Modart » Above

Above – Blood Diamond Wars

Elise — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:21:50 +0000

Above has hit Johannesburg with what he describes as “likely one of my biggest street pieces”. But like they say it’s not size that matters, Above hit “Jewel City”, the largest diamond trader in the country and a massive hub for the dealing of Blood Diamonds.

Here is the text he sent us:

Africa has had a devastating history of blood diamond wars. Blood diamond refers to a diamond mined in a war zone and then sold to finance an invading army’s war efforts, usually in Africa where more than two-thirds of the worlds diamonds are extracted. This site specific social / political word play was painted on the exterior wall of Johannesburg’s largest diamond trader Jewel City. Jewel City is a six-block mega-precinct that serves as a base for some 300 diamond traders as well as South Africa’s Diamond Board and State Traders Association. Jewel City is the largest diamond exporter in the southern hemisphere with over R7-Billion worth of Diamonds being exported every year.

I was able to get away with this diamond wall heist because I told the owners I would paint in big letters “Diamonds are a woman’s best friend” on the exterior of their building. The owners loved the idea and all quickly agreed. The next day I had started painting but what the owners didn’t know is that I lied to them and was hijacking their wall. Like any premeditated robbery, situations are not what they seem and shit can flip from best friends to worst enemies in a few moments.

I assume the owners were too busy trading diamonds inside the mega centre they never took the time to come out and see I was painting a controversial word play about the diamond trade and how it’s fueled so much bloodshed in wars making it one of man’s worst enemies.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Maxi — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:00:52 +0000

Above has been touring through Australia for quite some time now. Braving floods of the century and bush fires he has been his usual busy self and is now announcing his upcoming show in Sydney, called Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, at the Lo-Fi Collective in Sydney.

Above says” The statement “Here today gone tomorrow” has been ringing in my head like a fucking broken record with no DJ to stop it. The skipping record keeps playing over and over getting louder and louder with each new rotation. Recently I’ve been hit with a lot to say the least. Less than 3 months ago my older brother was killed in an accidental car crash at the young age of 32. Life can be beautifully fragile and amazingly raw. You never know when your number is going to be called. You’re here today, then gone tomorrow. I’ve been consistently traveling the world and the theme “here today gone tomorrow” applies to how I have been living my lifestyle for the past 10 years. It’s hard to say goodbye when travlling and even harder when you don’t even get the chance. I was deeply moved by the loss of my brother to make the new body of artworks that dealt with the fragility of life, death and how important it is to live each day to the fullest.

“The new artworks all have a consistent interwoven theme reflecting the “here today gone tomorrow” statement. For the show I made large wooden arrows with the faces of popular culture figures that have also passed away too young and suddenly. They say “only the good die young” and I’ll agree to that. Upon arrival to Sydney I quickly noticed the widely common street level promotion of music event posters. Each poster had a very large visible date and location for the respective event. Not only that but all of the posters were taped on top of each other around poles instead of normally glued on to each other thus making it very easy to re-use and peel off without any damage to the poster. I found it applicable and relative to the statement “here today gone tomorrow” being able to peel off literally 100’s of past events posters layers like that of an onion that would date as far back as 12-months ago. Unraveling each new layer was hyper exciting as I never knew what to expect other than a consistent reversing timeline of now expired moments in time.

“The WORD/PLAY pieces in the show all speak about life, death, and optimistic ways of how to live everyday as full as you can. I’m happy with the final visual aesthetic of the mash up of using the posters collage, colour, imagery, and the push and pull process of layering each piece to get to its final completed state. The foundation and aim of the show is not to be sad about death, nor fear it but on the contrary to be happy about life and the moments that make up each day of our lives. I hope you can attend the show and get a fun reminder about how wonderful life can be and to appreciate every moment as it comes.”

We got a special preview for you. For more pictures and information check No New Enemies.

Update from Above

Maxi — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 10:00:46 +0000

When it comes to traveling the world and seeing every country there is to see, Above is probably king. Active since 1995 he’s best known for his trademark: the arrow. By now he spray painted or or installed hundreds and hundreds of them in over 60 cities in 45 countries worldwide. Additionally Above works with stencils and large scale writings on walls.

Going full speed ahead Above just updated his website and is now taking a 3 months tour through Australia. Check it out. He’ll keep you posted.

LOOKING 4 RIDE…ANYWHERE! from ABOVE on Vimeo.