Never2501

Never2501 (Milan, 1981) is among the most important Italian artists in the international Urban Art scene. The artist has participated in numerous exhibitions and festivals all over the world, showing in prestigious institutions like the Center for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci in Prato, the Milan Triennale, and the MACRO in Rome. In 2013 he participated in Back 2 Back to Biennale, an official satellite event of the 55th Venice Biennale, and in 2009 he won the Street Art Award at the Metropolis Art Prize 2009 with the video Mask, projected in Times Square, NYC.

2501 began painting at the age of 14 in his hometown of Milan. After living in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he came in contact with the school of South American graffiti, the artist began experimenting with a range of techniques and materials, combining painting on canvas, mural painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, and documentary. The artist’s style is distinct from that of other artists for his sinuous and overwhelming wavy lines that invade the work surface, transforming it and giving it a feeling of movement and three-dimensionality. The work becomes hypnotic, capable of activating the imagination and the interpretation of the observer, conjuring images and possible visions. In order to create this effect, 2501 focuses on the simple chromatic pairing of black and white, at times embellished by the color gold.

Vertical Gallery held a one-night pop-up event with Never2501 on Friday, July 3, 2015. This wass Never2501’s second visit to Chicago. In July 2013 Vertical Gallery sponsored his visit to participate in the Chicago South Shore Wall Mural festival. He returned in 2015 as part of his national NOMADIC EXPERIMENT. He also painted his largest mural of the US trip in Chicago at S Wabash and E Van Buren.