Posted by autopsy art
Who are you? And where are you from?
It would be too long to answer the question ‘who am I’, but in a nutshell: I am an artist imprisoned in a human body. That body was born and raised in Paris, but the artist broke his shackles during a glorious summer in Black Rock City, Nevada.
What does codexurbanus mean?
Codex Urbanus is originally the name of my street art project. A Codex is an ancient manuscript with drawings, and urbanus means urban in Latin. All in all, it would (and is) become a handcrafted bestiary on the walls of the City of Light, with an infinite number of chimers. Later people took pictures and started calling me Codex, which over time became my own street art name…
How and why did you come into contact with street art?
I’ve always been drawing, ever since I was old enough to hold a pen. Unfortunately, being an artist wasn’t even an option in my culture, but I couldn’t help it. My notebooks for class or my business meeting notes are sketchbooks and I was always drawing, all the time. At some point my professional life changed and I started working outside, so I couldn’t draw anymore. For example, I once started painting on the walls in the middle of the night.
Spray cans or brush?
I almost only use paint markers on the street. I’ve tried aerosols 3 times, and I love them, but I need to get better at the technique, and aerosols don’t suit my way of life: I always have to have my paint with me and you can’t put aerosols in your fire bag.
Colors or black and white?
I mainly work with grey, black and white, to recreate the impression of a medieval print.
Which artists have influenced you?
In terms of my style and subjects, I am influenced by Renaissance painters and artists (Durer, Da Vinci, Bosch) and the Surrealist public (Dalì, Magritte). But I never would have thought and I would have the guts to work on the street if it weren’t for the graffiti artists I admire, mainly DaCRuZ and Seyb.
Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with?
Well all of the above! I like collaborations because they force you to go beyond your world and meet the others. Today I already worked with it Bastek, i prayedShadeeK and more, and I hope there will be many more!
What do you think of graffiti?
I have a huge respect for graffiti. I do not consider myself a graffiti artist, in the sense that I am not a writer, but I think that not only does the entire street art scene rest on the shoulders of graffiti artists, but graffiti is by far the most interesting art movement and the most typical of our time.
What is the question I didn’t ask you that you would have liked to answer?
What is my favorite animal? Haha
blogging: CodexUrbanus
