Limited Edition Etching by Jay One Ramier

An early initiate to graffiti culture, Jay One formed the infamous “Bad Boys Crew” in 1982. A rising star of the underground graffiti scene during the 80’s, Jay One was at the heart of the growing hip pop culture in Paris – from moonwalking with famous-to-be artists and musicians in the ghetto to witnessing Paco Rabanne opening his doors to rappers, b-boys and poppers. Stemming from this culture and the aesthetic of graffiti tagging, Jay’s works are equal to visual poetry – an image is always accompanied with a lyrical sentence. At the same time minimal and colourful, the works are imbued with the spirit of the hip pop decade – free and sharp to the point. Writing on his print, Jay One mentions: “I wanted to express as much spontaneity as possible: no extensive preparation, no sketch, always minimising the transition from mind to media – it is what I call voodoo art – spirit driven process. Instinctively the image of the poet (Leon G. Damas), wearing his hat, came to my mind. The challenge for me is not to create the most beautiful piece but instead to carry on my message – the quest for freedom”.