Dare to Be Different: Sigi Von Koeding 1968-2010

As the graffiti movement reached Europe from the USA in the mid 1980’s, Sigi DARE von Koeding, who was born in Basel (Switzerland), was one of the protagonists playing a major role.

As one of the first writers,the network of friends he created stretched over half a continent.He further developed the painting of simple pseudonyms (or tags) and in this way established his own distinctive 3D-style that he later more and more often realised and perfected on canvas using a brush.

In this way he built a bridge from the back-alley atmosphere typical of the scene to the art world of avant-garde galleries. Graffiti was now not just a special form of claiming territory by adolescents but, under the aegis of von Koeding, it became an urban spectacle with large-scale mural creations, often in combination with well-organised competitions or cultural festivals.

On a much smaller scale DARE managed by the repeated transfer of his four letters onto canvas, just using layout, form and coloration,to give the observer an insight into his personality. In this way, until his death in 2010, he reached completely new audiences.

At the same time, he achieved a change of perspective for people interested in culture, who would have automatically associated graffiti only with vandalism. Even today DARE enjoys the highest respect of his colleagues, as a pioneer of the sprayer generation, and in his hometown of Basel graffitis can be found that after 25(!) years have not been painted over.

The book Dare To Be Different will be published in spring 2016 and documents in Europe for the first time graffiti and numerous sketches as well as a large part of Koedings multifaceted lifes work that he has left to us on canvas.

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DARE to be Different chronicles the life and work of pioneering graffiti artist Sigi "DARE" von Koeding, presenting photographs of street pieces, sketches, and more that fully explore Koeding's legacy.

As the graffiti movement spread into Europe from the US in the mid-1980s, DARE rapidly became one of its major protagonists. Born and originally based in Basel, Switzerland, DARE created a network of friends that first stretched half a continent and later came to encompass the globe, his art continuing to find new audiences until the time of his death in 2010. DARE's original simple four-letter tag evolved into a 3D style that he perfected on canvas as well as on the street; this versatility eventually created a bridge from the back-alley atmosphere of traditional graffiti to the world of avant-garde art galleries, and eventually his contribution to the scene helped it to become an urban spectacle, an art form focused on large-scale mural creations, well-organized competitions, and cultural festivals.

His careful eye for form, layout, and coloration gave audiences insight into his personality and often inspired viewers to change their perspective on street art, pushing their perception of the style from simply a form of vandalism to a legitimate art movement. The respect his colleagues had for DARE is still obvious today, especially in Basel, where pieces of his created 25 years ago can still be found untouched by other graffiti artists.