Alex is in India along with fellow graffiti artist Jonone as part of the Bonjour Festival to add some colour to the grey and brown facades of the urban building.
Paris-based artist Alex Psyckoze thinks graffiti art is the best thing to happen to him. Of course, his 25-year-long journey painting his town red landed him in jail, labeled him a vandal and made the society question his intentions. But today, at 40, Alex is glad he pursued his dream. He says, “Today, the cultural minister of France embraces me.”
Alex is in India along with fellow graffiti artist Jonone as part of the Bonjour Festival to add some colour to the grey and brown facades of the urban building that form the skyline of Mumbai. Jonone chooses to not classify his work. “Graffiti is a medium to express your personal self. Diversity is the synonym of graffiti. Society has chosen to interpret diversity in terms of religion, class, clothes; people are even judged by the sneakers they wear. For me, graffiti defines my diverse personal self.”
Both artists are collaborating with a local Bollywood hoarding painter and have decided to begin their journey by giving a make-over to Navrozi Building, a popular residential structure in Mahim. In between experimenting with paints, drawing stencils and ideating, the French artists talk about their plans for India, “In India, our plan is to play with the existing architecture and the environment. It will be ensemble art.”
They also explain the reason why they chose to paint a building in the middle of a busy cross-section to express their personal thoughts. “India is opening its doors to a broader environment of artists from abroad. Today, people have become more exposed to forms of art other than just the mainstream.”
The duo think people in India will understand the complexity of their art, unlike the French society who earlier labeled their work as vandalism. Both, Jonone and Alex have been painting since they were 15, on trains, subways, buildings and even canvases, making graffiti art a part of the popular culture in Paris and New York.
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