Graffiti and street art on display at Artgang

One of SPone’s murals found behind the Artgang gallery. Photo by Marisela Amador.

What Goes Around Comes Around finishes on Nov. 1 so catch it while you still can

Artgang Montreal gallery on St. Hubert Street is currently displaying What Goes Around Comes Around, an exhibit for skilled graphic designer Greg Lamarche, also known as SPone.

One of SPone’s murals found behind the Artgang gallery. Photo by Marisela Amador.
One of SPone’s murals found behind the Artgang gallery. Photo by Marisela Amador.

SPone—an international artist originally from New York City—is commonly characterized as being “your favourite artist’s favourite artist,” according to Artgang. He is highly renowned in the world of graffiti art, and his latest exhibit delivers on all counts.

The layout of the exhibit and particular positioning of the pieces play a part in the narrative SPone portrays. SPone’s website states that the creativity and grittiness of New York City is a constant source of inspiration for him and this translates clearly into his collages. SPone uses found materials as well as his collection of vintage prints to produce most of his hand-cut paper collages. He uses different fonts, fragmented words and repetition in his work. His love for topography is evident in his pieces: the lines are thick and dramatic but always clean, and the shapes of the letters and words vary from geometric to more curvy ones. The size of the collages varied with dimensions ranging from 38.1 x 50.8 cm to 91.44 x 60.96 cm. The more standard graffiti pieces are asymmetrical and the use of shading is prominent while the colour palettes are simultaneously made up of bold, bright colours and soft pastels. There is a cheery feel behind his art—an obvious optimism. His work is more than just tags—some of his pieces are purely hand-completed graphic designs and can be described as presenting contrasting messages. What Goes Around Comes Around is urban, hip, stylish and stunning to say the least.

Marie Letourneau is the communications director of Artgang Montreal. She said the gallery’s mission is to bring together both international and local artists to showcase their work side by side. This is exactly what is achieved with SPone’s work, as it is paired in a two-person exhibit with Montreal photographer José Enrique Montes Hernandez’s Mémoires. Letourneau also said bringing artists together is a life project for the Artgang team and that many of the artists being curated are past collaborators. They ultimately want to make the St. Hubert Street location the next artistic hub in Montreal. Artgang also habitually commissions a curated artist to go into the studio and create murals for display. SPone’s mural sits in the back alley of the gallery.

His mural is the best stand-alone representation of his collection. It encompasses all the aspects that one expects from SPone’s work. Yet again, what you get from the artist is more than just a tag—it’s graffiti art that is worthy of gallery display. The font and colours are beautiful, bold and bright and they convey that same optimism felt throughout the whole exhibit.

It’s no wonder that this artist is so beloved and acclaimed. SPone’s exhibit is truly a must-see and worthy of appreciations by all art lovers.
What Goes Around Comes Around will run until Nov. 1 at 6524 St. Hubert St. Also catch Mémoires by José Enrique Montes Hernandez, which will also be displayed in the same space.

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