GRAFFITI, DES LETTRES ET DES STYLES
Graffiti is an artistic movement that has evolved considerably in just over 50 years of existence.
We're not talking about Graffiti as a phenomenon that has spanned the history of mankind and simply consists of writing a message, a word or a symbol on a wall. We're talking about Graffiti as an initiative by individuals who began to put their name, often fictitious, on public areas, in large, even very large format, and above all, who began to stylize it. Their underlying motivations may have been diverse, but the common goal was to be seen, to exist in a society that prevented them from doing so.
This "stylization" of spray-painted, full-color letters took on phenomenal scope, prompting each protagonist to develop and assert his or her own creative axes. The letter, the name, remained the heart of Graffiti. Years have passed, creativity has remained. Initiated by young people, flexibility and ingenuity have remained inseparable elements of Graffiti.
In 2025, Street Art is often used to refer to paintings and works created in the street, on buildings and elsewhere. Although Graffiti may in some respects fall into the variants of Street Art, it is essential in the art world and for general knowledge to understand that Graffiti and Street Art are two distinct worlds.
However, it does seem that the increase in Street Art interventions, performances and works has contributed in some respects to nourishing the Graffiti milieu with technical and graphic contributions.
The letter, Graffiti's point of departure and arrival, has remained the founding element of this movement, with its own codes and aestheticism that may seem difficult for the uninitiated to access.
What is Graffiti and what isn't? What has become of it? What validity and legitimacy does this movement have in the art world?
The exhibition Graffiti, des lettres et des styles (Graffiti, letters and styles) presents a non-exhaustive overview of what "Graff" might look like in 2025. Seven artists present their personal contributions to this movement through original works on three unique canvas formats.
As the events in this exhibition unfold, you'll discover how the common starting point - the letter - has evolved around successive concepts inherent to each.