In 2003 Julio Rölle and Sebastian Bagge decided to start their own way in the art world as a duo called 44flavours. The range of their work is very wide: painting, ceramics, sculpture and installations, muralism and computer illustrations. A wooden mask, a metal wall – through the touch of their brushes, all objects and surfaces are transformed, taking on a lush tropical flavor. Curator Elke Giffeler describes the 44flavours’ art as “clean, direct and intuitive,” as “they use strong colors to create a mix of pop art painting with spatial cues, op-art, figurativeness and symbols.” How does the duo work? By the artists’ own admission, sometimes one of them puts on the first strokes, and the next layer is put on by his colleague. Their creative collaboration is always based on the principle: action is a response. The versatility and originality of 44flavours works have allowed these two artists to find fans all over the world: from Brazil to Japan, from India to Colombia, and, of course, on the entire European continent.
The 44flavours are Julio Rölle and Sebastian Bagge. They live in Berlin and have been steadily delivering mouthwatering flavors like a Brooklyn ice cream truck since 2003.
How would you define the 44flavours collective? The one thing you can say with certainty about them is that they always remain fickle. Their work can be seen in galleries as well as in commercial advertising campaigns. Their roots are firmly rooted in graffiti, but you can often hear them dismiss the current wave of street art as pure hype. They run a highly successful design firm, exhibit in museums, and even teach children how to make beautiful installations and through it enjoy what is called art. Other days you might see them on the street painting a mural.