Cope2 (1968) - No Parking (2017)

Cope2 (Fernando Carlo, 1968) - No Parking (2017)

Acrylic paint, markers and spray on a metal panel “No Parking” from NY.
Original work signed and dated by hand on the back

Panel dimensions: 45x30 cm Frame dimensions: 54x44 cm

Cope2 (Fernando Carlo, by his real name) is a graffiti artist who has managed to leave a lasting legacy in New York with his art and creativity. He has been painting since 1978; his works are present in galleries, collections, but above all on walls around the world. Cope2 is known as the ambassador of New York graffiti and remains today a symbolic figure of graffiti culture. A Bronx native, born in 1968, this Puerto Rican by birth marks New York City with his tag from the 1980s. Before being recognized as Cope2, he was involved in various drug trafficking and confronted street violence. He was part of the KD and TNB crews.

More than a legend, a myth. A dinosaur of New York street art, Cope2 is a global celebrity. Graffiti writers from around the world regularly descend on JFK Airport to paint alongside the master.

Despite his proclaimed fame, the child of South Bronx has never forgotten where he comes from. From NYC’s most rough neighborhoods, Cope2 has for more than thirty years claimed his unwavering integrity as a street artist. An inexhaustible spray-painting scout of the labyrinths of urbanism, he remains the emblem par excellence of protest graffiti.

Like when he decides to crusade against the city-cleaning operation led by the New York mayor in the 1990s. His incessant bombing undermined the populist ambitions of the local politics elites.

His peers agree in recognizing him. Without Cope2, graffiti probably wouldn’t have a place in Manhattan and its suburbs today.

The one who draws without a sketch quickly caught the eye of talent scouts. His works have been featured in some of the finest collections across both hemispheres, and big capital has shown keen interest in his case. Time Life, Converse, Adidas or Foot Locker call on his genius to boost their merchandise. The same goes for the heavy industries of video games and cinema.

His numerous collaborations with other artists (Shepard Fairey, Retna, Kenny Scharf, Mister Brainwash,…) show how much his peers admire and respect him.

Cope2 does not spurn these bonuses and the accompanying social buzz that comes with them. If the street is where he feels truly in his element, in recent years studio work has become a real breath of fresh air for him, inhaled with relish for increasingly remarkable results.