“It’s more interesting and important now for a street artist to try to reach people who don’t have access to the contemporary culture. When asked about the reason why he decided to paint in cities like Waco, Austin and Houston Texas instead of visiting the usual big metropolis, he answers that it was simply more rewarding, the response from the public amazed him, there were crowds at every mural location and people were people genuinely curious about him and his work. An experience Blek recalls as very rewarding. He wanted to do something at the school that connected the students to European culture, and painted therefore f amous authors, philosophers and artists at the school Picasso, Victor Hugo, Socrates, spending several days in the classroom with the students, teaching them the art of stenciling. In Nashville he painted at the Montgomery Bell Academy and had the opportunity to interact with the students, who, according to the artist, seemed a little surprised that a 67 years old man is involved in Street Art and painting on walls.

I told him I wanted to leave my mark across the US for many personal reasons.” He particularly liked the idea of visiting cities where people weren’t familiar with Street Art. I was working with Brian on a gallery exhibit in San Francisco last year. He says: “Everything started during a conversation with Brian Greif from 2:32 AM Projects. I an interview by the organisers Blek makes a recount of the trip and his experience along the way. In his unauthorised biography Banksy said: “Every time I think I’ve painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier.” Blek’s spray-painted stencils of rats first appeared on the banks of Seine when Banksy still was a child.

French artist Blek le Rat, often described as the father of stencil graffiti and to many the godfather of street art, was recently in the US invited by Brian Greif of 2:32AM Projects who curated the tour that brought the artist and his work to cities like Nashville, Waco, Austin, and Houston.ĭespite being France’s graffiti art pioneer (he says he was the second to make street art in Paris, after Zloty Kamien), he is most famous for being the artist whose style Banksy “stole”.

Download free banksy copied blek le rat