“In reality, art is for the public, you know? And one shouldn't be intimidated by those structures.”
A glimpse of the future
FUTURA creates otherworldly compositions out of aerosols, oils and inks. He works on each painting from above, creating fluid, energetic strokes as he pivots around. Clouds of fluorescent colour and orb-like structures dart across each artwork. He punctuates these with his signature atom motif. He also leaves large areas of the canvas blank, alluding to cosmic space. This reflects his interest in Science fiction and the Space Age, which have long inspired his work. Despite working at an ambitious scale, he maintains an impressive level of detail. The fine lines and impressionistic marks he cre...
FUTURA creates otherworldly compositions out of aerosols, oils and inks. He works on each painting from above, creating fluid, energetic strokes as he pivots around. Clouds of fluorescent colour and orb-like structures dart across each artwork. He punctuates these with his signature atom motif. He also leaves large areas of the canvas blank, alluding to cosmic space. This reflects his interest in Science fiction and the Space Age, which have long inspired his work. Despite working at an ambitious scale, he maintains an impressive level of detail. The fine lines and impressionistic marks he creates with aerosol cans have an almost airbrush like appearance.
FUTURA once used graffiti as a means of claiming his own space in the world. In the 1970s, he leant into abstract designs at a time when most artists were working with lettering. In the 1980s, he moved into the gallery space, creating works on canvas alongside fellow artists Dondi White, Rammellzee, Lee Quiñones and Zephyr. By bringing his futuristic vision to a traditional setting, FUTURA cultivated his own artistic identity and world.
Bio
FUTURA was born in 1955 in New York, USA, where he continues to live and work.
Did you know?
FUTURA started his art career five decades ago, in the 1970s. He wrote graffiti in the New York City subway system – under his first nom de plume: “FUTURA 2000" .
Starting out
FUTURA was one of the first graffiti artists to have work shown in a gallery in the early 1980s. He exhibited alongside Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat at Patti Astor's Fun Gallery in the Lower East Side.
