Gris has been painting and drawing since early childhood. Like pretty much every young child, he made his first marks on paper and similar surfaces.
But whilst other children moved on – learning to walk, going to school, doing apprenticeships, flying aeroplanes – he simply carried on painting and drawing. Two influences shape his work: classical watercolour painting, which he was introduced to by a local art teacher, and graffiti, which came into his life in the late 1980s.
After studying art at the University of Potsdam, he now works mainly as a freelancer on his pieces on paper, canvas and, time and again, on large-scale formats such as the 180-square-metre wall of a house at Motzstr. 49 in Berlin-Schöneberg. His skilful line work navigates the vast array of motifs and techniques, effectively serving as a diary of his life’s journey.