Xavier Prou aka. Blek Le Rat is known as the originator of  modern stencil graffiti art. The French artist began spraying the image of rats on walls back in 1981. The rat is “the only free animal in the city.” It’s impact on its environment is great as rats “spread the plague everywhere, just like street art.”

Blek Le Rat‘s stencils distill the essence of the human struggle into poetically concise images. Blek shows clarity in his work, he makes every stylized mark count, yielding art that is at once personal and universal, economical in gesture, and bountiful in statement.
—Shepard Fairey

Blek believes that graffiti and urban art are the most important artistic movement of all time. “Nowadays, there is not one city in the world that does not have graffiti on its walls. In the past, we’ve never seen a movement with so many people involved. Not even in pop-art, which already carries an important role [in the art world.] Art should be preserved for future generations, and galleries have a responsibility regarding urban art,” because this movement is part of History.

(Translated  from French Article: here)

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 Wall in Saarbrucken in Germany – August 2012

Amose  is a French street artist known for is signature tribal creatures. His studies began in 1996, in Belgium, even though Amose was born and raised in France. “First I spent four years studying illustration at the Institut St Luc in Tournai in South Belgium close to the Fraco-Belg border. Later, I entered the Beaux Art so study graphic design. Yet, A large part of my leanings come from my own studies. I look a lot what is going on around me, on the internet, magazines, books and comics. I found it very important to cultivate the skill of inquisitivity. It is important to constantly question what is in art, especially when you start and even until today.”

 Wood assembly with acrylic paint 1.20 m x 2.30 m – april 2012

In 2003 Amose started to work with tribal characters. It began when he discovered artists from South America who inspired him. South America is a culturally wealthy culture. “I can not quite tell [what drew me to this culture in particular]. I always loved tribal art, its simple shapes and graphic lines are appealing to me. You can often find this style in Brazilian graffitis. At the time, North American street art with large lettering and the b.boys did not interest me. I was attracted to South American Street Art where you saw many flat figures with different motives and much more. It had a  mystical vibe,” he said.

Wall in Koln in Germany -August 2011

The consistency in Amoses’  style would indicate a running theme. However, he does not have one in particular. “I like working with the body, and working figures by un-shapping them. I exaggerate postures and the volume of their limbs. I like for my characters not to look like people, they do not look like they belong to a particular nationality, they are nor man nor woman and live in a timeless era without any setting. My characters are travelers with no strings attached. I like to see their faces neutral–I don’t want them to look happy or sad as if they were wearing masks,” he explains.

Wall in Dunkerque in France – October 2011

 Amose is not just a street artist. He also works on paper and on his computer. ” I don’t have a favorite environment to work in,” he says,”  I need to work at home on paper and on my computer. I also love screen printing  at my workshop and exploring large walls on the streets. These are all different mediums that allow me to express myself in different ways.”

Amose was influenced by a variety of different artists. “Throughout my childhood Cobra from Buichi Terasawa, Ulysse 31 from Shōji Kawamori but also Enki Bilal, Cyril Perdosa, the overall Brazilian street art but also  mais  Gustave Klimt, Egon Shiele, many artist from the Futurism movement and many others.”

His characters have a mask-like face creating a odd ora around them.  “I like to create a mysterious vibe. I like the neutrality of there faces that contrasts with their bodies that portray a strong movement. There is a disproportionality in the shapes of their body. I love that contrast. I  love that difference.”

 Wall in Istanbul, Turkey – September 2012  (one of his favorite works)

Amose is currently  working on a screen print show in Geneva, Switzerland with friends. And solo exhibition for 2013 in different gallery in Paris, Vienna and Antwerp. He hopes one day to work in America.

The post EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: AMOSEs’ Tribal Travelers appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

French street artist ROTI has a talent for whimsical murals. He aims to “make art that is free, that anyone can enjoy. And to put color on gray, crappy walls –  Many people do it to transform the street into a museum. The idea is to make it into a good museum.”

ROTI creates colors with shapes (dark areas are simply more detailed). Inspired by tales, the artist distorts childish symbols. The acuteness of his art allows him to oscillate between the different genres. Critics often refer to his drawing abilities, but it is his understanding of architecture that allows him to play with altered landscapes. In his universe, if you expect the unexpected you will always be surprised.

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Nicolas Le Borgne aka Odo is a French artist and illustrator. Clearly influenced by: psychedelic pop culture, tattoo art and street artists, Odo transforms childish symbolic characters into chaotic monsters. Some of the artists that shaped his work include Barry Mcgee, Basquiat and David Choe.

The young artist’s pieces are rich and stimulating. The contrast of vibrant colors and death-like characters make his pieces that much stronger. The medium he uses vary from ballpoint pen and inks to coffee and tears. Odo is driven by his art. Each piece can take up to a month working 10 to 12 hours a day.

I don’t know about you, but his works made me want to get a tattoo…

The post Art: One Person’s Craziness Is Odo’s Reality appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Filmed by Steve Project

Complete with box logo captions, check out this mini-documentary on French graffiti artist Kidult as he discusses the importance of efficiency in his art and tags up a few shopping districts in Paris. Last week Supreme in New York was vandalised by Kidult, check out pictures of that here.

via Illroots

The post “Illegalize Graffiti” x Kidult appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.