CHERNOBYL Diaries - Part 1

Over the years I changed my practice many times and  organised many projects that took me  to very unusual places and circumstances.. from genocide museums, to nazi bunkers, countries still in the grip of strong dictatorships to ex war fields ( this last one really makes you see things from a different perspective ).
In all cases my art starts with research of events, history..   manipulation of images that come from that particular place and the finished design, the artwork, is later placed / painted back in that same place it originally came from.

Some sort of self portraits to put myself in their situation and to kind of pay tribute.

The initial idea for Chernobyl was exactly to pay tribute to the liquidators.."to those who saved the world " as the memorial says,  and create artwork to be placed in the power station or at least around it. I had a vague memory of the accident and even though fascinated by the event my knowledge was very limited. Doing a bit more research I decided to take into consideration the abandoned city of Pripyat and the people who lived there changing the project slightly. How best to honour those people? How best to pay a tribute to all those people that left their homes? Bring them back home. Collect photos from Pripyat  and recreate everyday situations bringing life back to a city that remained abandoned for over 30 years. 

Most guides I contacted  were not exactly happy about my art project and already many complain about some new graffiti done by another street artist there.. and I can see why. 

Going with stalkers means 4 days walking around, sleeping in some of the abandoned houses and risk of getting caught ( tha results in a fine and taken away from the site ). My Ukranian friend managed to get in touch with authorities, show the ideas I sent her and organise the mission. The one day trip was short and allowed me to only  put few designs up ....to be continued

 Staring out the window

  

                                                           Boy by the swimming pool

 

                                                          People on bus - Evacuation

 

                                                                        Liquidators

                                                         Liquidator Chernobyl Town

 

                                          
                                                                        Supermarket

Class of 86 Pripyat School

 teacher s favourite

ABSTRACT ASYMMETRIES IN BLACK MAJOR

                                              abstract tributes to His Majesty Rama IX

 

                               Abstract Asymmetries In Black Major

                        Project 189 is proud to present #CODEFC ‘s first solo show in Bangkok

                       The show is a  new collection created during his one month residency . 

Executed using Acrylics and Ink, the collection represents asymmetrical emotional landscapes set in a space defined by the canvas. It s often claimed that symmetry and beauty are strictly linked, particularly by mathematicians and scientists. However, philosophers and art historians seem generally to agree that although symmetry is indeed attractive, there is also a more dynamic, less predictable beauty associated with asymmetry. Psychological and aesthetic properties of asymmetry include chaos, life, play, freedom, surprise, flux, complexity, accident and motion. These properties are fused together with the rigidness and strength that come from straight lines.

This mix of freedom and rigidity, is in a way, typical of the parental figure and in particular the father figure, who had a major influence on the artist s work and whose disappearance was deeply felt.

Equally felt was the disappearance of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej to his people and the reason for this show. To pay tribute to King Rama IX, considered the father of the nation and to everyone s father.  

 

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20:16 - RIO OLYMPICS

one month residency in Rio De Janeiro,

Urban Spaces Ibiza 2015

 

 

 

Works in Public Spaces - Book out now

The book contains a collection of outdoor works done over the last 25 years, from the early stage of graffiti, purely based on lettering, to logo painting, stencils and stickers. It contains a variety of works done in different countries, some isolated pieces and others being part of bigger projects executed  while travelling. After  several features in many street art books, this is the first book by #CODEFC .

It s a limited edition of 200, signed and numbered.
     

                           

#CODEFC BOOK LAUNCH AND RETROSPECTIVE SHOW

Burmocracy

BURMOCRACY

During my travels I have been overwhelmed by both the beauty and cruelty of the world. This beauty and cruelty is the battery that often powers my work.

After several visits to South East Asia I have become increasingly more shocked at the depth of despair that some of these people have had to endure.  It also has been difficult to digest that in my lifetime hundreds of thousands of people had needlessly lost their lives in these stunning parts of the world or lived their lives under tight regimes that should not exist.

I use my work to raise awareness of certain socio-political situations that the majority of people do not consider much or at all and I ended up in countries still scarred by war.

I ‘ve been planning a trip to Burma for a while and I will definitely have to go back as this was just an introduction to Burma, its changing situation and just the beginning of my project.

In 1962, a military coup lead by General Ne Win saw Burma, an isolated Buddhist country in South-East Asia, come under the power of one of the world's most brutal regimes. For the past five decades, thousands of people have been arrested, tortured and given long prison sentences for openly expressing their beliefs. More than 2,000 political prisoners including monks, students, journalists, lawyers, elected Members of Parliament and over 300 members of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party, The National League for Democracy, were and some still are incarcerated in horrendous conditions in Burma's notorious prisons.

I wanted to come up with something simple but powerful and give voice to all those people who are still in prison or have been there for reasons that are, to people like us, nothing less than absurd.

Graffiti visually represented my issues when I was younger and I did it writing my name so I thought it would have been nice to write other peoples name for a change, people who suffered or are still suffering conditions we can only imagine.

The photography project by James Mackay really helped in choosing my images for the project. Former political prisoners and high profile supporters are photographed standing with their right hand raised, palm out-turned facing the camera, the name of a current political prisoner is shown written on their hand. The sacred Buddhist gesture of Abhaya, 'Fear Not', is not only an act of silent protest, but also one of remembrance and fearlessness. There are different ways of joining a cause and this has been my way of doing it. I  made a few stencils and went to Yangon, but have not been able to get to the Karen state where the Karen National Union have been fighting for their independence since 1949.