As we posted previously Remi Rough , Augustine Kofie, Scott Sueme, and Joker would be installing a mural. They finished there Mural Install at the Moda Hotel in Vancouver as part of their Unintended Calculations Show at Becker Galleries. Monumental in Size the 4 man team was able to tackle the walls in a 3 day period leading up to the opening. Indigo the curator of the install and event couldn’t have picked anyone else that would have complimented each others work so well. Thank to Aaron Smedley for the beautiful photographs as he was able to document the install. Also thanks again to GetGrounded TV for the video shot day one of the install. We hope to have some of the pictures from the opening of the show in the next couple days.
How & Nosm "Living in the moment won't save US or THEM"
How & Nosm "RECYCLED RAIN"
How & Nosm
How & Nosm "Accipitridae Birds of Prey"
If you are in New York be sure to check out How & Nosm and Duncan Jago at Scope New York. Contra Projects present these Artists to the International Art Fair in New York. It seems as ifl How & Nosm are one of the hottest Artists at the moment pushing, the envelope on their Monumental Murals. It is good to see these artist being able to showcase there talents on such a big stage. Duncan Jago’s beautiful painting style, is also brought to NY as he captures color and light in a way only he can. These new works amazing in pictures, I’m sure will only be more breathtaking in person. So i suggest if your in the NY try to get out and support these artists. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of the pieces that will be showcased, enjoy.
I was turned onto Matt Moore’s work after a recent video that Ironlak put out of a track side wall he collaborated on with Jurne, Dement, Twigs and Enron. I had admired his design and mural work before, yet had no idea to the extent that it reached. A very well rounded artist, being able to walk the line between multiple mediums and actually doing it extremely well speaks volumes. I have a true respect for MWM, being primarily a design artist he is able to transition his ideas and aesthetic vision into canvases, and walls very superbly. His signature Vectorfunk style seems to be a visual soundtrack to his own mind that we get a glimpse into one piece of work at a time. I was able to catch up with MWM and ask him some questions below is the interview.
GF
Give us a brief history of how you first started to paint walls, as compared to primarily working in design and painting? Did you paint walls first, then get into design, or was it the other way around?
Like many of your readers, the first creative outlet that I immersed myself in was traditional graffiti. I drew my name in many different ways and then painted those blueprints on walls. As my style evolved I started to put more focus on intricate fills and taking over entire surfaces with abstract funk. Then after a few solid years of that I completely abandoned letter forms and started to paint large abstract free form compositions. Around this time I was in school for Graphic Design and I was learning how to render images digitally. Geometry, Asymmetry, and Composition became my focus in the graphic work I was creating, and I cross pollinated this energy towards my graffiti, murals, and canvas paintings. I’m lucky to have been introduced to so many different art and design disciplines. If it weren’t for my experiments and discoveries in one realm I would never have evolved the way I did in the others.
You talk about energy. For me this is one of the most defining characteristics of graffiti, even without letters its hard to hide it. Some call it style, yet it is something that keeps shining through in most artists work as they cross into new mediums. I recently watched a video where you painted a production with Jurne and friends. How did that collaboration come about, and also do you have other projects coming out in the future?
The track side production in Oakland was a lot of fun. I visit the Bay Area a few times a year and always link up with Jurne for for some painting missions. Ironlak was real cool and floated up a grip of paint for the wall. Twigs was in town as well, and Enron and Dment too. So we planned out an ambitious one night jam and Lea Bruno filmed the whole thing Blair Witch Graffiti style. The video turned out great and we had a good time blending styles and techniques.
I have an exciting 2011 planned. Lots of travel, big murals, and gallery exhibitions. Heading to Amsterdam in a couple weeks to paint a cool boutique interior. Then I’ll be going to Cincinnati for a residency and exhibition at YES Gallery. Definitely going to paint some big walls while I’m there for that. Then back to Europe for the infamous OFFF Festival in Barcelona where I will be painting a huge mural and speaking about my art and design. And then in September I’m shooting back to Paris for another month long residency and exhibition at Since Gallery, where I had my Crystals & Lasers show last Winter. A busy and fun year for sure!
Wow, congrats it seems that you are definitely not wasting any time with a schedule like that. Do you have a preference when it comes to painting vs design work is there a favorite for you?
When it comes to Art and Design I don’t have a favorite. Each is challenging and satisfying in it’s own way. For me it’s all about balance and doing something different everyday. My ideal calendar would be split evenly between Graphic Design work like Logos, Posters, Apparel, Products, and more artsy stuff like Murals, Canvas Painting, and Sculpture. I live by the mantra “Range Is Conducive To Growth”.
Can you describe the difference in process of creating a mural versus a painting a canvas or design work. Your design work seems to be so complex and immense in its scope of detail it would seem such a huge task to attempt to paint. Do you have a clear separation of intent when working in a certain medium?
My process varies depending on many factors, but the raw energy remains the same regardless of the medium. I’ve never made a graphic design that I couldn’t paint on a wall. It’s all about time and resources. Sometimes I have only a day for a wall, other times I have a week. A lot can get done in a week as long as I plan properly. Sometimes I think about my work as being tiny moments in an infinite landscape of geometric optical illusions. There is always another layer that can be added to make it more complex, and there are always interesting moments within the works that could be cropped out and stand alone as their own composition. Designing things on the computer has allowed me to experiment and evolve at a rapid pace. My process has become more fluid, I’m more comfortable taking risks, and my ability to see the way something will look before I actually do it has really helped my fine art and mural concepts. Some stuff makes sense to do with vector design and other stuff is a lot more fun to make with paint and long hours on a ladder.
That makes a lot of sense many graffiti artists at times have stacked the rules against themselves by not utilizing technology or even the most basic tools. Its good to see Artists like yourself taking advantage of your design experience. It seems that there are some however recently that are willing to cross some of these taboos. Can you describe to us your style and what direction you are currently taking your current work.
Moving forward I plan to continue exploring optical illusions and asymmetrical geometry in my work. I’ve been thinking a lot about 3D design such as furniture and sculpture, so expect some cool stuff in these realms from me in the near future. My Design Studio, MWM Graphics, keeps me quite busy working on client projects across the spectrum of graphic design and illustration. And my Painting Studio has been getting a lot of attention lately in preparation for upcoming shows. My current work celebrates a more balanced ratio of Geometric VS. Organic forms, and I’ve been bringing back representational and conceptual ideas into the series I work on.
Nice, it seems like there is no stone unturned when it comes to your goals. I always admire those that instead of making excuses or keeping it safe venture into the uncomfortable process at times of new ideas. Explain a little about Vectorfunk, is this a style or a general term used for your work?
Vectorfunk is the name I gave to the abstract digital artwork that I create using Adobe Illustrator. Vector graphics are created by arranging points to create form, as opposed to raster graphics that are made up of pixels. Many years ago while I was in school learning graphic design I immersed myself in this method of rendering images. In recent years I have translated this approach and aesthetics to the canvases and murals I paint. I initially intended to only use the term for my digital graphic work but things have a life of their own and the term has been used a lot with regards to my handmade fine art endeavors as well.
I don’t know if its just me, but its an exciting time to be an artist in today’s world. With Social Media and being an insomniac like myself, I am able to talk to artists half way around the world instantly. Coming from the pen pal age of trading graffiti photos with your contemporaries, to talking over twitter and Skype Its a whole new ballgame. Is technology more of a hindrance or a positive influence when it comes to your work?
I agree! It is certainly an exciting time to be alive, and be in the business of producing and creating. I could talk all day about the pros and cons of present day web interconnectedness. There are many obvious pros to modern communication. I am able to live in Portland, Maine and work with collaborators and clients across the globe, many of whom I’ve never met in real life. It’s also really cool to tune into all the niche cultures I am interested in, and participate in, and correspond with folks all over the place. On the flip side, I take pride in being from a generation of artists and graffiti cats that came up reading black and white photocopied ‘zines and jocking ideas from our big brothers at the wall, rather than from folks we didn’t know that didn’t live in our city. The gestation period for movements and geographic specific styles has suffered. These days, if it’s dope, it’s on the web the next day, and the day after that there are dozens of cats pulling inspiration from it. This is all happening simultaneously with the originator’s efforts to further develop the ideas. This too has both pros and cons. It’s all one big yin-yang! At the end of the day, if you’re producing more than you consume, having fun, and walking a positive path… You win.
French Artist Erico recently sent me some pictures of a series of works on paper he was working on, which he loosely titled “Suits”. We have shown some of Erico’s wall work in the past on the site with Antistatik and Orbit119. This is the first time showing some of his other Artwork, and i really like the direction he has started these works. Hopefully we can see them expand into some paintings in the future. Here is a brief quote from the artist describing the work.
GF
“With up coming elections and all the media mashing that we will be fed, I marvel at “the political portraits” of future or past candidates, crispy clean, with (or without) the look of victory in their eyes. When the TV shuts off, the image is gone, and if you don’t understand much of what is going on, all that is left for you is the memory of someone in a suit with big plans for you in the making. Here are some portraits of people with big plans, faceless plans with strings attached. facets that you didn’t know existed. I don’t know if id vote for them. Which one would you vote for?”
Loving this New wall painted in East London, She One and O.Two of the duo Rockgroup Transcend . Really feeling the Type intermixing with the signature Rhythmic and Abstract styles of both Artists. Here is a brief quote from She about the title as this will be the first of a series of Slogan based murals.
GF
“‘TEARDOWNLOVE’ is a positive message about not
letting love be a crutch or a hangup, tearing it down and just enjoying what you have instead of
constantly looking for it or chasing a pre conceived idea of what love should be.”
Been talking to Graphic Surgery over the Last Month as they prepare for their Upcoming Solo Show “Between the Lines” at Celal Gallery in Paris. The opening starts at 4pm on Saturday the 26th of February. Graphic Surgery was kind enough to send us some studio shots of some of the pieces. Looks like these guys are going to rock it as usual, good luck with the Show guys and I hope anyone that is in the area makes it out to this Show.
GF
Galerie Celal
45, rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris, France
“To celebrate the release of Beats & Drips#2 dvd box, Sofarida invites Graphic Surgery to exhibit their work on a solo show at Celal gallery, in the center of Paris.”
Unintended Calculations is an upcoming exhibition at Becker Galleries that is very special to Graffuturism and its extended family of contributors and artists. You can say these artists involved in this exhibition are one of the reasons this site exists. It is with great satisfaction that we are able to post these preview images of some of the work that will be in the show. Thanks to Indigo for the pictures, and also for bringing these artists together and allowing them to build upon an already in motion evolution of our art form. Thanks to Grounded TV who shot the video. I am not ruling out making the trip to see this show in person, and if I were anywhere near Vancouver I would suggest making the trip to this event.
GF
Here is a brief Bio about the Show
“Curated by Indigo, Unintended Calculations brings together a group of internationally renowned artists – Augustine Kofie (LA), Jerry Inscoe (PDX), Remi/Rough (LDN) and Scott Sueme (VAN) – for an exhibition at Becker Galleries and two collaborative murals at Moda Hotel exploring four very different approaches to abstraction. Working in a variety of mediums, these artists have evolved the letter form building blocks of their shared graffiti background, deconstructing and rebuilding them as compositions of color, line, shape and movement.”
Better late than never, here are a couple of walls from Late 2010. Mr Remi Rough and LX One where able to get together with Antistatik, and collaborate on a wall in Strasbourg. Its always interesting watching artists with similar yet different styles come together and collaborate on a wall. Really impressed with the outcome. I especially liked the use of negative space in the first mural, leaving some texture in the background was a nice touch. The second wall is a track side wall LX and Remi Rough knocked out, and again another great collaboration from the Agents of Change duo. I hadn’t seen many LX One walls before this, and i was impressed. Were looking forward to seeing some new work from all these guys this year. Stay Tuned.
I was able to catch up with Moneyless at White Walls Gallery in his first ever exhibition in America. Augustine Kofie was also featured in the show, as well as some other great artists. Many of the artists work I was seeing for the first time. The show titled “Linear Empires” focused on where art and design intersect. Moneyless had a strong showing of paintings that utilized his strength of linear compositions. His floating graffiti geometry installed floating above his work created a sense of lightness to the whole installation. Moneyless has plans after the show to do some installations around the bay area before he heads home to Italy. He has already done one install at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Kofie’s work as usual was worth the trip to see, as he continues to push deeper into his collage work with these pieces involving some great images that don’t overpower his precise and powerful line work. I really was impressed with all the artists in the show, Geoff Campen and his wife Diana Ruiz teamed up for some great collage mix media work that was very well done. Geoff is a great guy as well, really looking forward to seeing their future work. Greg Ito, Mary Iverson and Richard Pearse all had amazing paintings. As a whole a great show, and i am very glad White Walls Gallery was able to bring Moneyless to town, showing him with Kofie was a bonus. Here are some excerpts from interviews they did with the artists, you can read the full article following this link to the White Walls Gallery Blog.
Augustine Kofie
Why do you choose to depict such precise graphic elements using a wide variety of mediums within each piece? Do you feel that it’s essential to the aesthetic or the technique in any particular way?
“Because it aesthetically appeals to me. I am developing a style that envelopes all of my inspirations and loves. I am very heavy with technique and application when it comes to work on woods, a solid natural surface. Applying layers of found paper to a surface, then building a structured painting on to top helps me with my overall end result, which is the exploration of controlled layers, balance of line, space and form.”
Tell us about you interest in old-school drafting and related processes. How are you attempting to bring a fresh perspective to these processes as a fine artist/street artist?
“For some time I have found inspiration from late 50′s to late 70′s graphic design as well as music. Majority of these adverts were hand built ‘cut and pasted’ then drafted together using now outdated applications. I passionately collect various ephemera based around engineering, drafting and ‘DIY’ booklets and incorporate them out of sheer inspiration and admiration. I consider my assemblage artworks to be a sort of evolution of this same ‘cut and paste’ technique, just updated with my linear painting style. The hybrid of old and new interweaving intrigues me, the beautiful Vintage Futurism contradiction at work.”
Moneyless
Why do you choose to work with such pure and precise geometric forms and color blocking above any other visual devices? How did your relationship with these types of forms begin?
“I guess it’s a consequence of my graffiti period. Considering my entire artistic path, I’ve found the seeds of my actual works in the period I was experimenting the graffiti’s world. Back in 2004 I started writing “Moneyless” in a more geometric way, and while the lettering was still the protagonist, I started feeling the needing of gradually move away from it. The “type face” thus became a constriction, but mainly the writing rules were constraints for me, I found them quite outdated. The blossoming period of writing had ended already and what was left turned out in some boring verbal fights with rare authenticity.
I thought I could be able to use the wall – our medium par excellence – in a quite different way. My bond with lettering was slackening little by little. As far as I was concerned, I only cared about its shape, but being able to see it alone forced me to cut any reference to the sign itself. The world of simple and pure geometric thus became the ground of my endless investigation on shapes, which extends to the present time. Minimalism and geometry are the fundamental elements of my constructions, which heavily try to face the system of communication that traps us with information chaos. Given this, only simplicity and subtraction can give another point of view.”
When you’re working on pieces of gallery art, how is it similar or different to the work you do out in the street? What are some of the challenges you face when doing this kind of work outside of the studio? What are some of the benefits?
“What I do inside the galleries is normally the result of what I produce outside, it’s bringing my outer experience closer to somebody. I need a sort of intimate scene when I’m creating on the outside: I look for calm, nature, woods, abandoned spots… at the same time, galleries permit me to show my work to a public, as well as giving me a chance to come out of that kind of isolation that investigation on art may require.”
White Walls Gallery
The french artist Swiz has been painting some interesting work lately around Paris and France. I have been a fan of his work after running across his Flickr account last year. We have posted some of his work on the site in the past, so I figured it was time to post a group of his work for a feature. Blocks,fonts,type,mix media murals, all of this and yet Swiz maintains his traditional style. A very well rounded writer, yet to me its the conceptual and at times intricate details that make Swiz’s work stand out. Most of his work is done in abandoned areas, or in the streets. This makes the detail of his work appreciated just that much more. When you think it has all been done an artist like Swiz Comes along and are able to look closer and see the detail in his work and again see the possibilities. You also can look at another part of his work, as he moves sculptural pieces from location to location only to refresh a piece with a new surrounding. We Hope you enjoy, here is a quick bio from a recent interview Swiz did with Blazing magazine.
GF
“” Swiz is a young and creative boy who goes out of the mass by making his bionic mark on society. If you walk on Paris streets, you will see plenty of his tags or pieces. If you enter in suburban abandoned factories, you will meet one of his wild and meticulous colored pieces. Nobody can be indifferent to his work, nor an old time writer nor somebody who don’t know nothing about graffiti. He participated in several exhibitions in Paris museums as the “Grand Palais” and the museum of modern art ” Palais de tokyo”. Let’s show you some simple science fiction typography and fine mechanic writing, straight from the so cute french capital.””
The Idea and Strive for Perfection through imperfection the Future yet the Past, Graffiti as a Transcendental element of Movement Progression and Chaos, Style Schizophrenics bound by structure yet bound to strands of texture the perfect hypocrites................
GRAFFUTURISM 