Sten Lex (ITA)
15.07.2024 - 28.07.2024
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Lugano Lido Wall
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07/15/2024 - 07/28/2024 〰️ Wall Lugano Lido 〰️
Sten Lex, is a duo of Italian artists, among the main representatives of the Italian and international Street Art scene. They are considered among the main spreaders of "Stencil Graffiti" in Italy. The duo is internationally known for having introduced, starting in 2002, the use of mezzotint in stencil. Graphic processing, which they call, Hole School, consists of cutting out an image composed of dots or lines: a portrait thus appears realistic from a distance, abstract up close. In 2008, Banksy invited them to participate in the Cans Festival in London along with a group of artists who specialize in "Stencil Graffiti."
Starting in 2010, Sten Lex have been making stencils cut out on paper and pasted on walls. After using both stencil and poster as media for years, the duo creates a process called Stencil Poster. The process involves posting on the street, a poster, a poster composed of lines or dots. The poster is cut out by hand on the very wall to which it is affixed, the paper matrix once cut out, is painted black and finally destroyed to make room for the final work. The concept behind this process is that weather, rain and wind slowly destroy the matrix over time revealing the final work as the matrix dissolves. The essential meaning of the "stencil," which is considered a technique for reproducing the same image over and over again, is thus taken to a paradox in that by destroying the matrix, which is also part of the work, its reproducibility is lost.
Beginning in 2013, the duo began working on abstract forms, taking up both the technique and the structure composed of lines that had characterized much of their previous portraits. In their career, Sten Lex have presented their work all over the world, both in public spaces and within international art galleries and public institutions.