Mr. A and a Night at Le Baron – Studying André

1 June 2019 · 23:30 · VenRod

Paris – 1 June 2019, 23:30. Le Baron. Loud music, small tables, DeeNice writing in the dark with her phone as a lamp.

Mr. A everywhere

This trip was about André – André Saraiva, born in 1971 in Uppsala to Portuguese parents, who came to Paris as a child and started painting graffiti at thirteen. Since 1986 his Mr. A, the cheerful stick figure with the top hat, has smiled from walls, shutters and rooftops – by his own count around 300,000 times, on six continents.

We spent the afternoon at an exhibition with his work: canvases, drawings and Mr. A in every size. Tonight we came to Le Baron, the club he founded, because it felt right to think about him where his other world lives – music, people, nights that go on too long.

How it went

Better than planned, worse for sleep. DeeNice loved how André turns one simple figure into a whole universe – clubs, hotels, films and fashion. Kinky will love that too: one character, endless stories. Questions for later: When did Mr. A become more than a tag? How do you keep a simple figure fresh after thousands of times? What is the difference between painting a wall and running a club?

One figure, painted again and again, until the city smiles back. – VenRod

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