The artist Rero began his journey as a graffiti writer in his teens, and a quarter century later, he is still provoking audiences with text. Paris streets may have hosted his initial exploration of language and symbolism. Still, as a street art hero of the last decade and a half, it’s his canvasses that have garnered his texts attention at Centre Pompidou, CentQuatre, and Grand Palais in Paris, as well as the MAC/VAL in Vitry-sur-Seine, MAC in Bogota, and the Art Science Museum in Singapore, among others.

His latest exhibition, titled “Ophiuchus,” continues his exploration of language and symbolism, the art of cancellation and negation, with a thick black line that strikes through words and expressions, or, conversely, connects them, resembling Sanskrit calligraphy. At the moment, he is focusing on the symbolism of the snake through history; “The polysemous theme of the snake has inspired Rero for several years,” says the press release. “Initially intrigued by the ability of this cold-blooded animal to shed its skin, the artist is now questioning the symbolism of the snake according to each culture, using the Ophiuchus constellation as a prelude to his reflections.”

This is a conceptual act, of course, examining and eventually killing the snake. The contradictions in his selecting, the crossing out of words and phrases. Looking at the thematic act, you may wonder to whom or what is he referring as the serpentine today, or is this strictly a historical investigation, as we turn toward Ophiuchus for an explanation, as he holds the serpent in both hands.

RERO / Ophiuchus

From June 10 to July 15
Opening Saturday, June 10 from 2 to 8pm in the presence of the artist. Click HERE for more details about the works.

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29 rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth 75003 Paris

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