Nothing but Letters

(2009)

Nothing but Letters, or the representation of Western alphabetic signs. Those of writers or spraycan graffiti artists. This book studies letters in their graphic forms, dissecting the art of drawing or painting one's name in the street, on a train, on paper, or on a computer. The heart of the book is devoted to "typograffiti," a kind of letter repertoire. More than 800 letters are proposed, the entire alphabet is revisited.

This book is a study of letters in their graphic forms, with the sole aim of providing and dissecting the entire art of "drawing or painting one's name" in the street, on a train, on paper, on a computer, and wherever you wish. This alternative art, born in the 1970s, has developed in a multitude of directions. We have therefore composed several letter proposals with all our expertise, to establish a vision that is ours and that will remain one among many others.

Fred "lek" Malek and Lotfi "yko" Hammadi are the two protagonists of this book. They both grew up in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, with the legendary "Stalingrad" wasteland as an urban museum. They are part of the RAW collective. Lek, an avant-garde artist recognized by his peers, graduated from an architecture school from which he retained graphic reflexes that he transposes into his paintings. Yko followed a sporting path in the BMX scene from which he emerged as a professional graphic designer and videographer. He masters letters in their graphic and pictorial forms.

Authors: Fred Malek, Lotfi Hammadi
Publisher: Wasted Talent
Languages: French, English
Format: Hardcover
Size: 21 x 28 cm
Pages: 240
Retail price: €35