For a few years, Emmanuel de Brantes and his wife Domoina Ranoro Ramarozaka used their talent in communication and their relationd in art to support street artists. Two years ago they opened their own gallery, Studio 55, in Paris.
Why Street art ?
My wife studied art and especially Street Art. To me it was an old passion that I had while growing up in New York City, where I met Keith Haring and other artists. Together we developed her interest for this kind of art and it reactivated mine.
How was NYC in the 70’s and 80’s?
It was an amazing period without any borders: bankers, lawyers, artists, dancers, were all living next to each other, it was a blessed time before the “cash years” began. Then people were separated in different neighborhoods. In the 70’s money wasn’t the main thing, people asked you “where are you from?” and “what do you do?”, after the 80’s it was “how much do you make?”. On the bright side it created the underground culture.
And how did you discover this culture?
With Keith Haring, he was one of the first to use the subway and street space to express himself. At that time, most of the ad panels were rectangular but the posters were square so there were a black strip on each side and Keith was drawing just there. I tried to find out about him, but no one knew who he was at the time. So I played the detective and looked around the city to find his drawings, and I finally met him, while he was drawing in a subway station.
Was it the beginning of a relationship?
We spend some time together, but not for long because I had to return to France. The coincidence is that today, and since we started the gallery, we work with Jean Faucheur who was one of Keith’s best friends. They exhibited at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in the 80’s, and decorate a few subway stations together.
And today, where do you find the artists you work with?
In the street of course, but also on Internet, every new artist is showing his work online. It also allows us to discover foreign artists, there is a really great Street Art School in Brazil for instance. We also work with few masters of Street Art like Jean Faucheur or Jeff Aérosol, and sometime peoples come directly to us and suggest their work.
So who’s work will you show in New York?
We will exhibit five artists at the Bridge Art Fair in NYC : Jean Faucheur, for him it’s a return to his roots, he started in NYC twenty years ago, he is the Prince of Spray, he has the most accurate technique that you can find.
Psychose, who is the King of Catacombs, he made a great reproduction of Hokusai’s Wave in a catacomb room called “the beach”, all of his work underground is very well preserved, unlike his work on the street.
Sich, he is one of our youngest artists and his world is very close to
US culture, I think Americans might like him.
Sun7, ( pronounce “sunset” in French) is also one of the youngest and most promising, he is going to exhibit next to Barbara Kruger and Tracy Amin at the Louis Vuitton space in March.
And last but not least, Zeus who does melting logos for many years, like Nike, Prada or McDonald, and now he does it with currencies and I think in this time of crisis, where all the money markets are crashing, that it is very relevant!
In a primary way Street Art is quite relevant, unlike many contemporary and conceptual art styles…
Yes because it is very seductive and available to everyone, even when it’s conceptual. Zeus, for instance, was doing for a while, what he called “street attacks”. He would climb on some giant ad posters and with one shot of red paint spray between, or under, the effigies’ eyes and that way changed their meaning. It’s a concept, but everyone can understand it! Street Art is about being seen, and understand, it’s not pretentious.
That’s risky! Has he ever been caught?
Every graff artist has being caught at least one time, some of them are being search by the police and risk jail-terms of five years! Just because they wrote their name on a wall, in a public place that belongs to everyone. To me the street is meant to be a space of expression!
The laws on street degradation became very strict…
Yes, it’s now considered a crime… It’s a shame, but every restriction gives an unexpected reaction, there’s now a comeback of posting. It had a moment of glory in the 60’s and now it’s back because paper is less permanent than spray so there’s less risk for artists. It also gives interesting reactions, Zeus, again, does clean graffiti to protest against the repression. On a very dirty wall he uses a powerful water jet to draw something. It implicated politicians because before accusing the street artist of making the city dirty, they should clean it, he also can’t be accused of degradation, because he is cleaning.
Smart !
That’s what Street Art is, a smart way to express yourself when you don’t have millions of dollars in your account.
BY HANNAH KUGEL
