As one might expect of a boy from Brazil, Raphael Sagarra dreamed of becoming a soccer player. But another interest soon took over – graffiti. Sagarra was 16 years old when he observed some youngsters in his São Paulo neighborhood scaling buildings to leave their mark in paint. He was intrigued not just by their audacity, but also by the rhythm of their graffiti – the repetition of characters and strokes. From that moment on, Sagarra was hooked. He gave himself an alias – Finok – and developed his own style of graffiti: big-eyed, cartoon-like characters spray painted in various shades of green. Color is also key when Finok works with his crew, VLOK. Also involved are Brazilian artists, Os Gêmeos, twins who are famously known for their bright yellow characters.

26-year-old Finok is now a renowned graffiti artist in both South America and the U.S. He exhibits at galleries, produces large-scale murals on commission, and collaborates with big brands such as Ray-Ban and Havaiana, maker of Brazil’s iconic flip flops.

Read the complete interview:

> English version
> German version

The video of the exhibition with Brazilian artist Finok, who presents his artworks in a solo show in Europe for the first time.
The exhibition is still running until September 9th, 2012.

On Friday, August 3rd, there will be the opening of the exhibition with Brazilian artist Finok. He is a painter from São Paulo and a member of VLOK, a crew of local artists established by Os Gêmeos.
Finok’s works show an intersection between his indicative graffiti style and more abstract concepts, which play with geometric shapes, colors and patterns. Characters with large eyes and green skin became one of his trade marks. He created numerous murals in South and North America, Europe and Asia and showed work at the Museu Brasileiro Da Escultura, The Pavilhão de Bienal Do Ibirapuera and various galleries.

> Opening event