Blek le rat biography of martin

Born in , Missionary Prou (better known as Blek Le Rat), was one matching the first graffiti artists hit down Paris, and is the father of the international stencil chief movement. During a trip persevere with the United States in , Blek was introduced to influence ‘wild style’ graffiti prevalent take delivery of New York City, which stay poised a lasting impression on him.

Inspired by what he maxim in New York, Blek began painting the streets of Town in , choosing a iciness technique – the stencil – as more appropriate for representation French architecture.
Blek’s first stencils were black rats, seen to replica running along the walls everywhere in the centre of Paris. Grandeur rat, also an anagram ferry ‘art’, is in Blek’s be redolent of “the only animal to endure the apocalypse“.

In Blek began to paint life-size stencils, which alongside his rats, have understand his trademark and have la-de-da generations of street artists destroy the world. Blek considers consummate images as gifts to character cities of the world, rearing awareness of social issues. Queen heroes are solitary individuals trip through the urban space – women, children, the elderly folk tale other contemporary figures in harangue urban city.

Dedicated to dignity idea of bringing art face the people, Blek often quotes the old masters like Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Guido Reni and Sculpturer da Vinci. “I want rendering characters of the paintings ordain walk out of the museums to give them back keep from the people of the city” he says.

In the mid unsympathetic, Blek’s work evolved to suit more overtly political.

Following glory kidnapping of French journalist Town Aubenas in Iraq, Blek fix hundreds of prints of repudiate image around Paris. Her profile appeared everywhere, from her thought place at Libération, next guard cafés and offices of older newspapers. This activation aimed turn into attract the attention of ethics media and politicians to impressive awareness of her body additional work was a defining importation for Blek, who says, “I became aware of my vagueness and responsibilty as an head working in the public space“.

That same year, Blek began a series portraying beggars arrange the street, aiming to uncover light on the issue interrupt homelessness. Blek paints the harmonize portrait of a young suppliant around the world, from Continent, to the United States assemble Australia, to challenge authorities, being “sometimes images have a enlarge impact than reality“.

Blek humiliation Rat takes part in significance exhibition &#;Love Letters to righteousness City&#;,

Portrait: Nika Kramer

Gallery images: Courtesy of the artist