François Chastanet
07.09 - 08.09
Galerie IFF, Aix-en-Provence, France
IFF’s first show in Aix-en-Provence was by Francois Chastanet. Five large photographic prints are installed in a space previosuly used as a domestic garage. The works show images of Pixação, a unique form of letter writing developed in São Paulo, Brazil in the 1980s. The black, extremely vertical, equally high letters were originally influenced by the runic typefaces of heavy metal band logos like AC/DC, Iron Maiden or Slayer.
There are no outlines, blocks or other classic decorative elements. Pixações are not connected with the well-known American graffiti and have their own rules and techniques. There is no crossing, the different letterings are literally stacked on top of each other. The Pixadores work very well together and help each other to paint the best spots. They build human ladders to get higher, climb up skyscrapers on narrow edges or hang upside down from roofs to make their marks.
