The Parisian black market is a parallel business for a whole culture, a renewal of pride by appropriating words and supports. It is the faith of an artist who is erased behind style.
RCF1 presents a series of spray painted works in the same style as its street graffiti’s. The black market are tags, throw-ups and works on truck’s in Paris between Barbès and Ménilmontant. A form of survival in a urban environment made by do-it-yourself and fiddlings. It is the ambient electricity of the popular districts opposed to the culturally smooth Paris, capturing the energy on market trucks and the subway lines of the elevated stations. The Parisian black market is a parallel business for a whole culture, a renewal of pride by appropriating words and supports. It is the faith of an artist who is erased behind style. Black market is that chaste relation between graffiti in the street and graffiti on canvas which ceases being pure street graffiti. His spray can is like a new electric guitar, writing a blues or new rock’n'roll song. "Black market" is like a last wink to Joe Strummer of the Clash to whom RCF1 owes his artist name: “Rudie can’t Fail”.
Born in the Parisian suburb in 1968, RCF1 paints graffiti since 1988. Faithful to the traditional New York old school graffiti style, he turns in the 90's towards a more european and personal style influenced by the last generations of "street artists". Reporter for the french Gettin’ Fame magazine and author of many articles about graffiti art, he lives in Paris and still continues to paint in the street without asking.
© RCF1 / © Speerstra Gallery