Jonone (1963) - Untitled Blue Edition

Stunning silkscreen print by artist John Perello, also known as JonOne, published by the Underdogs gallery.

Screen printing 25 colors on Astropack paper 320g without margins.
Published in only 123 copies.
Sold out
700 x 500mm
Certificate of authenticity and a copy of the gallery invoice provided.
Careful shipment with tracking and insurance.

This is the journey of a man, of a creative act, an explosion of colors, a line that makes its way from one country to another, a crossroads of space and time. It is the evolution of artist John Perello, a young New Yorker who grew up on 156th Street, between Harlem and Washington Heights. After seeing the first tags appear on the creaking subway cars, he decided to join the movement under the name Jon156. Graffiti, in all its freedom and gesture, marks the dawn of a new era; it is the emergence of technicolor, an unprecedented graphic revolution.

In the New York subway tunnels, Jon156 stands out for his freedom, his challenge to conventions, and his love of abstraction. In 1984, with his fellow taggers Rac7 and Kyle, he founded the street art collective 156 All Starz, which would become an international community. During a stay in New York in 1987, the French graffiti artist Bando noticed his work and invited him to Paris. That was a turning point; he has lived there since.

His five years spent at the Éphémère Hospital, followed by a series of residencies in some of the most famous squats and artistic communities of the decade, allowed John Perello, rebaptized JonOne, to further explore not only his techniques but also his supports. Although he maintains a strong connection with the urban artistic scene, his work primarily transposes the essence of the mural fresco onto canvas. Like these walls covered with tags, each canvas becomes a kind of palimpsest.

To immortalize his work without losing any of its vitality and raw energy, JonOne explores the principles of action painting and abstract expressionism: the movements become broader and deeper; like Pollock did before him, JonOne physically immerses himself in his works, walking on the canvases, splattering them with paint, adding multiple layers of material and color.

Striving to break down barriers between galleries, museums, and street art, JonOne bridges art and anchors it in everyday life by collaborating with major brands: sometimes customizing an Air France jumbo jet, other times creating his own version of the iconic Guerlain perfume bottle and his own capsule collection for Lacoste. In 2020, the Daum crystal factory entrusted him with creating several exclusive crystal pieces; in 2021, he repainted pieces from the Gien earthenware factory, thus forging a new link between art and craftsmanship.

This constantly evolving practice, this desire to speak to the viewer and surprise them with the diversity of his work and choice of supports, this physical and vibrant energy... All these elements are celebrated at the JonOne 2023 exhibition at the Piscine de Roubaix, the artist's first retrospective.

JonOne is among the most influential artists in street art, as well as in contemporary art, alongside Kaws, Chevrier, Seen, JR, M.Chat, Imbue, Peeta, Pantone, Okuda, Bordalo II, Basquiat, Banksy, Arsham, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Shepard Fairey Obey, Invader, Futura 2000, Jeff Koons, Dface, and MrBrainwash.