Graffiti
Graffiti is a term used to describe images or text that are typically spray-painted onto buildings.
Graffiti art originated in 1970s New York, where young individuals used spray paint and other materials to create images on buildings and subway train sides. This form of graffiti varies from vibrant, intricate graphics (known as wildstyle) to stylized monograms (tags).
While traditional graffiti is not often found in galleries or museums, its aesthetic has influenced artists' work. Early adopters of graffiti in art included the French artist Jean Dubuffet, who incorporated tags and graphic elements into his paintings, and New York artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, considered pioneers of street art.
In more recent times, famous graffiti artists like Barry McGee and Banksy have had their work showcased in commercial spaces.
48 result found for "Graffiti"
Are graffiti tags the purest art form?
Tagging offers no reward beyond the rush of its creation, and the chance to be part of something bigger.
Slawn – The good, the bad, and the Ugly Bastard
Ahead of our first collaboration, a satirical sculpture in his own image, we visited Nigerian artist Slawn in his London studio to talk about cartoons, racist tropes and lucid dreaming.
X Marks the Spot – A history of collaboration in art and fashion
From Dali x Schiaparelli to Kusama x Louis Vuitton, fashion and art collaborations go way back. As Fashion Week begins, discover the history behind some of the most iconic cultural collaborations.
Bridging the gap: how 50 years of hip-hop has changed the artworld
This is the story all about how hip-hop and art have propelled each other to global domination. From graffiti on the streets of the Bronx to record breaking auction results, hip-hop giants continue to make waves in the artworld.
Barry McGee
This iconic artist has been doing graffiti for over 40 years. World-class museums and galleries revere his work, but he’s never stopped tagging the streets.
INSA's collection
INSA is a self-described Graffiti Fetishist. Over his 15 year career, the anonymous artist has added his signature black and pink throw-up to walls, clothing and more recently NFTs. He’s also amassed an enviable art collection featuring works by legends like Murakami and ROIDS. His 'hunter-collector mindset' doesn’t stop at art, he spoke to Avant Arte about his 452 Gundam Robots, 2000 nudie lighters and the rocks that cover his house.
JR: Miniature Giants
Installations by JR are some of the most viewed artworks in the world. Ahead of our first collaboration, we visited the legendary photographer in Paris to talk about scale, scaffolding, the ever-growing ambition of his public projects and why he wants to stay naïve forever.
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a visionary Dadaist renowned for his "readymades", challenging and redefining artworld conventions.
Paul Insect: Personal Effects
Paul Insect arrives in Amsterdam.
José Parlá: The Founders
Read a text written by José Parlá to accompany the timed release of our our latest collaboration, The Founders.
Pejac
Pejac was born in Santander, Spain. He now lives and works in Madrid.
Yutaka Hashimoto
Yutaka Hashimoto (he/him) was born in 1979 in Osaka, where he continues to live and work.
Barry McGee
Barry McGee (he/him) was born in 1966 in San Francisco, USA. He continues to live and work in the Bay Area.
Marcus Jansen
Marcus Jansen (he/him) was born 1968 in New York and grew up between Europe and America. Today he’s based in Florida and New York.
Pablo Tomek
Pablo Tomek (he/him) was born in Paris, 1988. He continues to live and work in the city.
Okokume
Okokume – a.k.a Laura Mas – was born in Mataró, Spain in 1985. She lives and works in Barcelona, where she shares a studio with her partner.
Giorgiko
Giorgiko is the artist name for the creative duo of Darren Inouye (he/him) and Trisha Inouye (she/her), both born in 1989 in California, USA. The husband-and-wife team currently live and work in Los Angeles, USA.
FUTURA
FUTURA was born in 1955 in New York, USA, where he continues to live and work.
Bäst
Michael “Bäst” Polimeni (he/him) was born in Coney Island, New York in 1970. He lived in Brooklyn until his death in 2021, and spent many years working at nearby JFK Airport.
Face Oka
Face Oka was born in 1984 in Tokyo, Japan, where he continues to live and work.
Erik Parker
Erik Parker (he/him) was born in 1968 in Stuttgart, Germany. He is now based in New York City.
Imon Boy
Imon Boy (he/him) was born in 1991 in Malaga, Spain where he continues to live and work.
Mr. StarCity
David “Mr. StarCity” White was born in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, where he continues to live and work.
Tomokazu Matsuyama
Tomokazu Matsuyama was born in 1976 in Japan and is now based in Brooklyn, New York.
Paul Insect
Paul Insect (he/him) was born in 1971 in the south east of England. He now lives and works in London.
Untitled (Hand-finished)
Hand-finished, 28-layer silkscreens from a Bay Area legend.Our first collaboration with Barry McGee is a greatest hits style montage of his life in San Francisco. From disgruntled looking Everyman heads – an allegory for the city’s ‘invisible’ homeless population – to acronyms for the graffiti crews he tags with, the untitled print rewards those familiar with the artist's expansive and experimental practice. Abstract geometries fill the gaps, providing “areas to rest the eye” and loading the print with McGee's distinct aesthetic code.Once printed, McGee will add unique details to each print with spray paint and gouache. Illustrative additions introduce familiar faces from his esoteric library of references and symbols, while unplanned dots and lines in grey nod to the graffiti he still sprays today. Testing the process at Brothers Marshall in Malibu, faces, animals and acronyms were added to the right hand side of the print. For the edition itself, expect more of the same and (knowing Barry) a few surprises too. “I will be interacting with each print in a different way. I try to keep that element of unpredictability when composing work.”The underlying artworks – 14 colour silkscreens printed in 28 sharp-edged layers – have been created in close collaboration with expert printmakers at Make-Ready in London.
Untitled
Neon-hued esoterica from the mind of Barry McGee.Our first collaboration with Barry McGee is a greatest hits style montage of his life in San Francisco. From disgruntled looking Everyman heads – an allegory for the city’s ‘invisible’ homeless population – to acronyms for the graffiti crews he tags with, the untitled print rewards those familiar with the artist’s expansive and experimental practice. Improvised abstract geometries fill the gaps, providing “areas to rest the eye” and loading the print with McGee's distinct aesthetic code.Used iteratively across his paintings and installations, once-specific symbols take on looser meanings. Letters become “mantras of some sort” and floating heads “placeholders or punctuation.” Finished with fluorescent pink silkscreen details and a layer of matte varnish, the edition will be printed post-launch at Make-Ready in London.
MY DAVID X
NKSIN presents a brooding snapshot with a colourful twist.MY DAVID X takes inspiration from old and new artistic traditions. While the smoking subject is influenced by ‘90s American cartoons and graffiti culture, NKSIN draws on traditional sfumato painting techniques to seamlessly blend one shade into the next. Pioneered by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci and translating to mean evaporates, this use of hazy blending enables NKSIN to explore tonal variation – giving his work a distinct softness. Acid yellow headphones introduce a stark visual contrast. Together with a pale grey hoodie, both layered on top of the composition as hand-collaged elements, they ground their wearer within a specifically modern context.
Venus
Takeru Amano lets loose with high saturation neo-pop graffiti. In Venus, Amano employs energetic strokes of colour to define a puzzled, blushing face. Drips and textures created by the artist’s airbrush are transformed into seven silkscreen layers.Amano frames his subject with a kaleidoscope of concave diamonds defined in thick, blunt-edged strokes. A strained expression – wide eyes, tight lips – instils the unsettling undercurrent which lingers throughout his practice. With this undercurrent, Amano reflects the world we live in – musing on the contrast between non-stop visual culture and the troubled individuals who consume it.
This Is The Worst Time Of My Life
Friedrich Kunath cuts through a sublime sunset with blunt authenticity in This Is The Worst Time Of My Life.In his second Avant Arte edition, Kunath transports the viewer to an island rich with nature and Romantic awe – stamped with his signature birds-in-flight. Tiptoeing between two and three-dimensional, a bespoke steel ladder is attached to the frame to represent the journey between sadness and happiness – ever-connected opposites. The graffiti-inspired text, added by the artist to each print in acrylic paint, remains open to interpretation. The artist’s continuous practice of intentional ambiguity, in this case, an absent signature, encourages the viewer to fill in the gaps themselves.The dimensions displayed on this page include both the ladder (89cm) and framed print.
Besito
In Besito, Imon Boy illuminates a moment of intimacy in eerie blue light.The Spanish graffiti artist uses an exclusively blue, black and white palette to capture an interaction between a couple. The two figures are distorted by the water, alluded to only by subtle white lines on the surface.Each of the 20 prints have been individually hand-finished by the artist in acrylic paint.
The Observer 4
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Observer 4 typifies how the artist simultaneously hides and reveals his subjects in paint, print and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
The Observer 3
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Observer 3 typifies how the artist simultaneously hides and reveals his subjects in paint, print and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
The Observer 2
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Observer 2 typifies how the artist simultaneously hides and reveals his subjects in paint, print and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
The Observer 1
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Observer 1 typifies how the artist simultaneously hides and reveals his subjects in paint, print and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
The Reflection (Red)
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Reflection (Red) exemplifies the artist's distinct blending of bold colours and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
The Reflection (Blue)
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.The Reflection (Blue) exemplifies the artist's distinct blending of bold colours and collage, inspired by his roots as a graffiti artist.
Crystal Habits Blue
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to the artist's work, as typified in Crystal Habits Blue.
Crystal Habits Gold
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to the artist's work, as typified in Crystal Habits Gold.
Together Alone (Silver)
Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to Paul Insect’s work.Together Alone is a double portrait combining screen print colours, varnishes, digital print, spray, and hand-painted elements. The piece uses three different types of paper.
The Ultimate Journey (Red)
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to the artist's work, as typified in The Ultimate Journey (Red).
The Ultimate Journey (Gold)
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to the artist's work, as typified in The Ultimate Journey (Gold).
Together Alone (Gold)
Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to Paul Insect’s work.Together Alone, an edition of only 20, is a particularly special edition that uses gold metallic elements. Each work has subtle differences given the cut-out elements uniquely positioned by Paul’s own hand.
The Ultimate Journey (Blue)
Through Dada-esque portraits, Paul Insect explores freedom and identity in the age of the internet.Stencil, graffiti, and an inventive use of colour are core to the artist's work, as typified in The Ultimate Journey (Blue).
SubtractiveVariability P 2
With roots in graffiti and an enduring interest in time, technology and transformation, Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone creates impactful compositions combining precise geometries with vibrant gradients.A perfect example of Pantone’s signature kinetic abstraction, SubtractiveVariability P 2 is an edition of 30 hand-printed lithographs on 310 gr Magnani Incisioni paper — part of a series of four parallel works sharing the same name. Each piece is signed, dated and numbered by the artist.
SubtractiveVariability P 1
With roots in graffiti and an enduring interest in time, technology and transformation, Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone creates impactful compositions combining precise geometries with vibrant gradients.A perfect example of Pantone’s signature kinetic abstraction, SubtractiveVariability P 1 — part of a series of four parallel works sharing the same name.
SubtractiveVariability P 3
With roots in graffiti and an enduring interest in time, technology and transformation, Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone creates impactful compositions combining precise geometries with vibrant gradients.A perfect example of Pantone’s signature kinetic abstraction, SubtractiveVariability P 3 — part of a series of four parallel works sharing the same name.
SubtractiveVariability P 4
With roots in graffiti and an enduring interest in time, technology and transformation, Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone creates impactful compositions combining precise geometries with vibrant gradients.SubtractiveVariability P 4 is a perfect example of Pantone’s signature kinetic abstraction, is an edition of 30 — part of a series of four parallel works sharing the same name.
