Our friend Jacopo Ceccarelli aka 2501 recently released a series of new monotypes for the 2018 edition of MyFinBec. The series, titled Black Manjushri, features 18 unique monotypes and 4 paintings on canvas, which were used as images for the labels of selected wines coming from Swiss' winery FinBec.
While growing up as a graffiti writer in Milano, Italy, 2501 started painting murals during his stay in São Paulo, Brazil. Strongly influenced by art from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, the images were usually monochrome, line based and somewhat trippy. But the figurative side of it quickly felt restricted, and this is when he entered the realm of abstraction. In this direction, he started developing his visual language as well as the tools to produce his work, such as "La Macchina N°10," introduced at the 2017 Juxtapoz Clubhouse.
The minimalist style that Ceccarelli now employs is based on the very foundation of a painting; the dot and the line. Through abstract shapes and repeating lines, he has developed an almost meditative ambiance around his works, matching his Buddhist beliefs and lifestyle. The title of the series is also borrowed from a Buddhist meditation in which the color black evokes an energy to overcome obstacles of the spirit and to heal. The full series can be seen on the MyFinBec website, and the work process can be seen here.