ZES

Los Angeles native ZES (also known as ZESER or ZES MSK) began his graffiti career in the 1990s, a period ravaged by gang violence and the U.S. government's heightened “War on Drugs" campaign.

Forced to rely on his instinct and survival skills to navigate life in the rough streets, ZES was instilled with a sense of independence from a very early age– he was not afraid to use the city as his personal jungle gym, and after starting graffiti at the age of twelve, continuously challenged himself to leave increasingly complex markings on the most impossible-to-reach ledges and walls.

By the age of fifteen, he had become a member of the legendary graffiti crew MSK (Mad Society Kings), where he became well known for creating intensely ambitious works even in the most extreme locations, often scaling tall buildings and billboards to leave his mark. In the two decades that have passed since then, ZES's experimental, aggressive approach has had a revolutionary impact on graffiti and taken him to a legendary status within the scene worldwide.

After making a name for himself as a graffitist, ZES ventured indoors with his first gallery exhibition in 2012, carrying his street practice from wall to canvas. Years of creating art in dangerous situations has shaped ZES's creative process, lending his works a striking quality of urgency and raw emotion, amplified by his use of the spray cans, rollers, brushes, and tools that have traveled across L.A. with him.