© Jean-Michel Sordello
Brian Caddy made his name in the capital of the Riviera by making abstract graffiti art that experiments with lines and colours. Now you can see his work at Le 109 contemporary arts centre – a still life. Surprising? Not really, if you know anything about the background of the artist, who designed the original cover art for this issue. After attending La Thiole, the municipal visual arts college, he studied at the Beaux-Arts in Toulon before starting his career in Nice. “The deputy mayor for culture, Robert Roux, asked artists to decorate the tramway fencing, and that’s how I entered the circle of urban art,” says Caddy, who is in his thirties. He is now represented by Galerie Martin Sauvage, works to commission, and offers introductory classes on street art – stencil, collage and spray painting. “My parents listened to soul and R&B when I was a kid, so I was immersed in that state of mind. Graffiti and dance is all part of the hip-hop culture I’m into,” says this fan of the 70s and 80s. His work is at the intersection of old skool graffiti, characterised by black lines, and contemporary art. Since he loves working with spray paint he’s been pigeonholed as a street artist, a label he doesn’t recognise himself. “During Covid, I only had what was around me – a vase, a piece of fruit. So I wanted to explore this subject.” Today Caddy likes to go outside and set up a table with a tablecloth, maybe an apple. Painted from life, en plein air, Caddy’s work gets maximum exposure in the streets and public spaces.
By Tanja Stojanov
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice