Itvan Kebadian and Lek

“I don’t generally put my insects in places where tags or graffiti by other artists are already present – but here, I wanted to incorporate it into this painting by Lek, whom I didn’t know, because his arrows seemed to me to be in the same spirit. The picture is traced directly, using only two colours, and I also found that the arrows had a botanical quality that was highly compatible with my work. Like plants invading the walls of an abandoned building, with my insects also colonising the same spot.”

The artist biography:
With his roots in graffiti, Itvan Kebadian started creating art in 1998, though it was not until 2005 that he began producing insects in disused locations. Like a tag, they are traced directly in black aerosol. The artist does not sign them – he would rather pique people’s curiosity, and sees these creatures as a form of Trojan Horse. The warehouse in Pantin includes several examples that seem very much at home in this environment. Itvan has also toured Eastern Europe, following the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway and depositing his creatures on disused factories from the communist era. He has been exhibiting his work and taking part in a variety of projects since 2007.