Tag Archives: Futura

CAPITALE(S) 60 Years of Urban Art in Paris

November 9, 2022 butterfly

Butterfly Art News is pleased to partner with the Ville de Paris for the Exhibition ‘CAPITALE(S) – 60 ans d’art urbain’, hosted within the Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall, and running from 15 October until 3 June 2023. Free entry, but booking is essential here

Through the creations of more than 70 artists, works from prestigious collections, archive documents, photos and videos, in situ interventions, painted walls throughout the city, CAPITALE(S) presents a wide panorama of the Urban Art Movement and the importance of the Parisian scene spanning across the past 60 years.

The exhibition starts with pioneers from the 60’s and 70’s like Jacques Villegle, Raymond Hains, Ernest Pignon-Ernest or Zlotykamien.

Then the early 80’s feature the white man figures of Jerôme Mesnager, robots by Speedy Graphito and the proliferation of stencils by Miss Tic, Blek Le Rat, Mosko, Jef Aerosol, Epsylon Point.

This period of intense urban activity allows the emergence of artists’ collectives such as VLP (Vive la Peinture) affiliated with the punk culture or the Ripoulin brothers.

French-American teenager Bando (b. in 1965) introduced graffiti in France after writing in New York, followed by the New York City Rap Tour in 1982. Graffiti writers invade the banks of the Seine and adorn the palissades of the Louvre construction site. Stalingrad, a spot found by graffiti writer Ash, becomes the Hall of Fame for the prolific graffiti scene until 1989, featuring writers like Mode2, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, Lokiss, Nasty, SKKI and numerous graffiti crew. In parallel Psychose paints in the catacombs and the underground sewers system.

In 1987 Keith Haring paints the emergency staircase of the Hopital Necker to provide hopes of brightening the spirits of sick children in the world’s first pediatric hospital.

Like in the US, graffiti was severely repressed in Paris in the early 90’s. American artists like Futura, A-One or even Rammellzee gain recognition from the European artistic community and present their works in galleries and museums in Paris. JonOne will settle permanently in Paris.

In the 2000’s, urban art has become a global movement with a multitude of techniques: from graffiti to street art, paste ups, stickers, stencils, mosaics and more. International artists are coming to Paris to leave their mark: Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Banksy, Vhils.

French artists have also gained international recognition: Andre, Invader, Zevs, JR, Dran, Lek and Sowat, Seth, L’Atlas, C215, Ludo, RERO, Philippe Baudelocque to Levalet.

Specially for CAPITALE(S), Invader has put two new aliases to be flashed for all the Flash Invaders addicts and shared a fully updated map of his invasion of the streets of Paris.

The exhibition presents also immersive and playful experiences.

Kashink, Kraken and Madame have created 3 entirely virtual works, hidden in a secret room of the exhibition: “The Fifth Wall“. A hunt for clues in Augmented Reality can be found through QR codes to be scanned under the works.

Visitors can try out graffiti with a digital spray can through GRAFFITI DIGITAL Picturae.

Artist Cristobal Diaz has created a GRAFF BOX, an immersive experience combining urban calligraphic production with playful digital devices featuring 250 artists.

While it is difficult to include the full scope of artists that have been active in Paris in the past 60 years within the City Hall, the four curators Magda Danysz, Elise Herszkowicz, Nicolas Laugero Lasserre and Marko93 have gathered following artists:

• Jacques Villeglé • Zlotykamien • Ernest Pignon-Ernest • Surface Active • Captain Fluo • Edmond Marie Rouffet • Blek le Rat • Miss.Tic • VLP • Speedy Graphito • Jean Faucheur • Mesnager • Mosko • Jef Aérosol • Bando • Ash • Jay0ne • SKKI • Keith Haring • Mambo • Nasty • Slice • Psyckoze • Lokiss • Shoe • Futura • A-One • Rammellzee • Jon0ne • André • Zevs • Dize • Invader • Shepard Fairey • JR • Vhils • Swoon • Banksy • C215 • L’Atlas • YZ • Seth • Tarek Benaoum • eL Seed • Ludo • Rero • Dran • O’Clock • Tanc • Lek • Sowat • Cristobal Diaz • Philippe Baudelocque • Levalet • Madame • Kashink • Vision • Pest • Greky • Sébastien Preschoux • Romain Froquet • Kraken • 9eme Concept • Les Francs Colleurs • Saype

There is also a prolific programme throughout the exhibition:

New murals will be painted at the Pavillon Carré de Baudouin and in several Parisian districts,
A selection of pictures will be featured on the gates of the City Hall,
Workshops, conferences and screenings of films and documentaries.
A book accompanying the exhibition is available at Gallimard / Editions Alternatives

Big thanks to all the teams, artists, photographers, lenders and institutions that have participated to the exhibition, specially Clemence Demolling, as well as all the artists that have contributed to the scene over the past 60 years.

CAPITALE(S) – 60 ANS D’ART URBAIN

PARIS HOTEL DE VILLE ( Paris City Hall), 5 Rue Lobeau 75004 Paris

15 October – 3 June 2023

Free entry, but booking is essential here

Paris

Paris: André x Futura – Chez Nous

January 21, 2019 butterfly

André & Futura have joined forces for a unique collaborative show at Danysz Gallery in Paris with their signature pictorial characters. Aptly entitled André x Futura – Chez Nous, the show presents a series of unseen works where they answer each other and merge their energetic painterly gestures. Futura (whose real name is Lenny McGurr) otherworldly characters, such as the Pointman, echo Saraiva’s Mr A. whimsical dancing figures, as if their pictorial alter ego were enjoying themselves as much as both artists did in this adventure.

View the full set of pics here

André x Futura – Chez Nous
Until 9 February 2019
Magda Danysz Gallery, 78 rue Amelot, Paris

Films, London, Music, Shows

London: Daydreaming with UNKLE – The Road Soho @ Lazarides

January 23, 2017 butterfly

James Lavelle , infamous DJ and electronic recording artist, better known as founder of Mo ‘Wax record label and co-founder of music group UNKLE is curating a multisensory exhibition at Lazarides Rathbone titled: Daydreaming with…

Lavelle’s Lazarides show is celebrating 25 years of UNKLE and will kick-start the release of his brand-new album, THE ROAD. For UNKLE, this will be the start of a multitude of events celebrating his history in music so it was only logical that the first exhibition takes place where it all began: Soho.

The exhibition is focussing on creating an immersive experience with UNKLE’s new music and combine the past, present and future of UNKLE over two floors at the gallery, with the first floor being a virtual reality experience featuring the first trailer to The Man From Mo’ Wax as well as two new videos for two new UNKLE tracks from the forthcoming album The Road. In the adjacent room visitors can experience with a VR headset a new 360° version of Doug Foster’s Beyond the Infinite installation.

Featuring original canvases by Futura and 3D, photos by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones that were used to illustrate LP covers, screenprints, limited edition toys, sneakers, and LPs, there’s something to enjoy for every age and every background.

Some of the UNKLE collaborators attended the overcrowded opening including James Lavelle, Ben Drury, Elliott Power and Dorian Lutz much to the delight of the fans.

Daydreaming with UNKLE

View the full set of pics here

Until 23rd February 2017
Lazarides Rathbone
11 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1HR

Books, Films, Paris

Release: Underground Does not Exist Anymore

December 4, 2016 butterfly

underground-doesnot-exist-anymore

Fresh from their return from their one year artistic residency at Villa Medici, Lek & Sowat present their latest book ‘Underground Does not Exist Anymore‘ together with curator Hugo Vitrani. The book retraces the events between December 2012 and June 2014, where the two artists supported by curator Hugo Vitrani invaded the Palais de Tokyo through various official interventions, secret or ephemeral .

What started out as a mural on a peripheral space of the institution then evolved into an ambitious long-term project. We look back at the project in more details, as we’ve been keeping the secret for a very long time…

John Giorno x Lek X Sowat - Palais de Tokyo

After a first collaboration with the American artist John Giorno ( see more here) Lek and Sowat were invited a second time to the Palais de Tokyo in December 2012 to paint on the walls of an emergency exit overlooking the technical premises of the museum. Rather than acting as a duo on the agreed space, the artists invited a dozen of graffiti artists including Dem189, Sambre, Wxyz, Katre, L’Outsider, Swiz, Rizot, Legz, Seth to join them and created an immersive installation by painting from the floor to the ceiling and began an urban exploration of the building.

Palais de Tokyo - Paris Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

In October 2013 with the complicity of the president of the Palais de Tokyo, Jean de Loisy, new spaces were made available and the project now titled ‘Lasco’ in tribute to the prehistorical cave paintings, the first wall paintings. Curator Hugo Vitrani with Lek and Sowat decided to pay tribute to French graffiti writers with individual dedicated spaces featuring Azyle, Bom.K, dran, Monsieur Qui, ….

In parallel to the authorized areas, Lek and Sowat as well as invited artists like dran, Alëxone, Kan, Blo, Evol, Cleon Peterson would also discreetly wander corridors, push doors, paint unofficially and create hidden or ephemeral installations, illustrating the evanescent nature of graffiti and its ability to penetrate everywhere.

Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

The results can be seen within the video ‘Invisible Vandalism’.

Traces Directs / Direct Outlines

The book also features all the artists ephemeral interventions on a blackboard ( see our coverage here) from Philippe Baudelocque, Wxyz, Alëxone, Smo, L’Outsider, Sowat, Babs, Skki, Jay one, Tcheko, Apôtre, Kan, Seb174, Sambre, Nassyo, Popay (pictured below), Spé, Fléo, Lek, Dem189, Swiz to Jacques Villeglé.

Popay

The short feature film Traces Directs is now part of the permanent collections of the Centre George Pompidou.

La Trappe

Pushing their exploration of the building further and further, Lek and Sowat discovered a hatch leading to the ventilation lines underneath the Palais de Tokyo.

This is the epilogue of their artistic journey. Lek and Sowat adorned the narrowed and out of reach spaces with graffiti and with curator Hugo Vitrani invited legendary Mode2 and Futura to paint using ochre, black and white colours, reminiscent of the sacred prehistorical paintings in the Lascaux caves. Large graffiti letters by Mode2 form the sentence ‘Underground doesn’t exist anymore’.

Lasco Project - Palais de Tokyo

View the full set of pics here

Due to the nature of the space and for security reasons, the Palais de Tokyo has now closed the access to the hatch permanently. While these paintings will never be accessible to the public, they have been documented in the following video.

Underground Does not Exist Anymore by Lek &Sowat and Hugo Vitrani
ISBN: 978-2-91-917217-81-8
340 pages – Format 17 x 24 cm
Editions Manuella
€ 30 Available here

In parallel Le Palais de Tokyo just released a special issue Palais Magazine #24 focussing on the urban interventions together with artist interviews from Andre, Azyle, dran, Craig Costello, Futura, Mode2 to Os Gemeos.

udea-palais-de-tokyo

Palais Magazine # 24
ISBN: 978-2-84711-071-5
216 pages – Format 22.5 x 28.5 cm
€ 15 Available here

London, Shows

London: Magda Danysz – The London Project

May 18, 2015 butterfly 1 Comment

After Paris (since 1999) and Shanghai (since 2009), French gallery owner Magda Danysz is opening a London exhibition space for the next 4 months in the North of Soho. The ‘London Project‘ is set to be a unique experience into contemporary art.

Within the last decade, Magda Danysz Gallery has been presenting artworks by emerging and talented artists who have since became key players of the international scene of contemporary art, such as OBEY, JR, Space Invader, Vhils, Futura, Erwin Olaf or Prune Nourry or Chinese rising stars such as Yang Yongliang and Liu Bolin, among others.

The London Project is a continuation of iconic projects curated by the Gallery such as Les Bains Douches in Paris, back in 2013 (covered here), or Look Through in the historic Bund18 building in Shanghai, in 2014. Magda Danysz London’s exhibition space aims at hosting regular shows presenting painting, sculpture, photographs from various and renowned artists.

The current artists on show in London include Sten & Lex (IT), Zhou Hongbin (CH), L’Atlas (FR), Jonone (USA), Stephane Bisseul (FR), Bai Guanghua (CH), Blek Le Rat (FR), Futura (USA), Alain Delorme (FR), Gael Davrinche (FR), Zhand Dali (CH), Peikwen Cheng (CH), Feng Fangyu (CH), YZ (FR), Yang Yongliang (CH).

With a large set of basements and vaults, the exhibition space is also devoted to a secret artistic project, giving carte blanche to major and iconic artists as they take over each and every inches of the space for unique collaborative artwork. The opening revealed creations and in-situ installations by French artist Yz, as well as UK artists Remi Rough, Pure Evil and Crossie.

With live artworks over a period of four months, the London Project will organise private visits for a limited public to witness the creative process and the various techniques before being fully unveiled at the end of this project.

Magda Danysz - London Project