SINGAPORE.- “ A child could do it! ”

Well, we wouldn’t say no, but we wouldn’t agree either. There are throw-ups that exude elegance, stencils that are intimately intricate and wildstyles that are vivifyingly, well, wild. Graffiti is much more than the spraying of paint or tagging of a signature; it is in fact highly technical and exiges an energetic spirit of creativity and a robust sense of rhythm. There is sophistication in the chaos of colour and clarity in the most illegible of scribbles. Graffiti, to put most simply, is a form of art.

After a successful launch in Pinacothèque de Paris, under the patronage of its President Marc Restellini, the exhibition Pressionism: Graffiti Masterpieces on Canvas continues its breaking journey in Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris. The exhibition puts in the spotlight this extraordinary art movement that has become a global phenomenon — Graffiti. For a long time denounced and dismissed by art critics, state authorities and the general public, graffiti has been treated as a form of language pedestrian and unsophisticated. Yet very few people know that graffiti artists, since the 1970s, had been creating in their studios genuine productions on canvas. By affinity, they came together to form a community, devised a unique system of organisation and encoded their own rules of aesthetics. Among themselves, they carried out artistic battles, aesthetic jousts, and competed with each other to establish their ranks.

By finally bestowing a name upon this movement: PRESSIONISM (a wordplay in reference to the use of the spray bomb as a medium), Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris wishes to celebrate one of the most fantastical artistic revolutions of the last century. Bringing together more than a hundred artworks done by graffitists from all over the world, the exhibition traces the hidden history of this oft-neglected movement and highlights the techniques and aesthetics in this form of art. Delve into this world of colour and calligraphy, uncover its language keys and codes, relive the dialogues between the masters and discover the development of styles across continents.

Visitors to the exhibition will discover the birth of the first masters’ styles, from Phase 2 to Rammellzee, Futura, and Toxic, and also get acquainted with important artists such as Noc 167, Bando, Skki and T-Kid. A collection truly global, they will encounter works by graffitists from Brazil to Japan, Thailand and even Iran and of course local talents from Singapore, such as Zero, Antz and TraseOne. In a special collection within the exhibition entitled “The Love Collection”, curator Alain-Dominique Gallizia has commissioned artists from all over the world, including several from Singapore and the region, to create works of graffiti art that reflect their visions of love. A number of these works have never been exhibited before, and Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris is proud to be host to this elaborate showcase.

This retrospective has been the broadest ever organised, to give this movement the showcase that it merits, and ultimately, to demonstrate the amazing adaptability of art to every kind of surface. An exhibition not to be missed, Pressionism promises a psychedelic whirlwind for all, explosive, energetic and unapologetically expressive.

Pressionism: Graffiti Masterpieces on Canvas, runs from 23 January 2016 to 25 June 2016 at The Features Gallery of Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris.