Rammellzee (1960–2010) was a legendary yet enigmatic figure of New York’s late-1970s and 1980s hip-hop counterculture, whose scope and influence went far beyond the category of “graffiti.” He described himself as a theorist, painter, sculptor, letter-armorer, performer, and MC. The total work of art he developed over more than thirty years reveals a singular universe, nourished by the speed of the New York subway, aerospace technology, quantum mechanics, Italian futurism, and Japanese mecha culture.

Self-taught, Rammellzee began developing Gothic Futurism and other concepts at the age of 19, which he compiled in an initial treatise. There, he established a lineage between medieval scribes and graffiti writers. For him, illumination and graffiti share the same mission: to arm the letter in order to wage war against standardised language.

Hence his art became a warlike enterprise. His weapons: letters, which he outfitted with numerous appendages and accessories, like miniature spacecraft. His battlefield: public space, the cosmic realm, but also the walls of galleries and museums, as well as his base, which he called the Battlestation— at once studio, refuge, and armory.

At the Capc, the B SIDE is divided into two sections. The first situates Rammellzee’s work within the artistic and cultural production of 1980s New York, referencing figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, Kenny Scharf, Phase 2, and Martha Cooper. The second section places Rammellzee’s works in dialogue with a selection of archival videos.

On the occasion of the B SIDE, the Capc is collaborating once again with architect-designer Pascal Rodriguez. The graphic design studio Akakir (Walid Bouchouchi) has also been invited to work on a new version of the timeline, the keystone of the project.

Curators: Cédric Fauq and Hugo Vitrani

In collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo, Paris