by Yoel Abulaf
From the streets of France to the halls of Brookline, sophomore Joseph Pierre has used his passion for graffiti to help him rise above conflicts in his personal life. Before moving to the United States last year, Pierre lived in France, where he saw a lot of graffiti on the streets and became inspired to create his own street art.
According to Pierre, people in the United States do not seem to be as interested in street art as people in France. To him, this served as a challenge to keep up his artistic skill in a new and less welcoming setting.
“I came here and nobody does graffiti,” Pierre said. “That is why I stopped for a while and started again because I missed it.”
According to Pierre, graffiti is a creative form of street art that teaches patience and allows for new world views.
Pierre’s friend sophomore Erik Nakamura said that graffiti was a big part of Joseph’s life before he moved to Brookline.
“When he lived in France, that was all he did. So when he moved here, he kind of brought that over,” Nakamura said.
When Pierre first came to the United States, he was at a loss regarding how to continue his art. Eventually, he found the solution in sketching, he said. Pierre said that he now mostly sketches and even does graffiti in his notebook instead of in the streets, he said.
Pierre’s friend sophomore Itamar Zik said that Pierre’s work has changed him into a person who is more attuned to the world around him.
“It makes him look at the world differently,” Zik said. “Everything that he sees now, he sees it and makes it into something beautiful. I think that really helps him as a person.”
According to Zik, what makes Pierre different from other artists he has met is his ability to be patient and to take a lot of time to think about his projects.
Pierre began making street art in France, where he lived up until last year.
“I see him working on a project during A-block, and then at-G block he is still working on that project.,” Zik said. “I think that is a good thing because he is really careful with what he does and he takes a lot time to think about what he is doing.”
For Pierre, the most important part of his art is the joy it brings him. He said that he really likes being able to transfer an idea from his mind onto paper and make it look nice visually.
“I really enjoy discovering something new that I have never tried before and making something really nice out of it,” Pierre said. “I enjoy improving. When I figure out something in my mind, I am really happy about it.”
Yoel Abulaf can be contacted at [email protected]
