The Bridges of Graffiti

During the 56th Venice Biennale the Arterminal walls will host a single cohesive Hall of Fame piece created by ten writers, together with some site specific works.

Mode 2, <i>Four elements</i>, 2014. Dimensioni: 600 x 200 cm. Pastello e acrilico su lino

“The Bridges of Graffiti” exhibition will debut in Venice on the occasion of the 56th International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia, 30 years after “Arte di Frontiera. New York Graffiti”, the exhibition curated by Francesca Alinovi that in 1984 brought the New York graffiti writers artistic scene in Italy.

Traditional spray-painted graffiti artworks were born at the geographic edges of Manhattan, a frontier in itself, and also “an intermediate space between culture and nature, mass and elite, black and white, aggressiveness and irony, trash and exquisite refinement”.

Jayone, <i>The Power to Conquer One</i>, 2012. Dimensioni: 90 x 100 cm. Acrilico e pastelli ad olio su tela — **Top**: Mode 2, *Four elements*, 2014. Size: 600 x 200 cm. Pastel and acrylic on linen. **Above**: Jayone, *The Power to Conquer One*, 2012. Size: 90 x 100 cm. Acrylic and oil stick on canvas

The ten artists involved – Boris Tellegen, Doze Green, Eron, Futura, Mode2, SKKI ©, Jayone, Todd James, Teach, Zero-T – will work together for the very first time, bringing to life a single cohesive Hall of Fame piece within the Arterminal walls, together with some site specific works conceived especially for the exhibition.

“The Bridges of Graffiti” will settle in a proper frontier, the San Basilio Terminal, building bridges so that past generations' major contributions to the graffiti writing culture can finally be acknowledged and put into context. It’s an ideal bridge but also a tangible one, chronicling the influence and cross-pollination of artists and artworks that crossed the Ocean; the exhibition is about graffiti artists who either already had or later on developed a figurative style as well, and have been evolving and reinventing themselves, staying ahead or outside the curve.

Zero-T, <i>A Bag Full Of Cans & Partners</i>, 2015. Dimensioni: 150 X 125 cm. Serigrafia su carta — Zero-T, *A Bag Full Of Cans & Partners*, 2015. Size: 150 X 125 cm. Silkscreen on Paper

The exhibition features a dual-installation approach with San Basilio as a white canvas for figurative expressions and a documentation of this multifaceted art form at its beginning by Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper, opposite to those artists whose works have landed in museums worldwide and avidly embraced by corporate sponsors skyrocketing their values into the mainstream culture and Art world.

Eron, <i>Blending-010115</i>, 2015. Dimensioni: 80 x 100 cm. Vernice spray su tela — Eron, *Blending-010115*, 2015. Size: 80 x 100 cm. Spraypaint on canvas

The space will also host a cafeteria and BookShelves to display a selection of books and fanzines about the history of graffiiti; these spaces have been designed by Boris Tellegen, artist that has constantly been experimenting with 3D and architectural shapes.

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Left: Boris Tellegen, Issues, 2014. Size: 120 x 105 x 9 cm. Acrylics on 8 layers of birch. Right: Doze Green, Luminous Series B, 2012. Size: 121.92 x 91.44 x 3.9 cm. Acrylic, spray paint and screen print on panel

Futura, The constructivist, 2015. Size: 4 x 3 mt. Spraypaint on canvas

SKII @, I have nothing to say, but I am saying it anyway, 2014. Size: 100 x 100 cm. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas

Left: Todd James, Time Waits For No One, 2013. Size: 150 cm x 120 cm. Acrylic on canvas. Left: Teach, I Got Something Done Today, 2013. Size: 50 x 70 cm. Acid Etch and Enamel Paint on Steel

May 9 – November 22, 2015
The Bridges of Graffiti
Arterminal
curated by Fondazione de Mitri and Mode2
with the consultancy of Andrea Caputo
produced by Carlo Pagliani and Claudia Mahler
organized by Associazione Inossidabile
with the support of Autorità Portuale di Venezia
architectonic project produced by Venezia Terminal Passeggeri
Terminal S. Basilio, Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo, Venezia

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The Bridges of Graffiti

During the 56th Venice Biennale the Arterminal walls will host a single cohesive Hall of Fame piece created by ten writers, together with some site specific works.

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