Fat

In the Parisian subway, It is not unusual to cross a Looney Tunes in the corner of a hallway. Dimitri Barilko, or FAT his artistic name, does of a routinary journey, a treasure hunt where we follow characters from cartoons and not the stations anymore.

Born in 1991 in Paris, this young artist obtained a diploma in photography at first before continuing his studies at the Brassai High school, a vocational high school of photography and image. He engaged very quickly in projects in the workshops and exhibitions and gained experience this way.

He started painting in the 2000s, he painted in the streets besides the artists like Fast. At the beginning of his career he did mostly lettering, but he mastered already photography and painting. In FAT's pieces, his aerosol paintings combines acrylics and posca.

The characters from his childhood accompany him in the undergrounds of the railway. Tom & Jerry can be found at the Villiers station, while Porky Pig in Vincennes. His characters are all cartoons that belong to the generation of the artist, who was born in the 90s.

Although he mainly practices his art on the street or the subway, Fat puts a lot of attention to detail. The figures that he depicts are posed in a worked background, alternating between sag and lettering, which he has not forgotten. The colors are intensified, highlighting the protagonist, and depriving them of all context.

The street-artist depicts as well the actions of the heroes from the cartoons. Panels of signage, stations or subway maps, are acompanied by aerosol bombs reflecting their author. Popeye trades his can of spinachs and Snow White her poisoned apple for a spray of paint. An exchange with several meanings since the artist uses symbols belonging to his childhood memories and replace them with an artistic tool, his expression tool.