Sex and Sleep: work on it

I was browsing my fave magazine and future dream freelance project, Juxtapoz, and discovered another spectacular artist (as I do with every issue). This guy caught my eye. Alexandros Vasmoulakis. It may be because he's Greek (as am I) and I was drawn to the name, but the image they chose to advertize his work is exactly the type of stuff I want to promote. It was a piece made from "junk". He's a green thinker. I admire that. Art is beautiful, and cost-worthy in many ways, but when an artist takes advantage of items that someone else threw away, I HAVE to give him props. (I'm sad that I couldn't find the image online. Find it in September's issue on p. 38)



Supported by a crickety metal shopping cart, he stacked toys, books, dolls, thoughts, dreams, "human troubles, desires, hopes and fears" (Juxtapoz, n103, p38) in an alluring and, could-be appauling manner, but I LOVE IT! Then researching him a little, that image doesn't really define the style he is most well-known for. The installation section on his site (http://www.zap51.com/pheyo/#) gives you a taste of the image in Juxtapoz.



I found an interview done by FatCap, a worldwide graffiti blog, with somewhat generic questions, which is inevitable to get to the facts, but Alexandros' answers are so amusing that it adds to the mystery of his style (http://www.fatcap.com/alexandros-vasmoulakis/). "What inspires you?" Some people are inspired by their surroundings or by other artists, but Alexandros gets his source of inspiration from "good sex and good sleep", what I call a healthy lifestyle. I can work with that.

His graffiti is blasted all over the Athens skylilne. His use of brilliant, vibrant, engaging colors and cartoonic style, both typical of the graffiti movement, liven the somber character of the buildings on which the work is placed.

But his true love is for, what he calls, the "dirty spots", because there is an "additional reason to do something". These spots must call out to him. With only a few lines and the contours of imperfections on walls, he is able to bring an image to the surface. A purposeful accident.

Alexandros is doing well in the streets and, apparently, inbetween the sheets. You dirty boy you.