Picks: Os Gemeos

To be honest, graffiti is not really my thing. I never found the joy or rather indulgence in defacing public property, but maybe it was because of all the years of having public school morals drilled into my head or it could be because the truck-load of examples we see on the walls of our streets consists of somebody’s phone number which if you called promises to give you a really good blowjob or something else that’s equally vulgar or lame.

But of late, i’ve been introduced to street art like i’ve never seen before and i gotta say, i’m lovin it. (Sorry, Ronald). These guys take the art of graffiti to the next level, if there ever was any kind of level to begin with. There are of course lots of street artist now even locally but still..i think..our general public see it as a nuisance rather than art and who can blame them.. i suppose good street arts goes hand in hand with the bad ones.

Introducing Os Gêmeos (Portuguese for The Twins) graffiti artist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo (their real names) started vandalism painting graffiti in 1987 and hasn’t stopped since. They are the reason aerosol spray paint now cost 8 bucks a pop, kidding…it’s in fact 7.50 in some places. Their work regularly consist of yellow-skinned characters and they range from small itty-bitty ones to giant cover-the-whole-building ones.

With humble beginnings in Sao Paulo, the brothers gained influence from hip hop at a very young age, when hip hop was making its way through Brazil, the year was 1985. Through chance meetings with Barry McGee, a graffiti writer, the brothers expanded their art and built their empire in the world of graffiti.

The brothers created Tritrez, Tritrez (Three Lives, in Portuguese) is a fantasy world created by the twins as a way to feel closer to the things they love and to escape this changing world. There’s nothing to worry about in Tritrez, everything is in complete harmony. Its a place where the brothers can disappear into and draw energy and inspiration from.

Check out more of their work here or here

Sources and Images: Wikipedia, Lost Art, OsGemeos.com, Fecalface.com