STREET DIALOGUES
#9

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021

ANTWAN HORFEE, FRANCESCO BARBIERI, RUSSELL MAURICE, MARCO ABISSO.
FOUR ARTISTS. COMMON ROOTS, DIVERGENT PATHS. AESTHETICS IN DIALOGUE.

/ ARTWORKS

ANTWAN HORFEE
Now i got the island
Reggio Emilia, 2019
Mixed media on canvas
150 x 150 cm

© Ph. Dario Lasagni

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ANTWAN HORFEE

(Paris, 1983)

Recognized as one of the most promising artists of his generation. Charismatic leader of the historic PAL crew, among the most influential in the international writing scene over the past decade, he graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His aesthetic is influenced by avant-garde movements, the CoBrA and Gutai groups, and tattoos, manga, and comic cultures. HORFEE reinterprets the most original expression of Parisian writing and creates a personal body of work combining figurative and surreal elements with gestural abstraction. He experiments with techniques, media, and materials; his imaginary worlds interpret an era of diversity, noise, and uncertainty. His color palette reflects a time dominated by digital images, and his aesthetic embraces coincidences that create a personal, mysterious, and contemporary visual language. His works have been exhibited in numerous international galleries and at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He lives and works in Paris.

FRANCESCO BARBIERI
Colonizzare il cielo
Pisa, 2016
Mixed media on canvas
150 x 100 cm

© Ph. Dario Lasagni

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FRANCESCO BARBIERI

(Pisa, Italy, 1976)

A self-taught figurative artist, formed through writing and intensive urban exploration across cities on four continents. He paints the metropolis and draws aesthetic inspiration from industrial landscapes, suburbs, and the folklore of the “no man’s lands” at the edges of cities. Barbieri investigates contemporary life’s alienation, the center/periphery dialectic, urban decay, and the abuses of concrete development. His visual language is immediate and original. He lives and works in Pisa, Italy.

RUSSELL MAURICE
Gassy
Tokio, 2015
Acrylic on canvas
160 x 111 cm

© Ph. Dario Lasagni

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RUSSELL MAURICE

(Newcastle, England, 1975)

Trained in writing, skateboarding, and rap. He has established himself as an artist, designer, and curator, known as the main catalyst of the Comic Abstraction movement, which includes artists like Antwan Horfee, Daniel Sparkes, Lucas Dillon, and Ken Sortais. Maurice’s work is a striking blend of sublime and ridiculous figures, bold and comic, merged with a reflective and often melancholic touch. He designed the clothing brand logo for Gasius, inspired by London’s 1990s graffiti culture. He lives and works in Tokyo.

MARCO ABISSO
Guano Flag
Milano, 2016
Tar painting on canvas
120 x 100 cm

© Ph. Dario Lasagni

MARCO ABISSO

(Milan, 1980)

A former member of the SAK crew in Milan, he graduated in sculpture from the Accademia di Brera and specialized in photography, a medium he explored for many years in the UK. He photographs, paints, and sculpts; his gaze investigates urban space, collects materials, and manipulates them in brutal, raw, almost violent executions. Street action often inspires his work, which Abisso replicates in the studio using tools from his writer’s toolbox: spray paint, dirt, tar, and acid to etch glass. He lives and works in Milan.

STREET DIALOGUES
#9

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021

ANTWAN HORFEE, FRANCESCO BARBIERI, RUSSELL MAURICE, MARCO ABISSO.
FOUR ARTISTS. COMMON ROOTS, DIVERGENT PATHS. AESTHETICS IN DIALOGUE.