TMNK, CORPS ET AME
La galerie Modus accueille pour la première fois à Paris, le travail du street artist new-yorkais TMNK, pour son exposition "SONGS OF MY SOUL".
« If a nobody like me could accomplish the things that I’ve accomplished then imagine what a somebody like you could do.” Artiste de rue, ancien SDF, TMNK peint images et messages d’espoir, sur les murs et trottoirs de Manhattan, ainsi que son signe « Art is my weapon ». Fervent admirateur de Jean-Michel Basquiat, c’est en vendant le jour dans les rues de Soho et le soir sur le site ebay que cet artiste s’est fait connaître, attirant peu à peu l’attention des collectionneurs : en 2009, ses œuvres entrent dans la collection permanente du Robert Hull Fleming Museum of Art, tandis qu’il expose en 2010 à Miami Art Basel. Avec l’exposition « Songs of my soul », il présente son “he(art)” dans la galerie Modus, transformant l’espace en scène de rue new-yorkaise, avec des œuvres à mi-chemin entre graffiti (peinture à l’acrylique, dessins en bombe aérosol, pochoirs, collages) et expression du cœur.
Stiletto.fr: What makes you grow up?
TMNK: Challenging and interesting people. Challenging and interesting experiences. Challenging myself. Travelling has also been a great source of growth. The more I see the magnificence of this world, with all of its diversity of culture, people, the opportunities it has to offer, the more I push myself NOT to accept complacency, mediocrity. The more I see and experience, the more I push myself to discover the greatness within.
Stiletto.fr: Your favorite playground?
TMNK: The streets of course. Specifically, the streets of New York, Soho, where I was born.
Stiletto.fr: What path do you follow?
TMNK: It may sound arrogant or cocky, but truthfully I follow nobody! I’m inspired by greatness, by stories of others who despite adversity and obstacles reached for their dreams. I follow hip hop music, the streets, and most importantly I FOLLOW MY HEART.
Stiletto.fr: Someone takes his first steps into art, what piece of advice would you give?
TMNK: Paint, create, explore EVERYDAY. Relentlessly. Consume and do art, the way a « crack fiend » or « drug addict » does drugs. They destroy their lives by doing drugs every second of the day. You want to be an artist, live it, breath it every second of everyday. Surround yourself with art and artists, be addicted to it.
TMNK, “Songs of my soul”, jusqu’au 23 décembre 2012 à la Modus Art Gallery, 23, place des Vosges, 75003 Paris
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Claire de Fraiteur
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