Suplement of 10 street artists by Zane Kalniņa

STORY BEFIND

JUNE, 2016, ZANE KALNINA

It beguns with...

BANKSY

n Time magazine selected the British artist Banksy—graffiti master, painter, activist, filmmaker and all-purpose provocateur—for its list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2010, he found himself in the company of Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and Lady Gaga. He supplied a picture of himself with a paper bag (recyclable, naturally) over his head. Most of his fans don’t really want to know who he is (and have loudly protested Fleet Street attempts to unmask him). But they do want to follow his upward trajectory from the outlaw spraying—or, as the argot has it, “bombing”—walls in Bristol, England, during the 1990s to the artist whose work commands hundreds of thousands of dollars in the auction houses of Britain and America. Today, he has bombed cities from Vienna to San Francisco, Barcelona to Paris and Detroit. And he has moved from graffiti on gritty urban walls to paint on canvas, conceptual sculpture and even film, with the guileful documentary Exit Through

the Gift Shop, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Pest Control, the tongue-incheek-titled organization set up by the artist to authenticate the real Banksy artwork, also protects him from prying outsiders. Hiding behind a paper bag, or, more commonly, e-mail, Banksy relentlessly controls his own narrative. His last face-to-face interview took place in 2003. The Barton Hill district of Bristol in the 1980s was a scary part of town. Very white—probably no more than three black families had somehow ended up there—working-class, rundown and unwelcoming to strangers. So when Banksy, who came from a much leafier part of town, decided to go make his first foray there, he was nervous. “My dad was badly beaten up there as a kid,” he told fellow graffiti artist and author Felix Braun. He was trying out names at the time, sometimes signing himself Robin Banx, although this soon evolved into Banksy. The shortened moniker may have demonstrated less of the gangsters’ “robbing banks” cachet, but it was more memorable—and easier to write on a wall. Around this time, he also settled on his distinctive stencil approach to graffiti. When he was 18, he once wrote, he was painting a train with a gang of mates when the British Transport Police showed up and everyone ran. “The rest of my mates made it to the car,” Banksy

recalled, “and disappeared so I spent over an hour hidden under a dumper truck with engine oil leaking all over me. As I lay there listening to the cops on the tracks, I realized I had to cut my painting time in half or give it up altogether. I was staring straight up at the stenciled plate on the bottom of the fuel tank when I realized I could just copy that style and make each letter three feet high.” But he also told his friend, author Tristan Manco: “As soon as I cut my first stencil I could feel the power there. I also like the political edge. All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars.” “You don’t have to go to college, drag ’round a portfolio, mail off transparencies to snooty galleries or sleep with

10 STREET ARTISTS YOU MUST KNOW!

WHEN, WHY AND HOW?

“Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quite!” By 1999, he was headed to London. He was also beginning to retreat into anonymity. Evading the authorities was one explanation—Banksy “has issues with the cops.” But he also discovered that anonymity created its own invaluable buzz. As his street art appeared in cities across Britain, comparisons to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring began circulating. Banksy’s first London exhibition, so to speak, took place in Rivington Street in 2001, when he and fellow street artists convened in a tunnel near a pub. “We hung up some decorators’ signs nicked off a building site,” he later wrote, “and painted the walls white wearing overalls. We got the artwork up in 25 minutes and held an opening party later that week with beers and some hip-hop pumping out of the back of a Transit van. About 500 people turned up to an opening which had cost almost nothing to set up.” The people—and the apes and rats—he drew in these early days have a strange, primitive feel to them. My favorite is a piece that greets you when you enter the Pierced Up tattoo parlor in Bristol. The wall painting depicts giant wasps (with television sets strapped on as additional weapons) divebombing a tempting bunch of flowers in a vase.

While he may shelter behind a concealed identity, he advocates a direct connection between an artist and his constituency. “There’s a whole new audience out there, and it’s never been easier to sell [one’s art],” Banksy has maintained. “You don’t have to go to college, drag ’round a portfolio, mail off transparencies to snooty galleries or sleep with someone powerful, all you need now is a few ideas and a broadband connection. This is the first time the essentially bour-

In July 2003, Banksy mounted “Turf War,” his breakthrough exhibition. Staged in a former warehouse in Hackney, the show dazzled the London art scene with its carnival-atmosphere display, which featured a live heifer, its hide embellished with a portrait of Andy Warhol, as well as Queen Elizabeth II in the guise of a chimpanzee. Late that year, a tall, bearded figure in a dark overcoat, scarf and floppy hat strolled into Tate Britain clutching a large paper bag. He made his way to Room 7 on the second level. He then dug out his own picture, an unsigned oil painting of a rural scene he had found in a London street market. Across the canvas, which he had titled Crimewatch UK Has Ruined the Countryside for All of Us, he had

T IS

Above is a Californian born, Berlin-based international street artist. Above was born in California in 1981 and has been creating public art since 1995. Above is best known for three different styles of street works, his multi-layer, full color social and political stencils, colorful abstract arrow compositions, and large text-based painted murals. Above's stencil and text-based artworks usually have a strong message or awareness about social, political, or international current events, while his abstract works are a visual language of shape, color, and form. Above began painting graffiti by tagging 'ABOVE' graffiti on freight trains in California in 1995. At the age of 19, Above moved to Paris, France, where he started painting his trademark arrow icon pointing 'above'. During the past 17 years Above has painted artworks in the streets of over 100 cities in 60 different countries around the world. By his own account, Above was born and raised in California. He states that art and music were practiced and encouraged by both parents at an early age.[6] At age fifteen, Above started spray painting the letters A-B-O-V-E on freight trains in California. Three years later, Above changed from painting traditional letter graffiti to an arrow symbol that pointed 'above'. In an interview he stated that he thought it was useless to paint the side of a fast moving train with letters if nobody could read it. Above said he wanted something that could be seen and understood in a fraction of a second regardless of how fast it was moving. In 2001, at the age of 19, Above moved from California to Paris, France. At that time Paris was home to street artists like Zevs, Invader, Stak, Honet and Andre.[8] Above and the other Parisian artists were part of a movement in street art that was heavily based on characters and logos rather than more traditional letter based graffiti. In 2003, Above returned to California where he started installing hanging wooden arrow mobiles. In October, 2015 Above painted his largest mural to date, a 33 meter tall by 17 meter wide mural titled ‘Incognito’ in Johannesburg, South Africa as part of the City Of Gold Festival. Above spent ten consecutive days painting the mural and when asked in an interview about his process, challenges, and color choices he stated ‘My color selections were predetermined by the relationship of how each color transforms when laid on top of another. This was easy, however, in the designing of the mural I had to constantly move colors and shapes to finally get the final color arrangement you see. The biggest challenge for me during the Incognito mural was ensuring the proportions of the design were correct. I needed precision, and a lot of it. The lines needed to be sharp and straight. If any line was miscalcula

I O H

ABOVE

ted or skewed the design as a whole would suffer. This was my largest hurdle I had to overcome both with mapping it out, and painting it. Later in the interview Above said ‘What I enjoy most about the Incognito design is the secondary shapes, and colors achieved from the overlapping of each arrow on top of another. There are many fun intersections of color and new shapes that emerge using this style of design. I look forward to exploring more in depth into this style in the future in my indoor and outdoor works. In April, 2014, Above was commissioned by Redbull to paint the entire street course for their professional fixed gear BMX competition ‘Ride + Style’ in San Francisco, CaliforniaRed Bull Ride + Style features fixed-gear riders facing off in both track and freestyle competitions, with the obstacles designed and decorated by an iconic street artist. In the past, this event has brought together more than 50 riders from both coasts, including riders from such fixed-gear meccas as San Francisco, Portland, New York and even Japan. Professional fixed gear winner Josh Boothby said “Above’s design brings the ramps to life, giving them a more of a three dimensional feel.” In June, 2014 Above was one of twelve international artists invited to paint at Artscape,[42] mural event held in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Above painted a mural titled ‘Metamorphosis’ on an eight storey tall building in a style replicating the color printing process of CMYK. In an interview Above described his mural, “I’ve been interested for many years now in shapes and colors. The arrow is a shape itself and when overlapped using the CMYK color blend process it allows for new shapes and colors to metamorphosis into something new. It’s about having fun and experimenting. As an artist it’s important for me to experiment with my work, otherwise you become stagnant. Making this mural put the arrow into a new shape, context, and gave it new life. Starting in September, Above had a three month long Artist-in-residence in Detroit, Michigan in preparation for his solo exhibition titled ‘Remix’Due to Above’s engagement with street work and busy travel schedule, Above had not made a solo exhibition since 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Above’s Remix exhibition displayed a variety of different laser cut wood panels that were then re-arranged and exchanged into the final piece. Remix had an emphasis on curved cut patterns and the exchanging of identical wood cuts. In an interview Above said “The intention for my most recent body of artwork is to explore new directions and re-invent the arrow icon I have been creating for over the past 15 years. The arrow icon is sharp and constructed of straight lines and angles, void of any curved elements. My intention is to contrast the existing sharp angles of the arrow, with the curved and circular cut lines, achieving a dynamic balance between the two with a new fresh look.

Born Guido Bisagni, 108 took a degree in design at the Politecnico in Milan. Fascinated by Kandisky, Arp and the early 19th century, he became involved with writing, evolving his style to the numbering technique. His art works are minimalist and abstract. EVO 108’s intent is to create openings through which viewers may exit the reality of the every day. Thanks to his paintings, he’s LUT very popular among art galleries, as demonstrated by his many solo exhibits around the world. Trying to find the perfect ION AR medium, Guido Bisagni also makes music, an important aspect of his artistic life, participating as a fixedmember of YA CT. Corpoparassita. 108 has moved from working in traditional graffiti art to painting large and mysterious figures THE that invade public spaces.He was the first writer to use numbers instead of letters for his name.He started to SH APE work when he was a child on the streets of Alessandria, and used different names. His work has appeared OF AR on the streets of Milan, Paris, London, Berlin, and New York City. His TA ND first works known by people are enigmatic “blob”-like ITS yellow shapes. It is his firm intention to make RO LE visual chaos. His new works are labyrinth IN SO dead trees, non figurative 3D objects CIE TY and installations, but especially IS C ON black and gloomy shapes, STA TH WITH becoming one of the biggest NTL OUT E “EARTH YC “ART and influential artists in HA ” IS ” NG JUST graffiti abstractism.In the last ING “EH” . AT years, he took part in a lot of NO international exhibitions: PO INT Nusign 2.4 in Paris, IS A RT Urban Edge Show in Replete STA Milano,Segundo TIC born in the gothic port . TH and Tercer ERE of Whitby, is an acclaimed interAsalto. AR

REPLETE

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EN national artist of many styles. He spent ten years OR ULE working from a very early age in the computer games industry S.” -R as an artist and animator. Having worked on various games including the AYM home versions of Streetfighter 2, Road Rash and Alien 3 he then progressed ON DS ALV into the music industry. Working on various art/music projects with such varied ATO talented musicians as Coldcut and their record lable Ninja Tune. RE HA RM For over 20 years he has been experimenting with Graffiti in all it's forms, including ON aerosol, hand painted, sculpted and animated. He's one of the artists featured in the best sites category, amongst the likes of Daim, Peeta and Seak on www.artcrimes.org the official and most respected Graffiti site in the world. A major player in the hip hop arena, Replete has had DJ/ VJ residencies at many premiere hip hop nights including New Bohemia at the legendary Faversham. He has had many successful exhibitions at galleries based in Leeds, London, Manchester and Barcelona, with his paintings selling around the world, from New York to Sydney.

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BLU

Born in SeEW nigallia, Italy, H TH ROUG H and based in Bologna, T N SEE Blu is known for his unsigned, N BE A C ORKS large-scale paintings. His recognizable HIS W hand represents humanoid characters infused with strong social and political tensions that prompted the enforced removal of some of the pieces. From the early works in Bologna using spray paint, Blu extended his technique, making short films as Muto, winner of the Grand Prix Festival ‘Clermont Ferrand’ in 2009. He also made a collaborative animation with the American artist David Ellis and others with famous street artists such as Italian Ericailcane and Portuguese Os Gemeos. Following time spent in Bolivia, Blu is now in Mexico, where he has been invited by Fifty24MX to work on a new piece for the Manifesto MX Street Art Festival. D HIS

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Stinkfish is a Colombian street artists who uses found photographs to recreate the images on the streets illegally by using a variety of street art tools. Stinkfish initially street art murals. These walls are recreated with inventions of psychedelic themes and elements. began making stencils around the years 2000-2001. However, it was not Stinkfish was born in Mexico; however, he spent his childhood in Colombia once his parents until 2003, in Bogotá, that he created a very intricate street art piece. This migrated there. Initially, he began wondering around the streets of Bogotá as a child, image was created in remembrance for John F. Kennedy’s murder. The curious about the surroundings and the variety of people. His course was never artwork was that of John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting the corpse of fixed, and this often presented him an opportunity to meet different his father. He painted the piece over and over until one day the police stopped him. At the people, locations, and images. When he least expected age of 16 or 17, Stinkfish began it, he had joined a group of individuals with to write the name Stink similar interests. This group of anywhere. people was interested in painting

Cordal was born in 1974 in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. He studied at the University of Fine Arts Pontevedra, degree in sculpture. He studied for five years at the School of Canteiros Pontevedra, a school dedicated to the conservation of stone crafts. He also trained at Camberwell College of Arts in London. Isaac Cordal was a founding member of Alg-a.org, digital art community from Galicia. He was part of the artistic collective Ludd34560 and Sr. Pause. He was an active member of the death metal scene in Spain, publishing the fanzine Exorcism and playing guitar in the band Dismal (1992-1998). Cement Eclipses is one of his best known projects consisting of small cement sculptures photographed in urban space. His figures can be found pasted on top of bus shelters, walls, cornices ... by its small size (approximately 15 cm) is necessary to pay much attention to find them. The sculptures serve for the artist as a metaphor to reflect on politics, bureaucracy, power … They are presented in various absurd situations in urban space. His work can be seen both in galleries and urban space. Small nomadic sculptures have been seen in cities like Brussels, London, Berlin, Zagreb, Nantes, San Jose, Barcelona,

ISAAC

STINKFISH

HIS SCULPTURES CAN BE FOUND IN GUTTERS, ON TOP OF BUILDINGS

IN MANY UNUSUAL AND UNLIKELY PLACES IN THE CAPITAL

Vienna, Malmo, Paris, Milan, Bogotá. His work is a critical reflection on the idea of progress, of human misery, climate change and the gradual devaluation of our existence among others topics. Small sculptures represent primarily a social stereotype apparently next to businessman dressed in suit jacket and middle-aged, briefcases, timeless beings, as the gray men of Momo by Michael Ende.

of these anonymous statuettes, at the height of the sole of the passers, represents the nomadic remainders of an imperfect construction of our society. These small sculptures contemplate the demolition and reconstruction of everything around us. They catch the attention of the absurdity of our existence.

Isaac Cordal is sympathetic toward his little people and you can empathize with their With the simple act of miniaturization and thou- situations, their leisure time, their waiting for ghtful placement, Isaac Cordal magically expands buses and even their more tragic moments the imagination of pedestrians finding his sculp- such as accidental death, suicide or family funerals. The sculptures can be found in gutters, tures on the street. on top of buildings, on top of bus shelters; in many unusual and unlikely places. Cement Eclipses is a critical definition of our behavior as a social mass. The art work intends to catch the attention on our devalued relation with In various projects Isaac Cordal has shown the nature through a critical look to the collateral interest in topics related to climate change. effects of our evolution. With the master touch of During the triennal Beaufort04[6] he prea stage director, the figures are placed in locations sented a series of sculptures on the top of a few poles representing individuals with float that quickly open doors to other worlds. The scenes zoom in the routine tasks of the contem- waiting for climate change. An ironic proposal to reflect on our ineffectiveness with the porary human being. degradation of the planet. During Le Voyage Men and women are suspended and isolated in a to Nantes, in summer 2013, he presented in the moat of the castle of the Dukes of Brittany motion or pose that can take on multiple meaa floating life-size sculptures. Businessmen nings. The sympathetic figures are easy to relate represented as a kind of cast adrift. to and to laugh with. They present fragments in which the nature, still present, maintains encou- Sculptures are made with metal grille with raging symptoms of survival. The precariousness the intention of projecting shadows. One of

LITTLE PEOPLE SCULPTED FROM CONCRETE IN ‘REAL’ SITUATIONS

CORDAAL

EDUARDO KOBRA

The continuously evolving kaleidoscope that is Eduardo Kobra’s art is certainly something to take note of. Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra utilizes bright colors and bold lines while staying true to a kaleidoscope theme throughout his art. The technique of repeating squares and triangles allows him to bring to life the famous people he depicts in his images. This checkered pattern, filled with different textures, lines, and shading, builds up to Eduardo Kobra’s final masterpiece, a larger than life mural for all to see and marvel at. Eduardo Kobra’s ability to achieve photorealism while

maintaining his playful, color theme is fantastic, making for a striking contrast against the setting it is placed in. Specifically, his cunning use of brushes, airbrush, and spray cans serve as a means of bringing to life notable figures from the past, emphasizing their true dignified nature and beauty. Eduardo Kobra has also utilized a darker color palette in some of his works while maintaining that stunning air of beauty in throughout his work. This was very important for his big carrer he aptained then.

Born in Pontedera, Pisa in 1975, Ozmo made his first steps in the comics world, but since early 90s he soon moved his focus on writing and painting. In short time his tag would have become one of the most famous and respected ones in the Italian graffiti scene. A special reportage dedicated to Ozmo on ‘Aelle’ – the most famous urban culture underground mag in Italy – will consacrate him as one of the leading figure in the national underground writing scene. After having attended the Fine Arts Academy of Florence, in 2001 the artist moved to Milan, where he’s been working with the mayor art galleries choosing his own name as signature and leaving his tag behind for a while. Beyond the institutional artworks, in his first Milanese years, Gionata Gesi starts to work in the public space as Ozmo as well, filling the streets of Milan with drawings, stickers, big posters and graffiti. And right back in that days, together with a group of friends, he’s laid the foundations of Italian Street Art, becoming one of the pioneers of this XXI Century avantgarde. In 2004 Ozmo one of the first street artists featured in an institutional context as it was Roberto Pinto‘s Assab One exhibition in Milan. He’s also been one of the first to document Italian street art with pics, images and words in the book Milano, una guida alternativa (Milan, an alternative guide). A book published together with the opening of Ozmo’s first solo show at Galleria Astuni, in Pietrasanta, Lucca. From that moment on, Ozmo’s artworks will be presented in the Italian art fair circuit, from Bologna’s Artefiera,

OZMO

“VHILS’S ART IS POETIC, COMPLEX, AND AMBITIOUS”

ITALIAN STREET ARTIST

Artissima Turin and Milan’s MiArt and showcased in the main galleries of Milan, the Italian arts epicentre. At the beginning of the new millennium Ozmo has also started to paint monumental walls in social centres and alternative spaces, such as Leoncavallo, where the artist painted one of his best known artworks. Together with other artwork the whole building has been called “A contemporary Sistine Chapel” Ozmo’s wallpainting in Leoncavallo has also been chosen as book cover for I graffiti del Leoncavallo, a book published by Skira, the most international Italian art publisher. 2005 will be a very important year for Gionata Gesi: his work will be showcased in “Con altri occhi” , la città vista dai giovani artisti (With a different sight, the city seen by young artists) an important instutional exhibition curated by Roberto Pinto and Katia Angelova, set up in Milan’s Palazzo della Ragione. Together with the academic art world acknowledgement, Ozmo gains also that one from the artpress: in 2006 Flash Art includes his name in I nuovissimi Top 100 dopo Cattelan – The newest Top 100 after Cattelan and in 2008 he’s featured in the Dizionario della Giovane Arte Italiana – Young Italian Art Dictionary. After some months spent working between USA and Mexico, in 2007 Ozmo flies back to Italy to exhibit his work in Street Art Sweet Art is the group show. Set up in PAC – Contemporary Art Pavilion of Milan and curated by Alessandro Riva, the exhibition showcased a highly-glazed translucent paper artwork on a 50mq glass window and a massive wall painting of 80mq. Later the same year the artist has been chosen to rapresent the latest trend in contemporary art in Arte Italiana 1968–2007

Pittura (Italian Art 1968-2007Painting), the anthological show curated by Vittorio Sgarbi, in piazza Duomo, at Palazzo Reale, where Ozmo’s work has been hanged beside those of De Chirico, Boetti, Schifano and Cucchi. After having painted facades and walls all around Italy, Ozmo has also exhibit in the group show Scala Mercalli. Il terremoto creativo della street art italiana, (Scala Mercalli. The creative earthquake of Italian Street Art, curated by Gianluca Marziani in 2008 at Rome Auditorium. After that Ozmo has painted and showcased his artworks among La Habana, New York, Bruges, Beirut, Berlin, Gdansk and a personal show in London. And in the UK Capital in 2008 Ozmo opens two times in two different galleries in the hearth of Shoreditch, the artistic avantgarde block of London, home of the famous White Cube gallery. In 2010 for Ozmo has also been the year of Christie’s Auction: his artworks have been some of the best sellers during the charity event held in Palazzo Clerici for Metroweb project Tombini Art (Manhole art). Besides Absolut Vodka commissioned him two massive wallpainting in Rome and Milan for the project Absolut Wallpaper 2.0 e Absolut Wall. The New York Times has featured Ozmo’s Rome artwork in its online edition. Among Ozmo’s latest projects, there’s a 300 mq monumental public painting in the very historical centre of Gdansk, Poland, called “The last movie”. The same summer Ozmo took part at the Moscow Young Biennial, where he has been invited as italian artist. In fall 2011 he painted a wall in London, “Big Fish Eats Small Fish” the same wall where great names such as Bansky and Obey performed.

VHILS

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART WITH A STREET TWIST

He penetrates through countless layers of posters, dir t, and plaster to set free the poetic images hidden beneath urban spaces. This is all done by drilling away old plaster relief forms. Alexandre Farto (Also known as Vhils) was born in 1987 in Portugal. He grew up in the outskirts of Lisbon. He studied at the University of the Arts in London, Central Saint Martins, and Byam Shaw Fine Art Skills and Practices. He was raised in Portugal, during a period that was deeply affected by the revolution at the time. It was then that he witnessed much destruction and the effects of the war on the walls. The Carnation Revolution of 1974 affected the outskirts of Lisbon and other parts of Portugal.W Vhils gained prominence when carved portrait was revealed alongside street artist Banksy at the Cans Festival in London in 2008. Later, Banksy’s agent, Steve Lazarides, gave him additional space to create his street art carvings. Soon after several of his works were published. One of Vhils most popular forms of media is his relief portrait. These portraits are chiseled into plaster and brick walls all over the world. He also creates by dissecting poster ads and excavating walls. Other forms of media include collage, wheat paste, wood, metal, installations, and more. Last but not least, Alexandre Farto is known

WITH MY WORK, I TRY TO DELVE INTO THE SEVERAL LAYERS THAT COMPOSE THE EDIFICE OF HISTORY, TO TAKE THE SHADOWS CAST BY THIS MODEL OF UNIFORM DEVELOPMENT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND WHAT LIES BEHIND IT. /VHILS for using etching acid, bleach, pneumatic drills, and other processes or street art tools to reveal a wall’s layers. Vhils’ technique and tools evolves as his work progresses. He enjoys the suspense of not knowing what patterns and images await in the layers beneath. The final layer product on the surface is his key concept. He currently works with photographs taken by himself or his team. A typical Vhils rendering originates in a sketchbook before it is digitized on a computer. He breaks most of his portraits into three colors, and these colors help provide depth – similar to a stencil. Finally, Alexandre Farto begins his carving process with chisels, hammers, drills, etching acid, bleach, and other tools. Alexandre Farto believes that we are all composed of layers upon layers of social and historical fabric. Our social system is the product of similar layers and by eliminating some of the top layers; we may be able to accomplish a more pure form. This entire process is very symbolical and he takes it as a semi-archaeological dissecting of layers of history and culture. Vhils also values the idea of turning ordinary individuals into icons and that is the reason why many of his portraits are photographs of people found in magazines. Explosives, projectiles, and demolition- sounds like scenes from the civil war of a third world country. Truth is Alexandre Farto is leading a revolution on his own. His technique has, without a doubt, changed the face of street art forever! Vhils is a very young artist who has already engraved a permanent mark in street art history. He divides his carvings into layers of images and then begins by destroying to create. His work consists of faces of individuals, often-unknown beings within a com-