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POSTPONED -  8mail  -  solo show

Curated by Davide Rossillo and Alessandra Arpino

First Italian solo exhibition by 8mail named “Postponed” is the artist’s overview about last year facts and effects, particularly focused on a topic very tied to the artist: protests. 2020 Pandemic, apart from a worldwide sanitary collapse, has also led to an economic and social crisis.

In the Western countries, protest reasons have been related to the weakening of many labor sectors and to the limitations concerning social behaviours. The show itself, scheduled in May 2020, has been postponed many times due to the contingent restrictions.

The exhibition showcases cardboards portraits of policemen during Covid19 time as suggested by the presence of an additional surgical mask over their uniform. Specifically in Gaeta, portraits are dedicated to italian policemen among the others, all in chalk and charcoal technique.

Among canvases and cardboards, an installation projects a protester on a wall: a torch coming from inside a police helmet shines upon a hand-carved visor creating the image. The art piece named “Confront” aims to be provocative and exhortative at the same time.

Apart from policemen portraits, the artist depicts on wood some policemen squad in riot uniform, where diagonals belonging to the blackjacks and shields squared shapes contribute to make the scene full of tension, emphasized by the use of black and white colours. The four woods in the show have one further element in common: the lack of an antagonistic part, an emptiness all around the characters to isolate the action in the moment of their reaction.

This is not something new for 8mail, interested in “uncivilized behaviours in a civilized world”.

In fact, “Las Tesis” series, dedicated to the last riots for women rights is also shown in the exhibition, too.

Born in 1999, into the graffiti scene since when he was thirteen y.o., 8mail keeps on taking care of protests, urban riots and socio-political crisis. His world is made of antiheroes, where each character provoques fear and compassion at the same time, as if he was a part of an allegorical scene of trench warfare set in the Third Millennium. In 8mail’s work, protest reasons are not relevant; his characters are representative of each and every human being's brutality and cruelty. Violence actions, bleeding bodies, aggressive gestures are chosen by the artist who decontextualizes them and leaves them with no colour to make them icons of a civilized world where inequalities, discontent and unhappiness still happen.

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8Mail is a rising star in the Street Art world.
Born in England in 1999, he started painting at the age of 13.
With his young and yet deep vision on modern society he’s able to immortalize the problems of the contemporary world, making every work of art a statement against injustice.

His favourite subjects are riots, protests, fights scenes and migratory movements, which he captures with quick lines in charcoal and chalk. His original technique gives his figures emphasis and it points out the urgency and the power of the matter he treats.

He has taken part in various street art festivals, and he has exhibited in shows in London, where he currently works and lives. 8Mail has studied art at both Central St Martin’s, University of the Arts London and Goldsmiths, University of London.
8Mail has painted at the last seven Upfests, Europe’s largest Street Art and Graffiti festival, and was Upfest Gallery’s artist of the month for May 2019.

With Memorie Urbane and Street Art Place 8Mail had his first solo show in Italy in 2021.

8Mail remains an active participant in London’s graffiti scene, with his tag and paintings appearing across South London.

video of the artist at work

video of the artist at work