Lek

Fifth Floor / Size : 340 x 260 cm / Glass bay window – wall / 2006

“Over time, and after a lot of experience painting in disused locations, I’ve let go of the notion of readability. I didn’t want to be constrained by the surface, which would often confine me within a rectangle, a single wall. Spreading out removed all restraints from me. I think graffiti artists are recognised more by their style than by what they write. Here, not many people realise that my name is still there, but thanks to the style, it’s still present, even in the details. This glass bay window can be viewed on its own, but you can also look at it alongside the rest of the work, which extends onto the walls and the other windows – and it’s all me. Liberating myself from readability has allowed me to do the same thing in terms of abstraction.”

Lek

Lek first started working in graffiti at the end of the 80s. An innovator and pioneer in the discipline known as urbex, which involves seeking out suitable abandoned locations, he developed an abstract, architectural aesthetic that soon won him the recognition of his peers. 2010 saw him dedicating over a year to his most ambitious project, Le Mausolée – an unauthorised artistic residency in an abandoned supermarket in North Paris. He went on to co-organise the first-ever collective graffiti exhibition in the Palais de Tokyo, while also participating in countless other projects such as the Tour Paris 13. Lek was one of the first graffiti artists to work in the buildings in Pantin.

Other works in the buidling