by Hana Yoosuf
RERO is a conceptual artist who places easily recognisable digital error messages and legal statements out of context in the ‘real’ world. His work challenges the notion of private property – both physical and intellectual. The artist plays with the acronym, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get).
RERO exclusively uses the Verdana font, as it is one of the most commonly used fonts on the Internet. This helps the artist to take these statements off our screens and on to our streets without losing the contrast of the two worlds. He places the text on a simple white background with an intentional strike-through to symobilse deletion and refers to his minimal style as Image Negation. “I started to reverse the rules of classical illustration and graffiti, and as a result, it’s my letter-forms that become the image,” explains RERO. “Context is essential to truly grasp the essence of my work.”
His work in abandoned places complements his posters found on inner-city streets. “This artwork is more intended for urban explorers who take the initiative to visit certain places, contrary to the passers-by on streets who are forced to read my posters on their way to work.” While he still uses the same typography as in the street posters, the text is integrated into the architecture of the abandoned places. You can see a selection of RERO’s work from urban spaces in Paris, London and Berlin here.
This video features more of the artist’s work and an interview (in French):
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/25038504[/vimeo]
