From Graffiti to Print: Cope 2 & El Pez
From Graffiti to Print: Cope 2 & El Pez
Artists El Pez and Cope 2 both began their art careers with their own unique and identifiable graffiti styles. This collection features prints from the artists that exemplify the growth of their personal designs through collaborations with companies like 1XRUN. These pieces include unique and novel disruptions to traditional art prints, whether it be through glitter, blotter paper, or even AR integration.
Pez, "fish" in Spanish, started painting in 1999 on the outskirts of Barcelona. At first he used to write his signature, and soon it evolved into a fish. Searching for a universal language to communicate with walkers, he found the smile. One day he decided to paint a fish character with a great smile near his tag. El Pez was born! He’d found the huge smile a way to pass on good vibrations to the walkers on the streets. In a few years his artwork spread throughout Barcelona, and soon he began to travel and to paint in European cities. So he began being recognized and rose quickly thanks to his perseverance in the street and the straight language of the smile. His works appear in the best-known street art books: Street Logos, Art of Rebellion, Street Art, Bcn New York, … in specialized magazines, internet websites and documentary films.
Born 1968 as Fernando Carlo, Jr. in New York City. Cope 2’s paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and internationally. He is a self taught artist who is a celebrated legend contributing over 30 years to the graffiti street art culture. One of New York City’s most prolific graffiti artists, he began tagging his name in the South Bronx in 1978. He developed his style in the subways and streets of the Bronx creating graffiti productions throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s achieving international recognition for his distinctive style.