The first Leg of the 100 day long Graffuturism Exhibition at Openspace Gallery in Paris opened with a group exhibition and mural installations. We had previously covered the first set of wall installations here. This is a photo recap of the opening night of Graffuturism Paris as well as other photos from the talented photographer Todd Mazer who was in town for the exhibition. Todd was able to capture not only the opening but also some of the walls being painted leading up to and after the opening. We were very lucky to have Todd documenting the week with this amazing set of photographs.
Graffuturism Paris marks the 5th City and 4th country that has showcased or exhibited artists involved with the group. We use the word group as we don’t wish to define Graffuturism as a movement as we are a part of it. I think if it is defined as a movement it should come from outside sources. We leave it to others to label the semantics of what we are doing. What we will say is that Openspace had an aggressive plan to not only focus a group exhibition showcasing 21 artists, they also wanted to involve 4 solo shows effectively making this the largest survey of Graffuturism to date. Openspace Gallery embraced what we are doing and also took their own vision into Graffuturism Paris. With 21 artists involved they set out to not only show one body of work as seen in the opening but wanted to rotate the artwork from all artists allowing Paris to see more than one set of works from the artists. There were 3 soft openings all together with a new lineup of work. We dont have all the pictures from all setups but we hope you are able to get the feel of the show from the initial opening.
We have come along way in the last 3 years since the blog started, and we are not done yet. We have some big plans in the future for documenting and furthering the conversation we started over 3 years ago. With partners like Openspace gallery and Graffiti Art Magazine we will have something to offer you guys in the future so stay tuned. We Thank everyone that made it out, or helped make it happen too many names to mention. Without you we would have nothing.
Paris is an important city for Graffuturism. There is a energy in Paris right now, this was one of the driving factors for us to make sure we had an exhibition here. Openspace embraced us and they were able to put together an impressive lineup of artists. With a lineup of some of Paris finest, as well as international artists from around the world the lineup was in place. The group exhibition was a huge success and many of the artists were able to be in Paris for the opening. One of the pluses of having an exhibition in Europe is that so many artists even those not in the exhibition come out to support. The community and network that has been created grows with each city we visit, being able to see so many of our peers in one space is important for conversation and building real relationships. Its a surreal feeling sometimes when so many great artists you follow from afar are all together in one room appreciating each others work in real time. This is the real power of the group and what has been built. Graffuturism is an international phenomenon, one that has no home base or country. Because of this, these exhibitions are important. They allow us to meet each other shake hands, have a beer, and paint together. Each time we meet someone new, artists get to collaborate at times on walls. Things organically take shape. Paris was no exception, a trip filled with more unforgettable memories and another step on the road to our future.
GF
