Tomorrow is the launch party for a new and singular book, Chiaroscuro, a project co-written by Hugo Vitrani and published by Classic.
Designed in two different volumes of the same format, Chiaro and Scuro, the books work as a representation of Cokney’s life contrasting his alternative life and work with the way it is seen by the anti-graffiti brigade.
Cokney’s illegal painting, from metro depots to law courts, via the Palais de Tokyo art centre, is ‘clair-obscur’, chiaroscuro, light and dark: the contrast of pigments, the darkness of metro depots lit with neon, obscure anonymity next to the reputation of a pseudonym, exiting clandestinity, entering judicial and cultural institutions. Arrested and convicted in 2012, then charged in 2014, the artist was fined 228,000 euros for voluntary damage, and is awaiting trial for criminal conspiracy. Read the full press release.
Whilst the white book or Chiaro is about the ephemeral documenting of his work on the streets showing untouched images handed by the police at the moment of his release and featuring interviews, memories, analyses and manifestos written by Cokney, and other guests, the black book or Scuro is all about his case showing documents, graphic analyses, photographs, complaints, obscure edited quotes, roughly photocopied and today considered by Cokney as part of his artistic work; the life of the artist as seen through the spectrum of the legal system.
The event will take place tomorrow May 6 from 18.00 to 22.00 at the LO/A Library of Arts located on 17 rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris.
Based on an original idea by: Cokney & Hugo Vitrani
Foreword: Thierry Lévy
Texts: Hugo Vitrani, Cokney, Claire Bam, Xavier Lagrenade, Thibault Choay
Photographs: Cokney
Art direction & graphic design: Twice
First edition of 500 copies
Printed in the Czech Republic
ISBN 978-2-9536997-8-4
© CLASSIC-2015
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
