EGS , by Vroom & Varossieau on Feb 1, 2023 11:15:10 GMT 1,

On the occasion of Art Rotterdam, Vroom & Varossieau gallery is pleased to present recent works by Finnish artist EGS (Helsinki, 1974).
EGS’s solo exhibition with the gallery, showcases the latest work of the interdisciplinary artist.

In this exhibition, EGS’s paintings, installations and glass sculptures conduct us through an exploration of society, graffiti and everyday life.
Since the beginning of his career as graffiti writer, and while still active in the scene, the artist has transposed in three letters different topics from the collapse of the USSR and the recomposition of Europe, the investigation of ruins and the notion of impermanence.

The show presents recent geographical maps, The Last Clouds that are both an abstracted version of the world map and a reflection on the europeans conquering “new” continents, dividing them with pen and ruler. Each ruler creates countries and conflicts that never existed before.

The new series of paintings Armada of Aliases, investigates the struggles and the difficulties that come with being accepted as immigrant: the shapes remind boats, perhaps overcrowded with people ready to start a different life under new aliases. The work can be also interpreted as an armada of tags, ready to travel in any city.
Entering Schengen and The Buffed Borders are works that scrutinise the concept of political boundary and its conflicts, with a strong reference to the Schengen.
The International Penpals are deeply influenced by the calligraphic essence of graffiti, in which the black line is predominant. Through the use of a syringe as preferred tool to draw, the result is simultaneously vibrant and sophisticated.

The installations Secret Path 1 and Growing Up In The City relate to personal experiences of EGS and his time spent in backstage environments, dark alleys where the art of graffiti is often created.
The exhibition also displays several hand-blown glass sculptures crafted in historic workshops in Finland. These sculptures are always arranged in groups of three. They represent the E, G, S and endorse the artist to reshape his tag, explore new materials and tell stories with three letters.
Trough this malleability of letters and signs, EGS aims to underline the possibility of language to transform, change in new scenarios and potential forms, while at the same time deconstructing the initial context and its layers.

About the artist
EGS (1974, Helsinki) is a self-proclaimed graffiti anthropologist, he has been pivotal in the historical research and dissemination of the graffiti practice itself: an artist - archivist spurred by an intense desire to explore both the formal and folkloric truths of graffiti, to uncover its deeply social and material foundations. While EGS’ output is becoming increasingly abstract, his ongoing illicit work has resulted from a long and intense study of the graffiti form, in which he has juxtaposed the different eras that he loves through his collagist style. He started out in

the mid 1980s as part of the first wave of graffiti in Finland; by 1988 he had travelled to Stockholm and Paris to discover and document their burgeoning scenes. Although he lived in one of the most geographically distant parts of Europe, EGS was fascinated by the regional connections graffiti generated and travel became integral to his life. His inquisitive interest in these different aspects of regional graffiti led him to form close links in France, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and England by the early 1990s. The bonds he formed through this collaborative global work are therefore as much a part of his personal practice as the homages he makes to graffiti folklore, as he puts it, through every ‘wave, star, drip or block’ he paints.
Travelling the globe to both paint and investigate, to build relationships and share knowledge with other diverse practitioners, he has developed an almost unmatched insight into the vast graffiti culture worldwide. His work shows an acute understanding of the endlessly manipulable possibilities of the alphabet, as well as the various movements, styles and traditions of graffiti itself.


Vroom & Varossieau
Art Rotterdam 2023 - Booth 80
Opening: 8 February, 12pm - 8pm
Date: 9 - 12 February, 11am - 7pm
Address: Van Nelle Fabriek, Van Nelleweg 1
3044 BC Rotterdam

On the occasion of Art Rotterdam, Vroom & Varossieau gallery is pleased to present recent works by Finnish artist EGS (Helsinki, 1974).
EGS’s solo exhibition with the gallery, showcases the latest work of the interdisciplinary artist.

In this exhibition, EGS’s paintings, installations and glass sculptures conduct us through an exploration of society, graffiti and everyday life.
Since the beginning of his career as graffiti writer, and while still active in the scene, the artist has transposed in three letters different topics from the collapse of the USSR and the recomposition of Europe, the investigation of ruins and the notion of impermanence.

The show presents recent geographical maps, The Last Clouds that are both an abstracted version of the world map and a reflection on the europeans conquering “new” continents, dividing them with pen and ruler. Each ruler creates countries and conflicts that never existed before.

The new series of paintings Armada of Aliases, investigates the struggles and the difficulties that come with being accepted as immigrant: the shapes remind boats, perhaps overcrowded with people ready to start a different life under new aliases. The work can be also interpreted as an armada of tags, ready to travel in any city.
Entering Schengen and The Buffed Borders are works that scrutinise the concept of political boundary and its conflicts, with a strong reference to the Schengen.
The International Penpals are deeply influenced by the calligraphic essence of graffiti, in which the black line is predominant. Through the use of a syringe as preferred tool to draw, the result is simultaneously vibrant and sophisticated.

The installations Secret Path 1 and Growing Up In The City relate to personal experiences of EGS and his time spent in backstage environments, dark alleys where the art of graffiti is often created.
The exhibition also displays several hand-blown glass sculptures crafted in historic workshops in Finland. These sculptures are always arranged in groups of three. They represent the E, G, S and endorse the artist to reshape his tag, explore new materials and tell stories with three letters.
Trough this malleability of letters and signs, EGS aims to underline the possibility of language to transform, change in new scenarios and potential forms, while at the same time deconstructing the initial context and its layers.

About the artist
EGS (1974, Helsinki) is a self-proclaimed graffiti anthropologist, he has been pivotal in the historical research and dissemination of the graffiti practice itself: an artist - archivist spurred by an intense desire to explore both the formal and folkloric truths of graffiti, to uncover its deeply social and material foundations. While EGS’ output is becoming increasingly abstract, his ongoing illicit work has resulted from a long and intense study of the graffiti form, in which he has juxtaposed the different eras that he loves through his collagist style. He started out in

the mid 1980s as part of the first wave of graffiti in Finland; by 1988 he had travelled to Stockholm and Paris to discover and document their burgeoning scenes. Although he lived in one of the most geographically distant parts of Europe, EGS was fascinated by the regional connections graffiti generated and travel became integral to his life. His inquisitive interest in these different aspects of regional graffiti led him to form close links in France, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and England by the early 1990s. The bonds he formed through this collaborative global work are therefore as much a part of his personal practice as the homages he makes to graffiti folklore, as he puts it, through every ‘wave, star, drip or block’ he paints.
Travelling the globe to both paint and investigate, to build relationships and share knowledge with other diverse practitioners, he has developed an almost unmatched insight into the vast graffiti culture worldwide. His work shows an acute understanding of the endlessly manipulable possibilities of the alphabet, as well as the various movements, styles and traditions of graffiti itself.


Vroom & Varossieau
Art Rotterdam 2023 - Booth 80
Opening: 8 February, 12pm - 8pm
Date: 9 - 12 February, 11am - 7pm
Address: Van Nelle Fabriek, Van Nelleweg 1
3044 BC Rotterdam