ARTIST
Gris1
France
Gris1 is a French artist and a member of Da Mental Vaporz (DMV) crew who was born in the south of France in the 80s and found his vocation for art during his studying time in 1996. From the current point he can look back to a long history of being active as a graffiti artists. What started as simple mural paintings on highway walls has, over the past 15 years, become a concise style.
DMV “Da Mental Vaporz” is a French graffiti crew consisting of Bom.K, Blo, Brusk, Dran, Gris1, Iso, Jaw, Kan, Sowat & Lek created in 1999 by Bom.k and Iso within the Paris suburbs. Soon joined by Kan, they stood out by making huge murals in sordid lands within the southern suburbs, showcasing different subjects from traditional graffiti (previously confined to either block letters or cartoon characters and bubbles).
The works of these artists can speak for themselves independently, differentiating from each other mostly in medium as in style and technique that which as soon as they are shown in a common context, creates an extraordinarily interesting and thrilling relationship. As can be deduced from the name “Da Mental Vaporz”, which, translated, means “The Vapors of the Psyche” it is for the artists a matter of concern to make the observer aware of the abyss of the personal psyche. This is translated by each individual member of the collective in their own way and leads to a multifaceted wealth of style, which, collectively, puts its mark on the important tides of the art of the 20th century. Observing the walls created by DMV in an urban setting, everything is offered to the beholder, from old school Graffiti to Pop Art and all the way to Surrealism, abstract Expressionism, Cubism and pore Abstraction. As different as these styles seem, the artists are, nevertheless, able, in their commonly created works, to bring together a harmonious symbiosis, which, although marked by tension, remains balanced. Their preferred media are spray cans, acrylic, mixed media. The artists also attempt to bring to life installations that are created in the urban environment (where they create most of their art) into a gallery framework.
Thus, their artworks can span over tens of meters high and wide, depicting monstrous characters, madness and the imminent end of times. As a member of DMV group Gris1 maintains his passion by making huge frescoes and increasingly innovative and fun collective canvases. He came to strengthen the crew with his expertise in old school graffiti codes and vectorial madness.