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RAZUM

400 x 300 cm

Something along those stylistic lines can be found in the pieces of Razum. He started doing graffiti in 2010 in Zemun, which is well-known in Belgrade as being a part of the city that has the most prolific graffiti writers working in 3D style. He decided that his style should be as close to the original Belgrade style, and be suitable for bombing as well. There are several pieces by him that seem to move audiences and show that Belgraders respond well to his personal style and ‘sense’ of it all (his alias means Sense or Mind). Since 2015, Hope and Razum have been part of an unofficial crew that paints together and it might seem reasonable that their styles should converge. But that is not the case. They have developed their preferences separately: while Razum has had an opportunity to learn from the generation of graffiti writers to which Hope belongs, they both have learned from the old school pieces that were still visible in New Belgrade until a couple of years ago. Crews do not tend to gather members according to their stylistic suitability; all the members try to develop recognisable individual styles because copying someone else's style is an unforgivable sin among graffiti writers. Razum’s pieces seem to be filling a particular niche in the graffiti scene in Belgrade since he is putting on a pedestal a silver piece. A silver piece is a very special category, being derived from a mixture of a throw-up and a piece. A throw-up is a very simple visual, a couple of letters long, that is used to develop speed, stamina and a sense of space by using the simplest form – one colour for outline and one for the fill-in. Since silver, or chrome, is the pigment that covers the best on all surfaces, it is the most common colour for throw-ups. This formula, but in a tidier, more stylized and technically precise manner, is used for a silver piece. Here, the style is taken to its peak but it is executed in silver. Sometimes, like in Belgrade in the mid-1990s, it is used as a substitute for other types of pieces since it is the most affordable. Therefore, simple yet elegant silver pieces became almost synonymous with an early Belgrade style. Razum took it upon himself to develop it further and to explore forms that could spring from the transcendence of silver.

Street Art Belgrade

TAKE 3

Loving Street Art Belgrade

While there is no substitute for looking at graffiti and street art in real life, it has become evident in recent years that new technologies can add an extra dimension to these art forms. At the end of 1990s, graffiti culture had already recognized the potential of the world wide web as a platform for this global movement to intertwine and cement its reign in urban settlements. One of the pioneering web sites, ArtCrimes.com, served as a gallery where one could see the artworks from all over the world. So, in the beginning, it was the culture itself that recognized the potential of what the digital revolution could bring. Since the mid-2000s and following the rise of street art, it has become obvious that not only graffiti culture and, consequently, street art, have had the need to document and share art on the streets, but that this has also become a favourite activity of those frequenting social networks. Next to cute cats, food porn and selfies, sharing photos of graffiti and street art has become extremely popular. However sociologists or psychologists interpret this phenomenon, it shows one thing clearly – people do notice and enjoy graffiti and street art. In this exhibition, let us explore the world of the digital content and a selection of the most popular artworks among social network users. One could ask why would this selection be relevant to the art world and what can this curatorial approach bring to the viewers? Well, the answer is simple – we wish to see if the audience picks just random ‘pretty’ things or whether there are more significant processes going on. Therefore, we are going to take the photos with the biggest number of views and likes on our organisations social media and organise them in groups so that they can be put in context and analysed. The outcome will be clear at the end of this virtual presentation. So, take one Level at a time, take the ‘wisdom potions’ on each Level and at the end of the exhibition you will have gained the ‘ultimate knowledge’. Enjoy! Ljiljana Radošević, curator.

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