BOLOGNA.- MAGMA gallery is presenting the exhibition "IAM Friends", from June 1st to July 13th, with works by Okuda San Miguel, Franco Fasoli, Sawe, Spok Brillor. For the first time these big names of Spanish and international new contemporary art are being exhibited in a group show in Italy. "IAM Friends" is curated and realized in collaboration with Ink and Movement, an artistic project based in Spain that has been promoting contemporary urban artists for over 10 years, creating, developing and managing cultural projects, artistic events and exhibitions at an international level. This curatorial project crosses the Spanish borders for the first time after years of success and chooses Bologna as a European premiere. MAGMA gallery in fact is presenting to the public the most recent works by these important artists, already featured in public collections and museum exhibitions, through a careful selection of works directly from their studios. In this exhibition we can appreciate the chromatic and surreal explosion of Okuda San Miguel, the dynamism and tension of the compositions of the Argentine Franco Fasoli, the technique and the irreverence of Sawe, the hyper-realism of Spok Brillor. "IAM Friends" therefore offers a particular and interesting view of the contemporary scene.

Okuda (Santander, 1980) is one of the most recognizable and appreciated artists of contemporary urban art, his works can be seen in streets and galleries around the world: United States, Japan, India, Mali, Mozambique, Chile, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Mexico and the European continent, among others. Shortly before his first exhibition at MAGMA gallery held in 2018, the Center del Carme in Valencia dedicated him a great retrospective and in 2016 ARCO Madrid fair commissioned him a public art project, while in 2015, among other events, he created “Heads Juice” for Expo Milano. In 2014 he was one of the protagonists of the exhibition created by the Benetton Foundation at the CAC in Malaga. In his work, multicolored geometric architectures merge with organic forms, bodies without identities, animals without heads, symbols that encourage reflection, between serious and facetious: a unique iconographic language. The pop-surrealism that distinguishes his work is rooted in his travels, in cinema, in music (many collaborations with important names in rap and soul such as Alicia Keys and Kanye West), in fashion and in everyday life. His works often raise questions about existentialism, the universe, the infinite, the meaning of life and the contradictions of the false freedom of society, showing a conflict between modernity and our roots; ultimately, between man and himself. The distinctive style of Okuda's geometric harmonies, enriched with intense colors, can make his works feel like they are from a parallel universe. Okuda's approach to different media is varied, from works on canvas and paper, to embroidery, collage and wood, highlighting his insatiable desire for creation and skill.

Franco Fasoli (also known as Jaz - Buenos Aires, 1981) is one of the best-known and most talented artists on the Argentine scene. Set designer and muralist, Fasoli began to imagine the streets as a canvas in the late 90s. Already in these early experiences we note the influence of study and passion for ceramics and, at the same time, of the strong link with the technique of "fileteado", typical of the Argentine capital.

Shortly thereafter his style evolved, moving away from the more traditional writing, introducing in his work the representation of the true contradictions of Latin American societies, their rituals and their seemingly perpetual instability. One of the most surprising aspects of his work is his exploration of materials and dimensions. The tension between the dominant global culture and the subcultures as spaces of resistance, influenced him both on a conceptual level and in his actions throughout his career. Multiple forms of individual and collective identity constitute the sociological backbone of his work. The conflict, the clash, the destructuring of the portrayed scene are some of the elements used by Fasoli to stimulate the vision and the perception of the public. The concept of identity is in fact one of the founding principles of his work, both in murals and in paintings on canvas or in sculptures. His research explores how individual and collective identities are formed and the constantly changing relationship between them. In 2016 he took part in important group exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon, at the Emilio Caraffa Museum in Córdoba (Argentina) and at the Artmossphere Moscow Biennale. In 2011 he exhibited at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Rosario in Argentina and in 2010 at the Mube Museum in Sao Paulo.

Sawe (Barcelona, 1986) made his first appearance in the world of graffiti at the age of 14. After studying illustration at the art school, he worked for more than ten years as an illustrator, muralist and, more recently, as artistic and animation director. The contrast between the technique, the control and the discipline that he learned from the illustration and the irreverence, the flow and the disinhibition of graffiti is evident in all his works. In 2018, after his first solo show in New York, he decided to focus exclusively on his career as an artist: painting, murals, sculpture, installations, video-art. Although figurative, his work rarely explains the reality that surrounds us. Sawe is not interested in representing the world as seen by our eyes. His works may seem rather like dreams, as if the artist were inclined to listen to his subconscious in the most free and unconditional way possible. In this way his works emerge, strongly tinged with humor, satire and irony. A subtle humor, capable of providing the viewer with a space for his own reading and reflection.

Spok Brillor (Madrid, 1978) began his career through graffiti over 20 years ago. During his long career he has carried out about 30 public interventions and has participated in exhibitions in more than 10 countries. Having graduated in Fine Arts, Spok achieved his unique style in less than 9 years, from 1994 to 2003, initially "bombing" trains and walls with his local crew, TBC. Subsequently, his style evolved and he began to make private projects, for example in Mexico, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong and Miami. Spok Brillor through his works represents a world inhabited by incredible fictional characters, but not forgetting the writing from which it comes, sometimes including his signature in the portrait context, with an even more surreal effect. His work is known for his references to black humor and to the great pictorial technique employed, which immediately catalyzes the viewer's attention. Over time, Spok took part in prestigious exhibitions held for example at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid, the Instituto Cervantes, Somerset House and participating in the Wynwood Walls circuit among others. His collaborations with brands such as Adidas and Absolut are also important.