Don Twa

Donation from the TWA group (True we are) is a graffiti artist from Les Minguettes, a suburb. Lyonnaise where the first riots will break out due to a police blunder in 1983. A repression will follow which will lead him to question the history of working-class neighborhoods around the world. Following reports on the New York ghettos, he discovered Hip Hop culture, which was the trigger for his interest in graffiti, at that time the media coverage of this culture was in full swing and heightened his curiosity. In 1988 he decided to try his hand at spraycan-art thanks to his meeting with Rob and Sen, founders of the TWA group, created in 1984. Associated with the group of taggers MCT and TMT, a combination that suffered from sulphurous reputation in the Lyon metropolitan area during the years 90-2000. Bathed in reading underground comics and original New York graffiti, his universe is the meeting of these two influences. In the 90s, his practice led him to collaborate with other graffiti-artists such as Seek, Abel and Soone des 313 (Toulouse) who would later found the Bullrot brand, Pone, musical designer of the Fonky Family or the Trueskool ( Toulouse). Participating during this period as an artist in festivals such as the Summer-Session in Germany or the Hip-hop University in Strasbourg. He will also hold the position of artistic director for the Rencontres Urbaines de la Villettes and Art sur la Place as part of the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale. At the same time, Don goes from walls to canvases, these first exhibitions consist in transcribing his vision of graffiti (lettering) on the canvas that he approaches like a wall. Don represents raw graffiti without having to dilute his paint to make it more accessible to neophytes. In 1993, struck by the death of a member of his group during a police blunder, he suspended all graffiti practice for 2 years. In 1995, he exhibited with artists from other universes such as photographer Gilles Rondot (cie KAFFIG) where he associated the art of photography with that of graffiti. In 1998, Don will be at the origin of the first collaboration between calligraphers and Graffiti artists "Kalli-Graphie", exhibits joint works with the major representative of Persian calligraphic art, Salah al Moussaoui (former director of the school of Fine Arts of Baghdad). In the 2000s, on the advice of Noétwo (RAW) he embarked on computer graphics and worked for companies which called on him for the creation of posters, logos etc ... In 2002 with Sen (TWA ) and Noétwo (RAW) he will paint the highest wall painted to date in Europe (52m) for the post office which will issue a limited edition stamp. Continuing his work on walls he will thus meet SWEN and KEA (93MC), ACRE (TBA) and ZENOY (3DT) with whom he will paint in various festivals such as Kosmopolite, Meeting of styles of Antwerp, Solidays, Urban dream2 in Charlerois or Urban peace at the Stade de France. Participating in TV shows such as DCO & CO, La nuit du superbowl on france2 or le grand journal on canal +. Don will also take part in the Getbusy show with his friend Sear, founder of the first Hip-hop fanzine of the same name on the website: allmade.com. He will also hold the position of marketing manager / France of the emblematic brands Phatfarm and Roccawear Artistic director of the European Diversidad festival and sponsor of the Loriginal festival in Lyon, he also devotes himself to a more personal work on canvas He also deepens his vision of this world by through photography.