XOOOOX Biografie
Berlin-based Street Artist XOOOOX was the first German Street Artist to rise to fame on the international art market. He is known for his guerrilla-style stenciled works in which he depicts life-size fashion models to contrast the glamour of the fashion industry with themes such as vulnerability and transience. Hauntingly beautiful, XOOOOX’s women explore the difference between traditional standards of beauty and a sense of ruin. He decorates exposed building facades, worm-eaten wood and rotting metal surfaces with images of models who he often appropriates from fashion photography. The intention of his work is not to overtly critique the fashion industry but rather to pay homage to haute couture while also commenting on the over-industrialization of fashion culture.
Born in 1979, XOOOOX started graffiti at age 15 and despite never receiving any formal training, taught himself the practices of Street Art by working under railway bridges around Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne. These are the only solid facts that we know about the Street Artist who keeps his identity a secret to prevent against charges of public vandalism after he was arrested in the 1990s.
XOOOOX chose his name for symmetry and often tags his stencil pieces with X’s and O’s and to convey a sense of closeness with the models. His Arte Povera style was heavily influenced by French graffiti artist Blek le Rat. XOOOOX’s work is on display on the streets of Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Milan, Vienna and New York, and exhibitions of his work have been held at Circle Culture gallery in Berlin and Aurifer AG gallery in Schaan / Liechtenstein.