Limited Edition Print – Jay One Ramier, FEEL, 2014
An early initiate to graffiti culture, Jay One Ramier formed the infamous “Bad Boys Crew” in 1982. A rising star of the underground graffiti scene during the 80’s, Jay One was at the heart of the growing hip pop culture in Paris – from moonwalking with famous-to-be artists and musicians in the ghetto, to witnessing Paco Rabanne opening his doors to rappers, b-boys and poppers. Stemming from this culture and the aesthetic of graffiti tagging, Jay’s works are equal to visual poetry – an image is always accompanied with a lyrical sentence. At the same time minimal and colorful, the works are imbued with the spirit of the hip pop decade – free, sharp and to the point.
Writing on his print, Jay One mentions: “I wanted to express as much spontaneity as possible: no extensive preparation, no sketch, always minimising the transition from mind to media – it is what I call voodoo art – spirit driven process. Instinctively the image of the poet (Leon G. Damas), wearing his hat, came to my mind. The challenge for me is not to create the most beautiful piece but instead to carry on my message – the quest for freedom”. Select exhibition history includes: Galerie Lavignes Bastille, Paris; Milieu Gallery, Bern; DSL, Tokyo; ABA gallery, Berlin.
Villa Lena Foundation Print Editions- The Traditional Art of Printmaking with contemporary artists
Each year the Villa Lena Foundation works in collaboration with II Bisonte and a selection of contemporary artists on the Villa Lena residency programme in order to develop and produce a series of limited edition prints. Artists work with expert technicians to explore new techniques and push their practice into exciting and uncharted territory. A number of these unique prints are now available to purchase online.
Il Bisonte is a print-workshop for graphic arts founded in Florence in 1959 by Maria Luigia Guaita. Many artists – both Italian and non – accepted the invitation to work at Il Bisonte. including members of the Futurist movement -Gino Severini, Carlo Carrà, Alberto Magnelli, and such international stars as Pablo Picasso, Jacques Lipchitz, Helen Chadwick, Alexander Calder and Henry Moore. In 1983 Il Bisonte became a non-profit Cultural Centre and opened an international school, with the focus to preserve the teaching and printing of the traditional engraving techniques.