Street artist Giacomo Bufarini, a.k.a. RUN, gets first gallery show


The Italian-born street artist who has made his home in London is to exhibit at Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch, east London


All pictures: Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, courtesy Howard Griffin Gallery

Street art might seem like the antithesis of the art establishment - in fact the art world has taken street art to its bosom, with many of the world's most talented street artist making the journey from the street to the gallery - and with it the possibility of commercial success.

Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Gr

One of the latest of these is Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch, east London.

Bufarini's work is powerful and illustrative, combining a strong urban aesthetic with a gothic tinge redolent of the illustrator Edward Gorey.

Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Gr

But there are inevitable questions about whether bringing street art in from the cold takes something essential away from it. Can we separate the message from its medium?

In its natural form street art is there for anyone to see - free of charge. On the one hand putting it in a gallery takes it away from the eyes of ordinary people; on the other hand, gallery promotion can bring the work to the attention of people who would otherwise never have seen it.

According to the gallery: 'This landmark show for the artist represents a turning point in his artistic practice as he moves from painting walls to becoming a studio artist.'

Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Gr

The exhibition is a semi-autobiographical story told through a unique series of highly detailed pen and ink drawings that collectively make up a book. On this voyage of self-discovery, Bufarini is both the creator and protagonist, trapped within his own story. Bufarini plays with levels of reality and metaphor, creating a dreamscape that appears at once fantastical and very real.

Called Parabola di G, the work in the exhibition follows the journey of a semi-fictional character, G, as he falls through levels of reality into a dreamscape.

Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Gr

A London based Italian artist, Bufarini began painting murals on abandoned walls in Bologna and Florence in the 1990s under the pseudonym 'RUN'.

RUN became a street art legend as Bufarini proliferated his unique and highly recognisable style internationally, and today his expansive public works can be found adorning street corners from China to Senegal.

Giacomo Bufarini a.k.a. RUN, whose work is about to go on show at Howard Gr

Bufarini's studio practice sees him working in a range of mediums and techniques, including wooden sculptural forms, printing, etching, drawing and monotyping on wood, canvas and paper. His illustrative style depicts a world of fantastical characters and settings from which his large scale street works derive.








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