Ukrinian film makers and friends MZM Projects have recently finished the first a new series of videos exploring the work and ethos of graffiti writers who have evolved from the streets.
To kick things off the duo hooked up with Dutch graffiti writer Jeroen Erosie who's got a storied history in both the Dutch graffiti and street art worlds having found inspiration in one field while searching for evolution of form in the other. There's been various names for this evolutionary element with some calling it 'post graffiti' or 'graffuturism'. It's always an interesting jump and one that's become more accepted within graffiti circles as middle aged men don't do so well hopping over fences to paint trains or risking jail time when they have families and partners waiting at home. But of course the respect they earned in their younger days from such activities can be seen as a vital rung on the artistic ladder and it's nice to see the work of artists like Erosie to compare and contrast to his earlier output.
We often talk about the freedom that comes from these forms of expression, working on the streets with a spray can or a stencil and its as true today as it was 60 years ago on the streets of Paris during the Mai 68 revolt. Erosie talks about his own journey in search of freedom and its an interesting one that explores the complex layers of his artistic journey, the search for freedom in graffiti, a world which has also developed certain rules and ideologies, an attempt to keep the culture in the hands of those who risked their own personal freedoms I guess in search of the thrill of being all city or 'up'. But the parallels with art school are not too dissimilar, looking for freedom within the confines of academia but perhaps needing more that any one form of expression can offer. Yet you can see the influence from all the skills that Erosie has picked up along the way on show in his work and the desire to keep exploring, experimenting, failing all in service to his journey and the progression of his work today. Certainly it's a great journey to see through the MZM lens and through Jeroen's own words.
Be sure to check out the film below and you can explore more of his work via his website.
I'm hopeful that MZM Projects will bring us more highlights from their travels and can keep showing the deeper aspects of the contemporary graffiti and street art worlds. It's inspiring that despite the difficulties of the past year with the Russian invasion of their country, Kristina & Nazar have managed to keep working on creative projects, I'm sure in between many scary moments which I can't really begin to comprehend. Their occasional updates have been heartening but also heart breaking to read via Kristina's instangram feed ( check her bio links for ways to support) and have brought home some of the realities which they face beyond the UK news updates.
They've both been firm friends since our first meeting at Nuart Festival in Stavanger back in 2017 and as artists in their own right have crafted some of the most beautiful and poignant street art films I've seen, not only capturing that which is in front of their lens but creating new visual narratives with poetry and spoken word taking the viewer into a deeper understanding of their subject matter. Their feature 'Imaginary City' is a great example and serves to not only document some of what Nuart does but delves into the core of it with people, place and street art all sharing space, not in perfect harmony but in perfect reality with the festivals intentions laid bare. It's a brilliant reflection of what the festival has done for Stavanger and also highlights a lot of the reasons why we all do what we do supporting street artists but also in our own home towns and our own groups, sharing art, sharing stories and sharing space, something that MZM do with so much passion and grace.
Although we can't predict what's to come in 2023 I'm hopefully that MZM will continue to capture these moments and we'll see more in this new series of short films. They provide a vital outlet that shows the culture as it stands and direct from the artists involved which can connect us across borders and across our physical limitations even in a time of conflict. Sending my best to our friends in Ukraine and hopeful that we can reunite under better circumstances soon. x
