I am very pleased to be contributiong to another internationalGRAFFUTURISM project. Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus of GRAFFITI ART Magazine & OpenSpace Galeri reached out in early 2013 to begin talks on this extensive Graffuturism Paris exhibition, including 4 solo shows to follow the highly anticipated Group show in April. My inclusion marks my first true solo show outside of these United States as well as my first solo in Paris… A great personal accomplishment for me.
As most of my shows I do my best to solidify a theme and a fitting title that best describes the works as well as continues to highlight my style. California Soul came to me as a perfect direction. A great way of bringing some of this progressive West Coast aesthetic and a costal cool sunwashed color pallette to Paris.
A little over a dozen new works on paper, wood and canvas will be on display from May 25 - June 6th, just a bit shy of 2 weeks. With all new works created since February, I continue my theme of finding balance with shape and form in each of the pieces, whether big or small. Contrasting soft color fields and washes with grid work and linear forms that speak of transition and structure. Themes touch on a golden state of mind, overcast optimism, southlandishness and the complexities of the good life in the rural paradise that he saw bulldozed into urban submission.
Located in a popular and trendy area, close to Place de la Nation, Openspace is the new gallery of contemporary urban art in Paris. Founded in September 2012, this space aims to create a link between the artworks, artists and public. By inviting pioneer or rising artists of the graffiti and street art scene, the founders of Openspace, Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus – also respectively editor/founder and publication director of Graffiti Art magazine – are keen to share their discoveries and their extensive knowledge of this art form. Pro176, Tilt, Stéphane Moscato, Jana & Js, Smash 137 and Yaze are the artists represented by the gallery. Openspace has also opened its doors for events with artists such as Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Rero, Katre, Btoy and the crew of VMD.
This Group show will kick off 100 days of exhibitions, featuring work from the Graffuturist group including 4 solo exhibitions from Kofie, Rae Martini, Doze Green, and Pro 176. This is a huge event that will exhibit a Parisian survey of Graffuturism and its artists at Newly founded Openspace Gallery.
Graffuturism Paris will be another portion of the journey that the artists exhibiting as well as so many more have taken. Graffuturism continues to bring together like minded artists from around the world in a cohesive movement that is not defined by any theory only acts of action and moments. With past shows in Glasgow, London, Los Angeles and now Paris we stand appreciative of all the opportunities given to the artists.
Paris is an important city to the overall group as you can see in the amount of French artists in the exhibition. Paris seems to be a place for creative growth and emerging artists. Openspace has allowed us to be part of this scene with this exhibition and the others. By bringing in other artists from Poland, US, Germany, Britain and the Netherlands Openspace has allowed for dialogue and collaboration to take place during this event. 25 Artists will not only exhibit new work in the gallery but we will also do what we do best and that is leave murals and installations around Paris. Even if temporary these murals are key in the process of our art form. We hope anyone close enough to travel to Paris make the trip and see one of the shows.
A MOVEMENT OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Graffuturism is the term coined by the artist Poesia, founder of the eponymous website, in order to define sensitively the work of a group of artists from the graffiti world but using different techniques and mediums. A movement that is becoming increasingly important on the international scene. Since 2010, several events have already taken place between Glasgow, London, Miami and Los Angeles. From a discovery perspective, the Openspace gallery wants to enhance the richness of this movement, by showing a selection of artists that are rarely seen (if ever) in France.
THE ARTISTIC CYCLE OF OPENSPACE
Graffuturism-Paris is the first part of several exhibition cycles to come to Openspace looking at the different major movements inherent to contemporary urban art. From a historical perspective and in an educational format, Openspace presents its first collective exhibition showing the different aspects of the movement by highlighting 20 French and international artists. Following this, four solo exhibitions will show more deeply the relationship with this movement and explore the different stylistic issues. In this perspective, the gallery Openspace publishes the catalog of the exhbition introducing this selection of artists from Graffuturism introduced by an essay by Daniel Feral.
OPENSPACE GALLERY
Located in a popular and trendy area, close to Place de la Nation, Openspace is the new gallery of contemporary urban art in Paris. Founded in September 2012, this space aims to create a link between the artworks, artists and public. By inviting pioneer or rising artists of the graffiti and street art scene, the founders of Openspace, Samantha Longhi and Nicolas Chenus – also respectively editor/founder and publication director of Graffiti Art magazine – are keen to share their discoveries and their extensive knowledge of this art form. Pro176, Tilt, Stéphane Moscato, Jana & Js, Smash 137 and Yaze are the artists represented by the gallery. Openspace has also opened its doors for events with artists such as Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Rero, Katre, Btoy and the crew of VMD.
Acrylic and spray paint on prepared alpolic aluminum & poly carbonate panels.
Commissioned by Satoshi Maruhashi of Colors Int. & Yoshi Yamaguchi of World Bicycle Customs to paint a mural for ‘The Color’, a showroom & creative space in the Toranomon prefecture that went public in early 2013. Both Yoshi and Satoshi are good friends of mine who both helped me with my t-shirt project Draftsmen over the past decade. Painted within a week just 7 days before Christmas.
Spray paint, laytex house paint on primed plaster.
Woodstock district of Cape Town, South Africa
Painted the day before my 2 man show ‘Gather’ at the gallery during my 3 week stay in Cape Town. The exterior walls were already painted this dark, rich brown so I felt right to bringing in bright colors to liven up the alley off of the main road.
GATHER A two-man ‘Live open Studio’ show by Augustine Kofie and Paul Senyol
12 - 27 October, 2012
THE LOVELL GALLERY
139 Albert Road, Woodstock,
Cape Town South Africa
This October The Lovell Gallery in association with Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection presents GATHER an exhibition by visual artists Augustine Kofie and Paul Senyol, whose works grace the streets and galleries of Los Angeles and Cape Town, respectively. GATHER will include works by the individual artists in their signature styles, collaborative works by Kofie and Senyol, as well as a true pièce de résistance, a historic racing Porsche 911, which will be transformed into an object of art inside the gallery from the 16th to the 19th Oct as part of this exhibition. This Art Porsche will then race in the endurance challenges of the International Springbok Series in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth starting in November this year.
Augustine Kofie (born 1973) is a self-taught artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has exhibited extensively worldwide with seminal shows in California, Japan, London, Germany and Switzerland. The artist has been featured in Juxtapoz, The Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Project Room and Studio Voice Japan. Kofie is internationally renowned for his awe-inspiring technical skills, employed to create his unique abstract compositions, characterized by simple geometric shapes, exact lines and smooth colour – complex yet elegant and in a league of their own. He has just completed shows in London and Turin Italy, and is in Cape Town for three weeks only on a residency with The Lovell Gallery.
Paul Senyol (born 1980) has been drawing and painting since his early high school years, however never pursuing any form of artistic training. Graffiti and street artists such as Marc Gonzales, Ed Templeton, and Barry McGee have all been major influences in his work, and in later years, the artistic genius of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Cy Twombly. The absence of formal training has given the artist the freedom to break away from traditional notions of painting, to explore a variety of genres and styles, and to meld mediums, allowing him a creative freedom that flows so evidently through his works. Senyol’s art lingers gracefully and intentionally between beauty and honesty and brings a surreal, yet abstract world into being. Geometry, line, shape, composition, typography, abstraction and colour form the key elements in his work. Senyol has exhibited extensively throughout South Africa and has shown in a number of exhibitions in Europe. He currently works from a studio in Woodstock, Cape Town, and is represented by Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection.
Kofie and Senyol have both succeeded in developing their own unique abstract- and street- inspired artistic identities without any formal training. Process, balance, geometry, layering and typography are common elements, which link these artists’ works together. The pairing of Kofie and Senyol’s practice in GATHER results in a richly diverse visual dialogue and outcome, coexisting beautifully and harmoniously within the gallery space. GATHER further invites the viewer to be witness to the art-making process of two original contemporary street- and fine-artists in their own right. A world-class exhibition not to be missed!
GATHER will be celebrated with a wrap / closing event due to the live and evolutionary nature of the exhibition. Viewers will be able to observe the creative processes of the artists throughout the course of the exhibition by the day-to-day progress and happenings at the gallery.
The Lovell Gallery hours: Tue – Fri 10am - 6pm; Sat 10am – 2pm
Closed on Mondays
Contact: Brendon van Kraayenburg (Gallery Manager)
Cape Town based photographer Gregor Röhrig documented myself and Paul Senyol over a period of two weeks, while we worked independently and collaboratively on artworks for the ‘Gather’ live exhibition presented by The Lovell Gallery in association with Salon91 Contemporary Art Collection.
Between Corso and Via del Sarto Tassoni, via Medail 13.
Torino, Italy
Assisted by Vesod and Wens.
After spending a major week in London for the Futurism 2.0 show with GammaProforma I flew down to Torino, Italy to start a large mural for the Picturin Festival. Riccardo invited me down earlier in the year and I decided to schedule this project between London and my various projects in Cape Town.
The mural is currently being painted on an active construction sight, so hard hats and steel toe shoes are mandatory. The Richelmy building I’m painting is a completely new edition of surface and stucco attached to an old Catholic school that is in the process of being refurbished with the new additions. Were told that the space will be in open use, so the space could become living quarters or a school.
I submitted the sketch just a month before arrival, and truthfully I didn’t do my research on the environment, but that didn’t seem to matter. As I look upon the neighborhoods from the top of the scaffold , all I see are terra cotta tiles in creams and reds, ivory and grey buildings, construction cranes and new construction developments in an old, classic Italian City. My sketches color selection subconsciously reflect many of these color arrangements. The mural Is becoming an abstraction of the surroundings managed and balanced by line, order and form, hence the murals name, Futurino. It’s sort of perfect as my favorite artist from the Futurism movement was an Italian paper architect named Antonio Sant’Elia whos ‘New City’ illustrations still resinate and inspire today.
On a sidenote/ strance coincidence, the building in named after a former Archbishop of Turin,Agostino Richelmy.
And many thanks go to Italian artists Vesod and the Torino OG, WENS of TOT Crew for their assistance on this wall project. True G’s and new friends for sure.
Painted during the week of the FUTURISM 2.0 Exhibition at Blackall Studios. Nawer is based in Poland and this was the second show we have been in together and the first colab piece. I actually sort of stumbled upon him painting the wall and he invited me to join in on the angles. Using a limited set of paint we had a go on the piece which was initially painted by fellow TRANSCEND member 0.TWO, You can still make out a bit of his forms on the right.
Many thanks to Jim & Matilda of EOTL for the wall & support.
“We stand on the last promontory of the centuries! Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed.” – Marinetti, Futurist Manifesto, 1909.
SYMMETRY ACROSS CENTURIES
In 1912, just three years after the manifesto was published, the Futurists exhibited in London for the first time. A hundred years later on September 27th, 2012, just three years after the creation of Graffuturism.com, the Graffuturists will exhibit for the first time in London at Blackall Studios.
THE IDEALS OF DYNAMISM AND PROGRESSION
At the core of both movements are the parallel ideals of “dynamism” and “progression.” Both of these keywords conjure a sense of action, motion and movement, wavering disturbances of change pulsing forward, like an electrocardiogram, along a historical continuum into the future. Marinetti extolled the virtues of a dynamic art form that was alive and motivated; Poesia, the founder of Graffuturism.com, has stated that the word Graffuturism was inspired by the desire to articulate a progressive impetus for graffiti.
URBAN, ONLINE, GLOBAL
Uplifting arms together in spirit, both these movements revel in the urban environment as a petri dish for the advancements and inventions of their age. Just as Futurism embraced the Industrial Age and its recently mechanized urban centers, Graffuturism embraces the Digital Age and its recently wired urban-global community. For the Futurists, the ideals of dynamism were expressed in images of their century’s new inventions, such as the motor car, the steam engine, the airplane, the telephone; whereas for the Graffuturists, the icons of salvation are the subway car, electric/ diesel freight trains, markers, spray paint, rollers, fire extinguishers, and so on. A different set of symbols for this century, but still imbued with the same impetus.
GRAFFITI, PAINTING AND ABSTRACTION
Because of the global composition of the group, the Graffuturists consist of disparate backgrounds, professions, and locations. They create in different styles, but their unifying theme is abstraction, their medium is painting, and their influence is graffiti. In their work on the streets and on canvas, these painters aspire to a high level of proficiency at their craft, which creates a visual poetry of depth and complexity. The Graffuturists could be classified as a High Style New Millennium Painting movement, consisting of a long dialectic and cross-pollination between advanced graffiti and fine art painting techniques.
Wildstyle Graffiti is combined with Abstract Expressionism or Geometric Abstraction, then transposed through the artist’s unique vision into a personal vocabulary of hybrid techniques, an experimental mix of the high and low, the intellectual and visceral, the visionary and the primitive. Whereas the Street Art movement of the mid-2000s tended to focus on collaged and wheat-pasted illustrations and figurative stencils, this group of artists focuses on the act of Painting, whether on the street or off, whether with spray paint or oils, with a fat cap or a sable brush.
Just as Be-bop developed from jazz, Raw Magazine from Superman comics, and Wildstyle from Original Writing, Graffuturism progresses from graffiti, and then takes up the oily-rag torch to ignite the future.
[ I will be in attendance for this great project givint a talk to students at the Universty about my artworks with emphasis on my mix media collage. There are laso exhibitions planned as well as plans to paint at the University during my stay. Updates to follow]
Collaborative mural with native artist Yatika Starr Fields (Cherokee/Creek/Osage) during the Santa Fe Indian Market Week for The Hour Has Arrived project.
Jaque Fragua extended an invitation to contribute some artworks fand murals or THE HOUR HAS ARRIVED, slated the week of August 13-19, 2012. This event will mark my first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Looking forward to painting some hopefully permanent murals in the city during The Santa Fe Indian Market.
Belin (ES), Smug (UK), Zedz (NL), Fecks (AUS), Chas (NL), Nash (NL) and I wil be working on a large mural at the Karel de Grootelaan in Eindhoven, the Netherlands just before the Step In The Arena event that week.
I was invited by CHAS of Love Letters Crew to paint on one of the best walls at this years international Graffiti festival STEP IN THE ARENA in the city of Eindhoven, the Netherlands this past June, 2012
This year more than 250 local and international graffiti gladiators showed their skills in the weekend of 23 and 24 June in Eindhoven. Some names of the participating artists were:
Agents Of Change/ Megaro Project/ Karpo Restaurant/ Central London
Earlier last month saw the completetion of this impressive and eye catching project by the Agents Of Change for the Megaro Hotel and Karpo restaurant. What looks to be one of London’s largest street art / graffiti murals has been painted by the four members of Agents of Change – Remi/Rough, Steve More, LX.One and Augustine Kofie with assistance from David Shillinglaw. The project encompasses the two sides of a five storey Georgian building located directly opposite St. Pancras International Station in Kings Cross, London.
With the building wrapped in scaffolding, it took the artists two whole weeks to complete, using over 150 litres of emulsion and 160 litres of spray paint. On it’s unveiling, the buildings colourful new addition was very well received although it was met with some opposition from a member of the King’s Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee who felt “what was an attractive building had now been knackered with a layer of permanent paint,like an unwanted tattoo”!
We personally feel it is a great addition to the city and especially the Kings Cross area. And what with London hosting the 2012 Olympics this summer it makes for a fantastic first impression on national and international visitor arriving into St. Pancras, highlighting London as a vibrant and creative city.
The incomparable Ian Cox of Wallkandy took these amazing shots while I was in Central London for the massive commissioned mural by Agents Of Change for the Megaro Hotel & Karpo.
I was in London last December of 2011 to create a collection of exclusive works for Hotel Megaro’s upcoming Restaurant Karpo with members of the Agents Of Change Collective. The teaser video below documents the creation of the works on sight. In the following month a larger project at Megaro will be taking form.
01. The point here was to reproduce the energy and direction of some of my recent studio paintings in a large scale format.
02. The ‘teeter effect’ or ’tilt’ of the overall composition leads to an off-centering that gives the idea of movement.
03. The earth tone palette is not a new concept for me, but due to the bright and vibrant murals throughout the compound, it makes the subtleness of this piece shine in contrast.
04. Both assisted straight lines ( straight edge and/or masking tape) and traditional manuel lines are executed in order to keep balance. The larger circles were assisted with the help of a center point. The smaller arch and circles were completed manually.
05. The majority of the left side of the mural was completed before I finalized the right side.
06. The majority of the mural was painted in one day. The following 4 days consisted of clean up, fine tuning and adjustments.
The installation titled “In Situ” will took place in the Wynwood Art District at the Kohn Compound during Art Basel|Miami 2011
With mural installation by:
Eric Haze, Mare 139, West One, Poesia, Aaron De la Cruz,
Kema, Jurne, Sueme, Remi Rough, Greg Lamarche, Rae Martini,
LX One, Matt W. Moore, and Augustine Kofie.
“The title “In Situ” is a reference to the Mural installations that in the definition of the term will be made and created for the site specific to this event. Permanent Murals that will be placed in a unique and contrary to traditional compositions. As graffiti enters its place among the art world as legitimate art form, we have put together this lineup with the intention of showcasing some of our cultures important figures. With most, if not all the artists having an extensive background in traditional graffiti we have tried to bring many aspects of our current culture. From Legends Like Mare 139 & Eric Haze to emerging stars like Sueme and Jurne. We have picked a wide spectrum of talent. International additions like Remi Rough and She One will also contribute, reminding us of how far our culture has reached. We offer a different vision, modernist at times to street art and traditional graffiti. The great part of the Art Basel event that spreads into the streets of the Wynwood arts district, is that all angles are represented. We now add our version this year with In Situ. We hope you stop by and say hello. The graffiti Avante Garde as some have called it is here and we hope you enjoy what we will be bringing to the table this year.”
Special thanks to MTN Colors for being the paint sponsor for this event.”
ball point pen, white-out, rub on Letraset, gel image transfer
& acrylic ink on wood panel. Finished in matte gel medium.
Framed in mahogany lattice & found vintage yardsticks
White Walls is pleased to announce its participation in SCOPE Miami, one of the leading art fairs known for curating some of the most innovative contemporary art being made. Running from November 29–December 4, 2011, SCOPE will present the highest level of gallery shows, collector tours, film screenings, special events and performances.
White Walls will be hosting four booths at SCOPE, situated in the center of Miami’s Wynwood Gallery Arts District, featuring a MTN Colors Group show with APEX, Neon, Estria, Vogue, Blek le Rat, HUSH, Kofie and Chor Boogie, a White Walls Group show with Casey Gray, Ben Eine and Greg Gossel, and solo shows for both ABOVE and ROA. White Walls will be showing with SCOPE for the full duration of the fair as well as leading multiple projects throughout the city of Miami, bringing the work of our renowned participating artists to the streets of Miami.
APEX, Eine, Kofie, ABOVE, ROA and Chor Boogie will also be painting at the Kohn compound on 24th street, where MTN Colors is hosting projects by 20+ top shelf graffiti and street artists, making the compound home to the largest street level mural installation in the world and an Art Basel satellite event. The compound is 30,000 square feet at 219 NW 24th street and almost 10,000 sq. feet on 25th street, with a passage connecting the two streets, two bars and music performed Dec 1st through to Dec 4th.
Wallspaces set MWM, Poesia, Geso and myself up with a lovely wall off on the corner of Larkin and Bush in the city of San Francisco. The wall happens to be on the side of a Wallgreens [An American chain of drug store], but the building is actually an apartment complex above with over 50 units.
Laytex, spray paint, bitumen and a bit of acrylic on cement.
With a month notice and a wall in mind, Poseia and I set off to Oakland to work a wall together, one on one for the first time. Nothing revolutionary, nothing fancy, just 2 grown-ass men tackle a wall and doing what we do.
I happened to be in town working on a project with Will of Collabo Arts, so it was natural to have Sibel document the session through the Cannon7D and a special tilt shift lens for time lapse.
Scot La Rockwell also came through documenting the ladder of the day catching Poesia and I finishing off our pieces. Serious faces in these ‘action’ captures of linebackers over-tinking and analyzing details and playing with color.
In July I finally made it out to the UK for the first time. My primary reason for the trip was to contribute works as well as a mural for the much spoken of Rudimentary Perfection Group show in Glasgow Scotland. What a success. A true pleasure to meet and communicate in person with a great handful of creatives.
Remi Rough and I had been going back and fourth before my trip with a comp generated mock-up for our planned wall. He had locked down a lovely banger just off the main thoroughfare in South London, East Dulwich to be exact. A great location and a positive response from the locals who were new to not only having a mural, but one in such a fashion.
What a pleasure it was to bang on a wall with Rem like. This one is definitely a highlight in my career.
Enamel spray paint & emulsion on ceramic tiles [2011]
Glasgow, Scotland
Detail of Mark Lykens Mural
Enamel spray paint & emulsion on ceramic tiles [2011]
Glasgow, Scotland
Since all the artists were painting separately in the city it was difficult to make it out to each wall to see the progress since we were all caught up. On my next to last day in Glasgow I finally made it out to Lyken and Jago’s respective walls in the city. There was a bit of space on the far left so I gave it a go with a tecky negative style KO with the scraps on hand.
Enamel, acrylic and bitumen on primed brick [2011]
Glasgow, UK
During the Rudimentary Perfection exhibition at Recoat Gallery each of the artists that made it out to the show painted walls throughout Glasgow thanks to the efforts of Amy and Ali of Recoat. My wall above as well as Jaybo Monks wall ended up being the closest to the gallery, literally along the side of the building.
Acrylic, enamel spray paint, screenprint & bitumen on canvas.
Recoat Gallery Presents:
Rudimentary Perfection
Proudly showcasing recent work by:
-SheOne
-Duncan Jago
-Jaybo Monk
-Matt W. Moore
-Augustine Kofie
-Poesia
-Nawer
-Derm
-Morten Andersen
-Mark Lyken
Recoat Gallery
323 North Woodside Road
G20 6ND Glasgow
United Kingdom
Opening on 1st of July 2011, 7-10pm, Scotland’s Recoat Gallery will host the UK’s first comprehensive Graffuturism Exhibition titled “Rudimentary Perfection“. The exhibition pulls together an impressive group of notable international artists linked by their innovative spirit & shared graffiti heritage. The project has been heralded as one of the finest of its kind to take place anywhere in the world this year.
Each of these artists has ventured down unique paths in their post graffiti output & each offers a radical take on expressive, figurative & letter-based abstraction. These works, while differing in approach & execution retain the sense of movement, assured marks & imperfect beauty of graffiti itself.
About Recoat:
Recoat is an exhibition space in Glasgow, Scotland. We exhibit illustration, graphic art, photography, street art and graffiti, showcasing Scottish talent alongside artwork from all over the world.
[Mark Lyken is paying attention. Not only can he hold his own style wise he also has a creative space that caters to the culture with a broad stoke. I’m very excited to be apart of this progressive lineup as well as have the opportunity to show my works in the United Kingdom, let alone Scotland. Im planning on making the trip to catch up with some good mates and make some new ones. It’s sad to say that I have never been to the UK in all these years of traveling, but I’m quite looking forward to it.]
In February of 2011, just after completing the massive MODA Murals in Vancouver, I shot over to SF to drop in my contribution for the Indoor Mural Project at Justin’s massive gallery space. I wanted to drop in a piece that reflected my dustier approach to my constructive direction, relative to a piece I would execute outside of a studio space. I incorporated hand styles, line work and my traditional rusted/ distresses finishings. It was even lovelier to have the lady at foot documenting the session on her old trusty Yashica, shot in 120 film.
The Indoor Mural Project: A Living Survey of Contemporary Street Art
941 Geary is proud to present the Indoor Mural Project featuring murals by Chor Boogie, Eine, ApexOne, Neon, Augustine Kofie, Damon Soule, Skinner, Roa,Sheppard Fairy, Hush, Damon Soule, Blek le Rat, Casey Gray and many more, filling the 3,000 sq. foot converted warehouse!
The doors are open to the public starting April 1st, 12-5 until the closing party on April 23rd, 6-9pm.
Join us at 941 Geary on Saturday, April 23rd from 6-9 p.m. as we unveil the entire giant, colorful, collaborative masterpiece!
Imported enamel Spray-paint & laytex on primed brick.
Executed from March 2-4, 2011
900 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 3L9
Remi/Roughe, Scott Sueme, Joker and I were commissioned by Moda Hotel/Vancouver to produce 2 large scale murals for the exterior walls of their hotel and this would be #2. This was the larger of the two walls and a bit of a challange due to the fire escape, so the mural was designed based on these obsticles. Sueme managed the lower half of the wall as Remi took over the left side so Joker and I could merge the right side. I cant express how seamless and easy it was to work with all three of these cats. They understood that the overall result is a cohesive wall where we all could shine. Egos down - styles up. The overlaps and inter weavings of each others works throughout the mural are those special points where partnership and conversations merge.
Many special thanks go out to the team at Montan Colors North America, Inc. for the paint sponsorship. The MTN94 andAlienpaint supplies helped to keep the mural bright and cohesive and we can’t thank yall enough!
There were many photographers documenting the creation of both murals. here are some sets via Flickr to sort through and view the process.
Augustine Kofie | Jerry Inscoe | Remi/Rough | Scott Sueme
Becker Galleries
Pier 32, Granville Island
Suite 210-1333 Johnson St
Vancouver, B.C.
Moda Hotel/Red Card
900 Seymor St
Vancouver B.C.
March 4-26, 2011
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) - in an exhibition exploring four very different approaches to abstraction. Working in a variety of mediums, these artists have evolved the letterform building blocks of their shared graffiti background, deconstructing and rebuilding them as compositions of colour, line, shape and movement.
The project begins with two collaborative mural installations at Moda Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. A VIP invite-only reception will take place at Becker Galleries on March 4th. The exhibit opens to the public on March 5th followed by an afterparty at Moda Hotel’s Red Card Sports Bar.
Augustine Kofie’ssignature style “Vintage Futurism” layers tightly controlled linework and complex structures against a palette of heavy distressed earth tones. His architecturally inspired paintings, collages and assemblages incorporate found imagery and objects into a crafted world of process, organization and draftsmanship.
Heavily influenced by Deconstructivist architecture, Jerry Inscoedissects and reassembles three-dimensional space within an elegant framework of smooth lines, soaring arcs and sharp angles. Tone-on-tone colors and neutrals exist in crisp definition, often set against a background of smooth wood grain.
Best described as “antiform”, Remi/Rough’swork is the product of a skilled balance of freedom and restraint, with references to Kandinsky, Kline and the Bauhaus and Dadaist movements. The negative space in his paintings speaks volumes, juxtaposed against gestural brushstrokes, skewed lines, strong shapes and angular configurations.
Scott Sueme’s mixed-media paintings are an exploration of spontaneity and intuition; a departure from his critically structured and designed graffiti pieces. Favouring improvisation over strategy, he layers dense lines and bold colors against subtle tones and textures to create a strong, energetic sense of movement.
In recent years abstraction has been rapidly gaining momentum within the graffiti community, with many artists around the world pushing the composition and construction of letters to more conceptual levels. Collectively and individually, these
four artists showcase the wide range of techniques and aesthetics that exist within this genre, and are as intriguing in their similarities as they are in their differences.
Singha Beer has revealed its next artist for the latest stop of the global Singha TransPortraits campaign. On Saturday February 12, 2011, artist Augustine Kofie, aka Kofie, will create the next Singha TransPortrait at Harlot in San Francisco.
“Kofie’s designs have been featured everywhere from murals to music videos & game console designs. We can’t wait to see how he brings his signature style to Singha Beer and we’re excited to add another incredibly talented artist to the Singha TransPortraits campaign,”
-Boon Rawd Trading International Co., Ltd. Senior Branding and Event Officer, Theerathip Mahaguna.
[I was personally recommended for this project by my contemporary and friend Retna, which he participated in for the Los Angeles edition. For this San Francisco edition I will be doing some live finishing touches to a 15′ x 8′ Lucious Hudson designed canvas live during the event.]
Wynwood Arts DistrictMiami, FL 33127btwn NW 2nd ave & N. Miami Ave in the Wynwood Arts District
Graffiti Gone Global (GGG) launches its fourth consecutive year with an exhibition of street and graffiti art running parallel to Art Basel Miami Beach. Entitled Fresh Produce, GGG’s installation explores the gray area between the street and the gallery, while adopting the quintessential farmers’ market mantra of “fresh.” Powered by SUSHISAMBA Fresh Produce is curated by Christina Gonzalez — aka She Kills He — and will feature work from today’s top street and graffiti artists, as well as a collaboration with Operation Design and a new large-scale installation by Dutch artists Haas & Hahn. Fresh Produce is produced in collaboration with Primary Flight and will be housed in a 7,000-square-foot venue in the Wynwood Arts District and will open to the public on December 1.
GGG’s Fresh Produce will feature a roster of international artists, including:
The London Police, Revok, Erik Otto, Skewville, Pepa Prieto, Augustine Kofie, Alëxone, Kenton Parker, Tes One, BASK, Dolla, Jim Darling, Dabs & Myla, Stormie Mills, Michael De Feo, Andrew Holder, Jack Hudson, Tristan Eaton, Tatiana Suarez, Surge, Jersey Joe, Remed, Parskid, Logan Hicks, Escif, Depoe, Remi/Rough, Ryan Bubnis, Mike Perry, Reyes and from the Family Baglione: Flip, Sesper, Thais Beltrame and Herbert Baglione and others.
White Walls is pleased to present Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, a solo exhibition by Los Angeles based artist, Augustine Kofie.
The artist examines the dynamics that emerge when new elements or techniques are built upon existing material. The exhibition will include a series of wood triangle collages, medium-sized assemblages on wood, acrylic paintings and an installation. The opening reception for Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, will be held at White Walls on Saturday, October 09, 2010 from 7-11 pm. The exhibit will be on display through November 06, 2010 and is free and open to the public.
With a deep interest in process and structure, Augustine Kofie creates works of intense detail centered around the order of balance. The precision of Kofie’s “drafted” art is strongly inspired by modern architecture as well as the form and shape of typography. In his quest for balance, Kofie harmonizes opposing and contradictory dynamics in his work by setting futuristic compositions against vintage earth-toned palettes, and creating organically complex formations through meticulously structured line-work and layering. Active in the Los Angeles graffiti scene since the mid-nineties, the artist’s work reflects his ever growing influence of street culture, the craft of deconstructing lettering, contemporary music as well as 1960’s-70’s iconography.
Retrofitted and Other Forms of Vintage Futurism, Kofie’s debut solo exhibition with White Walls, continues his exploration of the process of organization, deconstruction and form while adhering to a controlled and tuned uniformity. In this collection the artist poses a broader range of color set against his signature earth-toned palette. The works conveys a ”push and pull” movement through the composition of the shapes and through the enhancement of classic or found material treated with newer counterparts. The works for the exhibition are comprised of acrylic and spray paint on canvas, found paper and mixed media on wood, and found-wood sculptures and installations.
Kofie is a self-taught artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has shown extensively worldwide with highlighted shows in California, New York, Basel Miami, Japan, The Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The artist has been featured in Juxtapoz, The Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Project Room and Studio Voice.
Manuel Muccio is a very close friend of Marco Pho Grassi, both hailing from Milan, Italy. Manuel’s English was much better then Pho’s, so not only did he became a great relayer of information, but was a fine photographer on top of that. These were pulled from his facebook page.
During a recent trip to East Berlin, Germany I was invited by fellow artist Jaybo Monk to paint live at The ProjectRoom, an ever changing venue that supports art, then donates the work to worthy charities. Past live artists include Remi Rough & Marco PHO Grassi to name a few
El Mac and I were already in Basel, Switzerland for the Art Basel and since he had some time to kill before his trip to Dublin he came up with me to Berlin. Our primary goal was to lock down an exterior wall to leave a permanent and visible mural on. That was a bit more difficult a job then expected due to many unexpected roadblocks, but we didn’t manage to find a wall in the same location as ProjectRoom|Berlin.
Timid of Agents of Change documented teh whole session in both still as well as the video below.
Many thanks to out hosts and new friends we made along the way…
Los Angeles, Kalifornien – schon seit der High School bemalt der inzwischen 36-jährige Augustine Kofie als Street Artist dort Mauern und Wände. Doch handelt es sich um weit mehr als Graffiti-Kunst, die der Autodidakt Kofie produziert. Seine Bildsprache ist inspiriert vom Kubismus, Futurismus und der Pop Art der 1960er und 1970er Jahre.Seine erste große Liebe war das Illustrieren mit einem einfachen Kugelschreiber. Dann klebte Kofie Collagen aus zusammen gesammelten Fundstücken auf Holztafeln. „I love cutting and pasting“, sagt er. Klingt sympathisch und ehrlich. Später entwickelte er seinen geometrischen „drafting style“ – mit Lineal, Winkel und Schablonen.
Auf seinen großflächigen Wandgemälden verbinden sich Struktur und Bewegung, erwecken den Eindruck von Dreidimensionalität und erinnern gleichzeitig an technisches Zeichnen: Klare Linien und geometrische Formen nennt er „childhood shapes“, weil sie grundsätzlich simpel sind.
Kofies Zeichnungen werden auch animiert und in Musik-Videos platziert, mal ist er verantwortlich für das CD-Artwork von Remy LBO, ein anderes Mal gestaltet er Schaufenster von Hugo Boss in New York oder verschönert Skateboardrollen, Spielkonsolen und T-Shirts mit seinen Designs.
Los Angeles ist Augustine Kofie mittlerweile zu klein geworden, er tobt sich auf Mauern und Wänden in der ganzen Welt aus, zum Beispiel am kommenden Donnerstag in Berlin. Dann wird man ihn nämlich auf Einladung von Jaybo beim Live-Painting im projectroom zuschauen können. Wir freuen uns drauf!
„One Night One Piece“Live Painting mit Augustine KofieDonnerstag, 24. Juni 2010, 19 – 23 Uhrprojectroom, Schönhauser Allee 8, 10119 Berlin
L.A. ART MACHINE and Rivera & Rivera Gallery are proud to present, VOX HUMNANA at Volta6, Basel. Curated by Bryson Strauss, VOX HUMANA is a live art performance by legendary Los Angeles street artists Mear One, Kofie, Retna, and El Mac that will take place at VOLTA6 in Basel, Switzerland, June 16-20, 2010.Street artists work on the fly and in the open to create works of art that change the way we see, feel, and interact with our urban environments. The VOX HUMANA happening will provide an opportunity for VOLTA patrons to witness how street artists work and watch the live unfolding of “pieces” within the context of an international fine art fair.
For the five-day run of the fair, these four artists will create large-scale (up to 3.5 meters x 7 meters) pieces in their signature styles using acrylic and aerosol paints. VOLTA attendees are invited to witness the completion of these monumental works on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 2 PM, and participate in a closing celebration.
On an April 2010 trip to Melbourne I had the opportunity to paint a wall in the Northcote District of Victoria. It was a long, wide wall that could manage 5 burners and one character this time around. Special thanks to Dabs & Myla & the SDM Crew for the Invitation and good times.
I extended my stay in Melbourne, Victoria to take care of some commission projects set up while I was in town. One of these was for a light mural in the Super Special Warehouse, a high quality screen printing facility in the Spotswood district of Melbourne. Ben and Shelley were more then accommodating and stayed a bit overtime on a monday evening for me to knock out this Circulation style Piece.
Brandy Flower and I spent about a week in Melbourne, Australia in Mid April of 2010. We happened to come into some pretty perfect Autumn weather during the trip out to screen print t-shirts live as part of H+R.
The space was called 1000 £ Bend in what was call ‘The City”, but it’s their Downtown. The event, The closing reception for The Asahi SILVER & BLACK EXHIBITION. A Premium combination of art, photography, fashion & design culture. A wide range of work was displayed in an old automobile tire factory turned exhibition space/ hipster cafe. Eddie of T-Worldhad a large hand all of this going down with the guidance of Shane of Urchin Associates. We may have printed 300 shirts in 3 hours, I think it was more. Just an awesome, professional experience overall..
Above is my exclusive design I submitted to be printed during the opening night of the event along with art by She One, Usugrow, Ryo Ono, Cryptik, Eli Sipsas & HIT+RUN CREW. More info and links below:
Silver & Black Is a premium retail & exhibition initiative that sells art, fashion & limited edition objects of desire. Its a space of cultural enrichment and inspiration. Visitors are presented with a curated selection of works that, when placed together acknowledge the wabi-sabi spirit of finding beauty in imperfect things.
T-World presents Hit + Run, the successful live screen-printing events that started in LA and are now renowned throughout the world. Hit + Run will be staged at Asahi Silver + Black for one night only in both Melbourne and Sydney. Open to the public, a limited number of guests will have the opportunity to create their own T-shirt to take home, choosing from exclusive designs from a range of international artists.
Join us in Melbourne on Friday night, April 16th at 1000 BEND for the opening party presented by T-WORLD. Choose from exclusive art by KOFIE, SHE ONE, USUGROW, RYO ONO, CRYPTIK, ELI SIPSAS and HIT+RUN CREW to create one of the 300 custom tees we’ll be printing in each city.
When I first saw the flicker pictures for the newly installed wood panels in the gallery, I knew what I was going to do for the install. That was to basically do what I do to natural wood already, age it down.
Oxidized red, black acrylic washes, house paint, gold and black spray paint, fine tip enamel markers and a bit of brush was all I used to treat the wood. Took about half a day to build my install + spread the mural above the front entrance to meat up with Remy Rough’s section.
I would have had better shots, connections and all, but I was using the only camera I had on deck, a 4 year old Olympus Stylus that isn’t working up to par.
Kangol Headwear sponsored the “Blow Your Head Exclusive Tour’Featuring DJ MURO,Peanut Butter Wolf and Egon of Stones Throw Records.I was invited to paint live at both the Tokyo and Osaka shows. On this night I painted a portrait of Stevie Wonder. The following film was recorded during the Club AIR show in Tokyo by an anonymous patron. I recently found the VHS copy in my storage unit, transfered it to digital by shooting the TV screen, then edited it in iMovie.
House paint and enamel spray paint on plaster, exterior.
The Macand I had not gotten the opportunity to collaborate one on one, and this trip helped make that happen on his own home town.
Built in the 50’s, it was once home to a lil flower shop, and the original signage is still holding up. The mural took about 3 days to complete and is definitely ranked in my top 5 of all colabs. The Macs piece is all spray paint as my contribution is both spray paint, acrylic and house paint applied with roller and brush.
Spent a few days in Miami, Florida during the 2008 Art Basel thanks to the Scion Installation exhibition in town. The good folks at Primary Flight blessed me with a space on the ‘Wall Of Fame‘. With a reference of a sketch I did on the plane there, I knocked my piece out in a about 5 hours. I didn’t want to f-up another pair of good shoes, so I did this one barefoot for at least half the time.
This was about the time I was going public with my Triangulation series. There is no real direct inspiration of the pyramid in the work, but you cant avoid it when you crisscross 45 degree angles. For this piece tho, I was definitely thinking of Atlantis & Bimini. Shit, I was at the tip of Florida & I was raised on In Search Of, the Bermuda Triangle was in my brain.
I was invited to paint & discuss my work for the 40+ graphic design students of Vantan Schoolin Ebisu Minami, Tokyo. I painted & answered questions for about 2 hours. At the end of the event the faculty blessed me with a beautiful navy apron that read “only the highest of quality” in Kanji. The school kept the piece to display in it’s hallways. All of the students took to me very well & were very appreciative I could be there and share. Many thanks to Maru of Colors International with whom this would not have been possible.
We stayed in Kobe for a number of days till heading back to Tokyo for our other project. The day after the release party Mori of DUMBO had fresh Kushiro Seafood shipped down for a special Barbeque a few steps from the shop. That evening I also started a light installation in the hallway of the DEED Store as a special request.
2008. Dumbo Incense& theDEED Storeinvited me to Paint Live withDRAGON76 @ Cafe Fish in Kobe, Japan. The event was the release party for 3 special packaging designs of DUMBO incense by Jeff Staple, DJ MURO& myself. The Cafe itself was designed by the architect Frank Gehry & includeda huge sculpture of a fishjust outside of the cafe. The party was a complete success and everyone was excited about the Live Painting. Here is a larger view. Special thanks to the crew @ DEED for their hospitality.
2007.‘Jigsaw Paws’ Group Art Show. Oakland, CA. With David P. Madson (Odd Nosdam of Anticon) - Brooke Reidt - Isla Prieto - The Duke Of Windsor - Mama Buzz Cafe hosted this month long show.
2007.Alameda is a small island in the San Francisco Bay. I came across this abandoned warehouse the day I went to visit the then new Giant Peach Offices. The space had already been explored by a few painters, but there were still a few nooks to add on to. Many inspiring colors in all of the aged metals.
I have been scoping this wall since i started visiting Oakland towards the end of 07. It’s on the boarder of Berkeley & Oakland and it was constantly tagged on, so there were Graffiti removal blocks in that burnt red tone. I matched the red tone and thinned out the color with grey’s & creams. I actually didn’t know who to speak with the get the wall ‘legitimately’ so i just took it upon myself to rock it. I was about an 1.5 hours into it when the management of the local health food store came across the street to ask me how i could just go and paint it without asking. they liked it, but perplexed by my blatant lack of authority. I proceeded to let them know i was doing a public service by creating a painting that will prevent the continued act of malicious vandalism to their property. They firmly felt that it would still get painted over. It’s been about about 8 months and it hasn’t been touched.
This spot was around the corner from a local watering hole. Perfect of that post last call relief. I was surprised a lot of the sickest walls were still virgin. The space used to be a Silkscreen & Sign Factory.
2007. Acrylic on canvas. Contribution #9. Painted live Outside The Parco Store in the town of Musashino, in the Kichijyoji Prefecture. Invited to paint to commemorate the opening of my friends Camo Store. The piece is on display @ the 6875 Office in Kaigan, Minato-ku.
During my 2007 visit I was commissioned by Win & Kim of LOL Salon to paint a piece for their savvy retro Unisex Hair Salon in Yoyogi-Uehara located in the Shibuya Ward. This was a last minute project that came about while the word spread I was in town that ended up being one of everyones favorite. What made it even more special was that I painted the piece in the salon for the employees and select friends and clients. They straight closed up shop for the day to watch it go down. The canvas & the area was already masked & prepped for me, very on point. Afterwards, a feast of Sashim to celebrate.
Acrylic on canvas. Painted live at Shibuya Parco Gallery.
Tokyo Japan.
Invited to paint to celebrate the opening of my friends Camo Store. It was a saturday during holiday, so it was more packed that usual. On top of that Maroon 5 were aound the corner signing autographs at Parco Radio. My manSebastian Angle Killed the filming which you can watch below. The piece is on display @ the 6875 Office in Kaigan, Minato-ku.
The second project from my July 2006 trip in Tokyo, Japan. On this day I was commissioned to paint a ‘Contribution’ style piece for a customer in the Ubiquily office of Shinkawa. Shinkawa is the business district of Tokyo & my distributer has been established here for a number of years. In the background is a piece I painted live a few years previous @ a Stones Throw event in Shibuya.
Fukuoka is the third-largest island of Japan & most Southwesterly of its four main islands. I was commissioned by Mr Fuji to paint his boutique in the Fukuoka Prefecture called Past-Present-Future. Went with the red-black-grey color pallet to match the decor of the store.
This was another ‘dead of summer’ Japan trip, so the humidity was on blast as usual. Island humidity tends to elongate the painting process, but I was in no hurry. Fukuoka was hit with a pretty heavy Quake the previous year & the damage was still very visible.
2005.‘Kofie’one & Craola Simkins: New Works’ A 2 Man Show. Fifty24SF GallerySan Francisco, CA. This was a fun show for craola and myself. We also painted the side of the gallery as well as the Amoeba on Haight while we were in town.
2005. One of my best documented trips thanks to my trusty Olympus. Pretty much stayed within the Tokyo Prefectures this time around. The primary reason for this trip was to be present for the Holiday 2005 Tradeshow for Ritual Of Roots & Draftsmen. Our tradeshow was hosted @ the 6875 Store in Harajuku for 2 days. My friend Michelle was in town working for Visvim + i got to meet many of our supporting stores & artists.
2005. Acrylic & water based spraypaint on canvas.6875 VS Kofie. During this annual trip to Tokyo my friend Satoshi of 6875 invited me to paint live at his stores opening party in Aoyama @ Cafe La Boheme. Right after I completed this piece Maxi Priest performed a short set. Savvy.
Double booked this night. First off, live art @ the Back Channel Store. The Piece was auctioned off the a lucky ticket holder.
Next was the Stussy & ALIFE party for the Frank 151’s Wu-tang issue @ Club UNIT. Painted Ol Dirty Bastardin a room between the stage & the entrance for the event. This club was super packed and the crew at Stussy took really good care of me. At one point U-God made it through, approved of the piece and sign the corner.
2004.Claska Gallery is a modern hotel/restaurant and office space in Meguro, Tokyo. This was a short, 3 day trip to be present during a Draftsmen Trade Show. I painted the piece live on the 2nd day during a party.
Hokkaido is the most northern island of Japan. I was commissioned to paint an interior & exterior piece for the store CORIN in the port city of Kushiro, which was not open just yet. The request for the interior was a little of everything from me including Technology, Waves and a portrait of musician Jackie Mittoo. The outside was for me to do as I wished. I had a great time in Hokkaido and was shown much love by the crew. Fresh crisp air, super green nature & a major port side industrial district smashed with rust, a place where nature meets urban in my favorite way.
The Video below was made using my friend Yoshi’s wifes old camcorder from the early 90’s, than edited by my friend Scott Dygert.
I was invited to the small, traditional town of Gunma in Kiryu City to paint an interior mural for a boutique thatt supported Draftsmen called Hot Joint. It’s about 60 miles outside of Tokyo & it’s architecture hasn’t changed much. Sound Eater was a modest record store just around the corner from Hot Joint which is the painted roll up gate, a last minute adition to the project.
A commission to paint the second floor of this well designed boutique just blocks from Peace Park, the epicenter of the atomic bombing in 1945. This was my second visit to the Level store within 2 years. The requested work this time was the Statue of Liberty, in gray’s and silvers.
This was my first gig on my second work trip to Japan. The crew at Flow Clothing all listen to classic American Funk & Soul music, so the request for the mural was Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sly, Hendrix & George Clinton. The shop was clean, long & pretty narrow so my photos are what they are. That’s Odawara Donjon by the way on the top. The first Odawara Castle was built around 1200 AD. Since then, it had been destroyed & rebuilt several times. The Present day castle is a reconstruction built in 1959 based on the original design. Inside are displayed suits of Japanese armor, tools, weapons and the model from which this reconstruction is based. Inspiration. So savvy.
This trip was to have a sit-down with my soon to be Draftsmen distributer as well as paint a commission of a Kareem Abdul Jabbar portrait from ’Game Of Death’. I took my sweet time working on this piece which was displayed in the AMP Showroom in Harajuku.
I was invited to paint & discuss my work for the 40+ graphic design students of 
We stayed in Kobe for a number of days till heading back to Tokyo for our other project. The day after the release party Mori of 
