Street art is best experienced, up close and personal – a medium enjoyed, by people from all different walks of life. It is an artform that can open possibilities, imagination, and introspection. Street art can inspire the bold, and serve as a bridge from the artistic soul to all those who take the time to appreciate its beauty and message.
This art form captivated Gregory Slinn, founder of the website Urbaneez, which was launched in September 2020. The site focuses on buying and selling urban contemporary art from artist who began honing their skills in the streets, subways, and any surface they could find to express themselves. Urbaneez was also designed to make the process of buying and selling art easier, which is supported by the partner company Art Meets You. This process, at times can be overwhelming, particularly for those who have never been in a gallery or do not have a place to purchase art where they live.
Visiting the website is visiting a virtual gallery, where one can become fully immersed with the artist of their choosing, which include, Sebaastien Theys, JonOne Etsi, and Crash, to name a few. Along with exploring their work, Urbaneez also provides the artist full bio. This gives the buyer the opportunity to not only understand the art, but also, the background. Access is also provided to the social media platforms each artist contributes to, which encourages visitors of the site to delve further into the artist’s work and support the in other ways.
Visiting the website is visiting a virtual gallery, where one can become fully immersed with the artist of their choosing, which include, Sebaastien Theys, JonOne Etsi, and Crash, to name a few.
Slinn stated that “having an original painting or artwork in your house or apartment is something that you cannot explain.” That unexplained joy is another aspect of what the site offers, and one of the main reasons Slinn, and his team worked hard to build Urbaneez.
Not only does Urbaneez feature original pieces, it also offers prints, sculptures, art-toys, and stickers. This eclectic array of products from the art world caters to a variety of people. By offering these options it provides collectors the chance to see and experience art they made not have even known about. Urbaneez was created to be easily navigated thru those art forms, and that experience is created to inspire and promote all the different types of art.
Slinn, who grew up in Marseille, France, began his art journey by finding inspiration from the street artist known as ‘Nasty.’ Nasty was a local artist who played a huge role in the underground Parisian art scene. He practiced what is called, “artistic vandalism” in subway and train stations. Nasty would use vibrant and distinct colors to open the eyes of commuters to his art.
Nasty would use vibrant and distinct colors to open the eyes of commuters to his art.
As a young artist himself, Slinn was pulled in by this art and became fascinated by the work. He began emulating Nasty’s work and his tags, explaining “when I was younger, and we did not have internet, we had magazines.” He continued: “we, would take the pages that had photos of murals and we would draw at the same time to try and do the same letter N because my tag was close to it. It helped me to take the same letter and try to do it the same.”
Through that practice and development Slinn began to find his own style, and ultimately, his own voice. However, Slinn never forgot his early inspirations and the first piece of urban contemporary art he bought was by Nasty. Offering the ability to follow an artist after being inspired by them, or simply seeing their work in the street and then purchasing a piece, is exactly what Urbaneez does.
As Slinn explained, “the desire to find beauty and the desire to make beauty part of yourself is key in both the watch industry and in the art world.” Slinn noted that both worlds were connected by a sense of value and a sense of collectability.
Eventually, Slinn traded in his spray cans for books and attended university at KEDGE Business school, earning a Master of Science in Entertainment and Media Management. After graduating, he started a career in media management working for watch companies. While developing and designing watch concepts, he began to see the overlap between luxury watches and art, and the desires that lead collectors both.
As Slinn explained, “the desire to find beauty and the desire to make beauty part of yourself is key in both the watch industry and in the art world.” Slinn noted that both worlds were connected by a sense of value and a sense of collectability. “One of my dreams in the future is to have as a line item, instead of a brand, the name of an artist, and instead of a product, the name of an artwork… Then I can push an artist and their artwork to more and more people.”
Slinn acknowledged the challenges ahead. But still, he is determined to face them with his knowledge of traditional media, his experience in the digital world, and with his website.
A key aspect of Urbaneez, is its design, built to be easily navigated by both smartphone or laptop. Slinn stated, “the best option, of course, would be to have an app, and fortunately, the website was built as an app.” Slinn explained that accessibility from any device was important in the creation of the website, noting that a lot of people these days make large purchases directly from their phones.
A key aspect of Urbaneez, is its design, built to be easily navigated by both smartphone or laptop.
Apart from the Urbaneez marketplace, Slinn formed the company Art Meets You, with the goal of getting more people to see art through mural festivals and other experiences. Art Meets You also provides advice to buyers of urban contemporary art while simultaneously facilitating the purchasing process between in the art marketplace.
Slinn is truly passionate about art and the effect it can have on people, commenting, “it is important to meet people who weren’t as interested in art before, because I think that we need more art in our life.” His enthusiasm extends to supporting and connecting artists. “There are so many artists to promote, so many bridges between United States, Europe, and Asia. I am here to make that bridge happen.” Slinn explained.
Slinn is truly passionate about art and the effect it can have on people, commenting, “it is important to meet people who weren’t as interested in art before, because I think that we need more art in our life.”
To support this goal of bridging the gap between countries, Slinn is already developing expansion plans. The company is currently based in Switzerland and is now focused on Europe and the United Kingdom. However, expansion is already expected into the United States by this time next year.
Lastly, to further advance accessibility to everyone, the Urbaneez team focused on making the art affordable. Of course, there are higher priced pieces, but the majority are aimed to be cost-conscious. Fortunately, through the team’s experience in the business and art world, they were able to make the best decisions to facilitate both.
Urbaneez is a site and company not only dedicated to art, but also to people. Whether it is the person visiting the web site, those attending mural festivals, or the artists themselves, Urbaneez aims to satisfy all, and to bring street art to all those who aspire to feel imagination, creativity, and artistry.
Urbaneez is a site and company not only dedicated to art, but also to people. Whether it is the person visiting the web site, those attending mural festivals, or the artists themselves, Urbaneez aims to satisfy all, and to bring street art to all those who aspire to feel imagination, creativity, and artistry.
Street art can be found in almost every major city across the planet. It is a growing form of expressionism that has the power to illuminate the minds of all those who appreciate it. Street art can be inviting and transcending. Visit Urbaneez, find street art, and open your eyes to the wonder it can bring. You never know the journey it can take you on.
