John Perello, a young New Yorker who grew up on 156th street between Harlem and Washington Heights. After seeing the very first tags emerge on the city’s screeching subway cars, he decided to join the movement under the name Jon156. In 1984, alongside fellow taggers Rac7 and Kyle, he founded the street artist collective 156 All Starz, which grew to become an international community. While visiting New York in 1987, French graffiti artist Bando noticed his work and invited him to Paris. It was a watershed moment ; he has lived there ever since.

Followed by a series of residencies in some of the decade’s most notorious squats and art communes, allowed John Perello, rebaptised as JonOne, to further experiment not only with his use of techniques but also his choice of media. To immortalise his work without losing any of its vitality and raw energy, JonOne explores the principles of action painting and abstract expressionism.

Working to help break down the barriers between galleries, museums and street art, JonOne decompartmentalises art and anchors it in everyday life by collaborating with major brands. In 2020, the Daum crystal studio asked him to design several exclusive pieces of crystalware; in 2021, he repainted some pieces by the Faïencerie de Gien, weaving a new link between art and craftsmanship.