesture and lines are essential to his artistic expression. He approaches his motif with a continuous line or a flow, similar to automatic writing. There is no possibility for mistakes, which allows the artist to draw in one go only. The artist trusts the drawing of his hand to surprise him in the end. Through motion and light, the observer experiences and appreciates the different reflections of the artworks that play with the light. SupaKitch’s research of the colours of water motivates him to study its shades at all hours of the day, whether it be sea water or swimming pool water. He discovers colours from deep black to orange pink and to all possible shades of blue and green. Regarding the material aspect of SupaKitch’s art works, he discovered that resin, with its unpredictability and plastic possibilities, allows him to express and capture the fluidity of water. The aesthetic resemblance to water allows the artist to create this hypnotic and random motif that seems always to be the same but is always different. Organic, free and hypnotic - the power of water makes SupaKitch want to observe its movement, reflections, waves, transparency and nuances. Every day, every hour, every moment.

I can look at the horizon every day without ever seeing the same thing.

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SURFACE & DEPTH 3 2019, resin, pigments, fiberglass and acrylic on wood 100 x 70 cm 425

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Cédrix Crespel (b. 1974) lives and works in France. He especially examines the vast variety of the representation of women. His works are all about celebrating independent and passionate women who defy traditional roles. In the middle of the 1990s he abandoned academic drawing, renounced pencils and lines, and invented a figurative form of expression originating in the ‘computer’ generation, where graphics meet abstraction. Cédrix Crespel’s painting is a sensual odyssey. His art transmits to get rid of certainties, in order to enter a universe where his women love to be coveted in this way. From the tension in desire to the obsessions haunting him, Cedrix Crespel implies the sexual in the sensual, and its reverse.

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CEDRIX CRESPEL LIGNE BLEUE ZÜRICH ACT 1

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2 2 . 0 7. 2 019 – 2 7. 0 7. 2 019

CEDRIX CRESPEL LIGNE BLEUE ZÜRICH ACT 1 The series Ligne Bleue Zurich Act 1 will be part of an iteration of exhibitions in four different cities – Zurich, Marrakech, Brussels and Paris. According to the title, the blue line forms the common ground of the exhibitions in the four cities. The artist’s conception of the meaning of ‘dogma’ plays an important role in all the exhibitions. ‘Dogma‘ as a fixed

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definition or normative statement, like the Ligne Bleue, can be constricting and can lead to radical renunciation. In addition, the Ligne Bleue will delicately unroll the energy of the bond that binds Crespel and Tiphaine, who is his spouse and muse at the same time. The new series follows up on their past mutual work, but with a new starting point: Ligne Bleue Zurich Act 1.

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Beyond the constraint imposed by the ‘dogma‘, there are several dimensions that are addressed in this series: singularity, iteration and association. The singularity is performed by the colour blue. It represents a personal tribute regarding the relationship between Crespel and Tiphaine. Moreover, it represents a tribute to the great masters, such as Henri Matisse, Jaques Monory and Yves Klein. By using only the colour blue the artistic couple avoids habits and forces the gesture to surpass itself. The iteration is shown by the utilization of repetitive motifs and imagery. Crespel has used shots

of Tiphaine recurrently in multiple variations. Finally, association plays an important role in every artwork. The process of association transcends the translation and representation of the artwork or the imagery. The figurative association of the image’s contents is bound to Crespel and Tiphaine’s personal relationship. The ‘dogma’ of Ligne Bleue Zurich Act 1 seems restraining and asks for renunciation, but at the same time stimulates the creativity, leverages and forces the artist to reach the essence.

We want to avoid habits and force the gesture to surpass itself.

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FELL DEPARTURE 2 2019, glycero on canvas 146 x 114 cm 436

SANG BLEU 2019, bronze 40 x 40 x 40 cm, edition of 8 437

Speedy Graphito (b. 1961) lives and works in Paris and Los Angeles. Back in the 1980s he was part of the stencil artists group X-Moulinex. In 1984 he presented his first gallery exhibition using the name „Speedy Graphito“. He graduated from Estienne Art School in 1983 and devoted himself fully to painting early. Throughout the 30 years of his artistic career, Speedy Graphito has matured and perfected his technique across various media, including paintings, drawings, sculptures as well as installations. His world-wide artistic success was crowned by the first retrospective exhibition entitled Un Art De Vivre at the Touquet Museum in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, that ran from 22 October 2016 to 21 May 2017 (FR). Globalization, art marketing, art history, art markets, a proliferation of images and codes that draw upon the collective memory are the main elements of expression used by Speedy Graphito in his works of art. While the artist’s pieces will continue to exist primarily as products of consumption, his mind is free from the economic aspects of the art market.

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SPEEDY GRAPHITO SILHOUETTES

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SPEEDY GRAPHITO SILHOUETTES Famous art works from pop art, classical modernism as well as comic characters are all juxtaposed in Speedy Graphito’s oeuvre. But this series is about Silhouettes. Especially in the series Silhouettes he challenges the collective memory of the audience. The series pays tribute to the iconic Silhouettes of comic and cartoon industry. The main actors in Speedy Graphito’s mini series are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Felix the Cat. The iconic key figures of this series were all created in the late 1920s and are the forefathers of today’s cartoons.

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MOUSE 2019 2019, acrylic on paper 65 x 50 cm 444

The unique element in Speedy Graphito’s artwork is the harmonious combination of symbols, pictograms and other icons from different periods. That is why he mixes comics from the 1920s with Andy Wahrhol’s Dollar Sign (1981) or Keith Haring’s Barking Dog (ca. 1980). Furthermore he incorporated the Guy Fawkes mask, better known as ‘Vendetta mask’ which originates in the very early 17th century and is seen as a symbol of various protests. Another recurring motif in Speedy Graphito’s backgrounds is a reinterpretation of David Nightingale Hicks’s Art Deco Hexagon, iconically represented in Stanley Kubrick’s Shining (1980). There are many more Silhouettes to discover! Globalization implements the concept of synthesizing cultures of the world in order to create a unique representation, understood by everyone. In the eyes of Speedy Graphito, art has always been a reflection of the respective epoch, thus art has always been an expression of the inherent philosophy of each era. According to the artist we now live in the age of sampling, recycling and even remixing, which is conveyed by his paintings. Ultimately, his paintings demonstrate how certain imagery and symbols are universally recognizable and how humans communicate their experiences through universal shapes and signs.

Even if an iconic silhouette is emptied of its narrative, it still remains identifiable.

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ZEST WAVES

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ZEST WAVES These new paintings are a continuation of the previous series Scratch Off. The flashy and colourful surfaces push themselves into the spotlight, breaking the rather monotonous and monochrome surfaces. The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main objective is to re-enable the colour explosions to find their way back to the surface. In the series Waves a subtle play of undressing the canvases takes place. Zest allows the primordial emptiness of the waves to emerge, soft or bright, so that the colours spontaneously blend together.

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SANS TITRE 1 2019, mixed media on canvas 130 x 97 cm 454

Everything is energy. With the title Waves the artist builds a bridge to the light waves of the colour spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths, which create perceptible colours for the human eye. Colour can always be distinguished by brightness and intensity, as Zestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artworks differ from each other. The key feature of his paintings is always the gesture and aesthetics of spraying. The round and curved lines reinforce the reference to the wave-like frequencies of light-

waves. The works are characterised by colour gradients incorporating an abstracted layering. In this sense, Zestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work allows the light spectrum to become visible, the energetic vibrations that emanate from it are illuminated and reveal the intertwined layers of electromagnetic frequencies. Zest expresses himself in his purest intuition, making visible the waves of light usually inaccessible to the human eye.

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SANS TITRE 2 2019, mixed media on canvas 130 x 97 cm 458

SANS TITRE 4 2019, mixed media on canvas 130 x 97 cm 459

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MIST EVILHEADS

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MIST EVILHEADS This series entitled Evilheads is all about Mistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imp-like characters, also known as Orus or Malus. Mist is very well known for his background in the designer toys industry. Mist was among the pioneers of designer toys, when he was already working as a toy sculptor in the 1990s. In 1996 he designed his first toy which was inspired by his renowned character, Malus.

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When the designer toy phenomenon started to boom, Mist was already a few steps ahead of the times. Therefore, in 2001 he created his own his label Bonustoys and soon after, he was able to team up with Medicom Toy (Japan) and created a Kubrick mini-figure in 2002. The subsequent collaborations with Medicom Toy led to global success. In 2005, he collaborated with the French label Artoyz to create four variations of Orus and then in 2008 he was recognized with his own blindbox series and Dunny by Kidrobot (USA) in the same year.

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EVILSHADES64 MINT 2019, acrylic on canvas 80 x 80 cm 466

EVILSHADES64 YELLOW 2019, acrylic on canvas 80 x 80 cm 467

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In the course of his artistic career, he has designed and released a variety of limited editions of different designer toy characters. There is Bonass, a female alter ego to Malus, Diablo, Goldorus, Dinoz, Lucius and many more. Eventually his characters, brought alive as designer toys, became part of his art exhibitions, both as sculptural complements and as motifs on his canvases. The series Evilheads is fully devoted to the omnipresent, colourful and edgy characters of Mist’s artistic work. Mist has a long exhibition history which started in France and has spread globally. He participated in the Urban Art Biennial in Völklingen (DE) in 2013 and was part of the large-scale exhibition Language of the Wall. Graffiti/Street Art at the Pera Museum in Istanbul (TR) in 2014.

I‘ve been working intensively with my little evil characters.

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JONONE COUNTDOWN

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JONONE COUNTDOWN The works presented in the current series show the artist’s energetic, cryptic and polychrome canvases. Multiple layers and thick brushstrokes adorn his large-sized and explosive paintings. Profoundly rooted in the graffiti scene of the 1980s he has made excellent use of his obsession with tagging. What might appear as abstract lines, cryptic shapes or intentional drips of paint to the viewer, actually represent his own tag ’JONONE‘, sometimes also in variations as ’JONONE ROCK‘. At a closer look, letters and even his tag are recognizable. The regularity of repeating his tag over and over again, is not monotonous, in contrary, it is divers, complex and rich. Eventually the writing develops into an abstract pattern within the beauty of infinity.

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Particularly in this series, the multi-layered nature of JonOneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art works becomes evident. The backgrounds of the paintings are rather well visible which create the ideal stage for his sassy and edgy tags. The exhibited paintings are reminiscent of his early works, where he not only focused on the tag itself, but also expressed his intentions in almost figurative color fields. The different selections of paintings demonstrate the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facets of proficiency and versatility in his expressive and abstract practice. JonOne is inspired by the all things that he experienced in his life. From a biographical point of view his path was colored by different tones, marked by various actions and influenced by different cultures. His journey through the urban jungle led him to his artistic essence, which still keeps on reverberating.

My expectations, my desires, and my disappointments too, all of theses moods and feelings were carried into this new artistic route, that of graffiti. 476

MORE 2019, acrylic and ink on canvas 52 x 52 cm 477

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FLAVIEN ON AND ON

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FLAVIEN ON AND ON Multiple layers of simple vertical brushstrokes characterize Flavien De Marigny’s particular manner for his abstract paintings presented in his unique body of work. The title of the exhibition represents an ode to repetition. The main characteristics of De Marigny’s series are single vertical brushstrokes and the element of repetition. Every vertical brushstroke in his paintings represents an element that operates through the collectivity on the canvas. De Marigny remembers the recurrent catchphrase “On and On” from old-school hip hop music, which he still likes, while working and keeping his motto positive and dynamic. In previous exhibitions the artist presented a consistent series; here, he has decided to exhibit paintings that were created individually. The selection of these paintings crowns the essence of the ‘strokes’ concept. Hence, some of the artworks embrace different colour palettes in addition to various techniques of stroke application. 484

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HEXATRON 2019, acrylic on canvas 135 x 100 cm 486

Usually the artist chooses his titles very meticulously and they often derive from dreams, fantasies and memories. De Marigny says he is always surprised how the ingenuity of the individual brushstroke melts in a powerful expression. The very mechanic method of applying the brushstrokes then results in a synthesis that appears organic. In 2015, Mambo started with a new series of abstract paintings. When Mambo confronted the public with his very new and different approach, he decided to sign them with his first name, Flavien, because they were so different from his previous, well-known paintings. These canvases consist of a rather geometrical texture and minimal colour variations. Vertical brushstrokes are the simple yet effective trademark of Flavienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current series. The technique is the result of an abiding study of and experience in art, but is also influenced by his years as an assistant to Sol LeWitt in the mid 90s. Different art movements and artists still inspire Flavienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artistic practice, including Franck Stella, Yayoi Kusama, Ellsworth Kelly, Piet Mondrian and Jackson Pollock.

I like the paradox of having a very mechanical way of painting canvases that finds its beauty in the mistakes and accidents that happen along the way. 487

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DERBY GAME 2019, acrylic on canvas 90 x 90 cm 490

BUDDHA PUNK POET 2 2019, acrylic on canvas 91 x 91 cm 491

TEAM MEMBERS JULIEN KOLLY

Julien Kolly first discovered graffiti in the region of Fribourg, in Switzerland, in 1991 and quickly realized the universal potential that the visual impact of graffiti codes might have. Julien Kolly founded the Kolly Gallery in 2014. He is without a doubt a pioneer in the promotion and exhibition of graffiti art in galleries in Switzerland. As the director of the communication agency vingtneuf degrés, he opened his first gallery, GT29, in September 2006, in collaboration with the Nuithonie Theater in Villars-sur-Glâne, near Fribourg. Two years later, he founded La Grille in Yverdon-les-Bains, near Lausanne, which, with a show every month, simultaneously allowed him to build a network of national and international artists of the newly emerging art movement and cultural phenomenon and brought artists from the streets into the establishment. Eager for new challenges, he decided to promote the graffiti and street art universe in Zurich, a cosmopolitan city known for its influence on the international art scene. Since 2014, the Kolly Gallery has been the bestknown gallery for graffiti art in Switzerland and is a good reference in Europe and abroad!

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TANIA DI BRITA

While visiting European cities in her teens, Tania Di Brita discovered the encoded beauty of the street. As she strolled through the city by day or by night, she came across charming little interventions or bold coloured letters with a clear message. These everyday discoveries still touch her in a unique way. She graduated with a degree in art history (MA)Â as well as communication from the University of Zurich. Her abiding interest in art in the urban setting, especially graffiti and street art, culminated in her master thesis which explored the shift of graffiti as an art movement to institutionalized graffiti art. Combining her personal interests, her work and academic research, she was fortunate to create and curate her fist exhibition From A Tag To An Artwork at the Kolly Gallery in 2017. She believes that an art movement as rich as graffiti and street art needs to be nurtured and carefully preserved when accompanying it to an academic level of appreciation. She is convinced that an academic discussion and art historical analysis are crucial to allow this art movement to be accepted. Eventually, Di Brita endeavours to be a link between the arts of the urban space and scholarship. Today she writes and creates content for the Kolly Gallery, manages and consults for a private urban art collection and is an independent researcher. 493

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS COPYRIGHTS CREDITS Every effort has been made to identify the artists, photographers and copyright owners of the works reproduced. The publisher apologises for any omission that may inadvertently have been made.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS All photographic credits of the streets and the urban space belong to the artist as well as their respective photographers. Kolly Gallery would like to thank all the artists and photographers for their generous and enriching contribution to the book: Artists: Tilt, Solomostry, Zest, Supakitch, Thierry Furger, Ilk, Jonone, Moses & Taps, Sweetuno, Speedy Graphito, MadC, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Outsider, Pavel Rtue, Mambo, Daim, Flying FĂśrtress, Mambo, Buff Monster, Koralie, Golden Green, Nasty, Louane, Mist, Crash, Imon Boy, Cedrix Crespel, Flavien Photographers: Benjamin Roudet, Gauthier Genet, Guido Borso, Julien Noto, Gaetan Meyer, Gwen Le Bras, Marco Prosch, Nicolas Giquel, Marco Monetti, MRpro

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THANKS TO Anaïs Kolly Tania Di Brita, Raphaël Demierre Ludovic Rollin, Armand & †Lucie Papaux Toni Scuderi, Dominique Muller & Elisabeth Gelis Nathalie Oswald, Eliott Ilano, Stefan Schüler, Gattan Meyer, Ulla Niedegger, Gabriel Hauser, Michaël Caillet, Joëlle Küng, Camille Brülhart 123 Klan, Buff Monster, Cedrix Crespel, Corleone, Daim, Felipe Pantone, Flying Förtress, Gris1, Golden Green, Ilk, ImonBoy, John ‘Crash’ Matos, John ‘Jonone’ Perello, Koralie, Louane, L’Outsider, MadC, Mambo, Mist, Moses & Taps, Nasty, Pavel Rtue, Solomostry, Speedy Graphito, Steph Cop, Supakitch, Sweetuno, Thierry Furger, Tilt, Zest

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AND THANK YOU!

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RETROSPECTIVE 2019 Since 2006 the Kolly Gallery has been promoting artists who started their artistic pursuit as graffiti writers and eventually developed their art, concept and style towards contemporary art. The gallery aims to represent the universe of international graffiti art, stretching from some of the historical pioneers to the contemporary emerging protagonists of this unique art movement. In the past twelve years, the Kolly Gallery has held over 100 exhibitions in Zurich, Basel, Lausanne, Paris, New York and Phnom Penh, among other places. Starting in 2006 and previously known as GT29,Â and later La Grille, the gallery has acquired international renown in the graffiti art scene.Â The Kolly Gallery has been based in Zurich in the picturesque Seefeld area since 2014. Behind the scenes, there is a team of experts in curating, art history, communication, graphic design and photography. The gallery is currently connected to the best graffiti artists in the world and strives to exhibit their unique art pieces in Zurich and abroad. The Kolly Gallery is thankful to the artists, collectors and the artistic community who share the vision and the experience behind it all!