Marco “Pho” Grassi
Artist – Milan
Marco Grassi aka Pho has been rooted in street art and graffiti since the early nineties, but his art is more than that: urban elements merge with an approach to art history. A master of texture and paint, the Italian artist translates his urban background to his intense abstract paintings by hinting at graffiti writing’s traditional elements: the word, the rhythm of the line and a performing dynamism – all these elements find their perpetuation on found, weathered materials which reflect his urban environment in the style of Arte Povera.
Marco Grassi’s art is all about building and tearing down: He creates textures that are devoted to the aesthetic common on aged walls within our cities – walls full of memories and history, their living embodiments with cracks and traces of weathering. His work has been exhibited at galleries, art fairs and institutions worldwide and he has been a supporter of IWISHUSUN since the very beginning. We are very happy to welcome him as a friend.
What is the most important sense to you?
The sight and its memory.
Why?
Seeing allows me to “touch” the horizon, clouds and stars.
As a creative person, what is your vision for your personal work?
I ask the balance to survive between order and disorder. I ask the white to listen to the black. I ask the material to explain time to me.
What is the most beautiful thing you ever saw?
The sea. I often try to imagine what’s going on under that mysterious black and blue sheet.
When was the last time you gave back and what did you do?
I donated a big artwork to Mario Negri Pharmacological Institute of Milan.
Do you have a vision to make this place a better one?
Go back to an intimate relationship with nature.
Who is your personal hero?
My maternal grandfather and his unbelievable story of resistance to the nazi-fascism during World War II.
What is your picture for I WISHUSUN?
The “Outre-noir” artwork series by French painter Pierre Soulage in which the artist seems to discover light and white colour inside big black canvases.
