Hopare: Biography of a major French Street Artist
The street artist Hopare, real name Alexandre Monteiro, is one of the rising figures of urban art in France. With his unique style mixing abstraction and figuration in a play of lines and colors, he brings poetry and movement to the streets. Discover the abundant world of this complete artist, painter, graffiti artist and visual artist.
Hopare - From Graffiti Artist to Visual Artist
Born in 1989 in the Paris region, Hopare grew up in Limours in the Essonne. As a teenager, he discovered graffiti around the age of 13-14 in an abandoned factory with his friends. This marked the beginning of his first wild tags around his city. But his meeting with his middle school art teacher, Marchal Mithouard aka Shaka, a renowned street artist, would be decisive. Shaka made him understand that he could do much more than simple vandal graffiti. He became his mentor and introduced him to urban art.
Following an arrest and a heavy fine for damage in 2004, the mayor of Limours offered him to create works for the city rather than illegally tag. Hopare then created the signage for the new theater and organized his first exhibition at only 20 years old. A huge success. The young graffiti artist was now taken seriously as an artist.
Alexandre Monteiro looking for His Own Style
In 2006, Hopare painted his first legal wall and joined the famous TSF crew, participating in numerous festivals and collective projects. He was still looking to define his style, inspired by his mentor Shaka. Work for an interior designer pushed him to structure his creations with more straight and geometric lines. His travels also nourished his creativity.
Hopare sculpts real portraits and scenes in the intertwining of his colorful lines. His characters, especially women, seem to spring from the surface. His ethereal and vaporous colors contrast with the urbanity of the walls. The artist wants to offer a poetic escape to the viewer.
The artist likes "freestyling", improvising directly on walls with spray paint, brushes and rollers. Spontaneity and random mixing of colors give rise to his elegant abstract curves that gradually sketch out shapes. Hopare seeks the perfect line, the sharpest line like a diamond.
Portrait of A Complete Artist
At only 29 years old, Hopare masters a wide variety of pictorial techniques. He easily moves from mural painting to canvas, via furniture design, sculpture, ink or collage. His creations adorn both the walls of international cities and the walls of galleries.
His many travels, camera around his neck, open his mind to new cultures. Each work is inspired by an encounter or place visited. Hopare captures the moment to make it eternal through his art.
His unique style was built outside of academic codes, in perpetual learning. He draws inspiration from street art, classic painters like Bacon or Delacroix, modern art, and even his experiences in interior design.
An enaged figure of Street Art
Although self-taught, Hopare is today a key figure in urban art in France. His dynamic and colorful style brings poetry and movement to the street. His portraits touch with their humanity.
The art he defends is one of evolution and travel. Open to world cultures, he creates bridges between eras and peoples. Hopare wants to transport the viewer out of the everyday, offering them a dreamlike interlude.
"Hopare - La Femme aux yeux fermés - 2023"
Conclusion
At only 29 years old, Hopare has established himself as one of the key figures in French street art. As an autodidact, his unique style mixes geometric abstraction and figuration in a play of lines and colors. His portraits and scenes seem to spring from the surface, as if animated with a life of their own.
A complete artist, he easily moves from mural painting to canvas, via design, sculpture or collage. Inspired by the world he roams with a camera around his neck, Hopare wants to offer a poetic interlude to the viewer.
With his dynamic and colorful touch, this committed artist brings movement and poetry to our streets. A beautiful energy to be discovered urgently!
FAQ
Who is Hopare?
Hopare is the pseudonym of French street artist Alexandre Monteiro, born in 1989. He is known for his unique style mixing abstraction and figuration in a play of lines and colors.
What was his journey?
First a teenage graffiti artist tagging the walls of his city, he was then taken under the wing of street artist Shaka who passed on the passion for urban art. After his first exhibitions, he established himself as an artist.
What are his main techniques?
Hopare masters a wide range of pictorial techniques: mural painting, canvas, ink, sculpture, collage... He particularly likes freestyling, improvising directly on walls.
How to describe his artistic style?
His style combines geometric abstraction and figuration, in an intertwining of lines and colors. His characters seem to spring from the surface. He sculpts real scenes and portraits in his creations.
What are his inspirations?
His inspirations are diverse: world cultures, street art, classic painters, modern art... His travels nourish his creativity. Each work is inspired by a place or encounter.
What message does he want to convey?
Hopare wants to offer a poetic and dreamlike interlude for the viewer, transport them out of the everyday. His art is meant to be evolutionary and humanistic, building bridges between cultures.
