“Murals, or cave or rock art, are as old as mankind itself,” begins Jérôme Thomas, in the introduction to his new book Sky’s The Limit. The sumptuously printed, handover compilation accompanies its author’s recent film documenting the tremendous undertakings of street artists in their quest to create large-scale murals. Thomas is a well-equipped authority on the subject. The preface to his book explains that he has “been involved with graffiti for a good twenty years, going from being a writer, to a spectator, and finally a commentator of this ever-evolving movement.”
In January 2019, I Love Graffiti wrote that the film, which won Best Documentary at 2017’s Red Carpet Cinefest, “narrates the history of international muralism as a growing worldwide phenomenon as today’s neo-muralist movement.” In his film, Thomas interviewed artists from around the world about their passions, motives, and experiences, documenting their immense undertakings in real time. He says, “the style of the documentary is raw and direct; I am shooting outdoors and without a safety net, without sets, far away from classic TV productions, where everything is written, calculated, and predictable.” Officially published in late 2018, the book compiles Thomas’s own thoughts alongside photographs and artist interviews, resulting in one beautifully packaged relic for true street art supporters to savor.
Sky’s The Limit begins with a preface outlining Thomas’s background and the project’s origins. Here, he communicates his deep love for the art form, explaining “it still is enjoyable to have this obsession and this passion, built up from adrenaline rushes and alternative lifestyles.” The project came to life upon receiving a call from French artist KATRE, inviting him “to discover his graffiti-collage shenanigans.” From there, Thomas says, “I began this adventure on the rooftops of Paris, at the mercy of the elements and with the unpredictability of the project itself.” Sky’s The Limit, in both film and print forms, gives voice to the historic importance of street art “as a completely unique branch of the art world” that “remains largely underrated and underrepresented, often suffering from scorn from the cultural elites.”
Sky’s The Limit’s greatest success comes from its ability to communicate the immense effort and risk involved with creating massive works in the Neo-Muralist movement. In its introduction, Thomas outlines the actual inputs required to create a mural, writing that “the sheer size of those creations requires fast and accurate new methods to reproduce the sketch on such a scale.” Though street art and murals have become tacit symbols of neighborhood rejuvenation, signaling that an area is becoming safer to its inhabitants, this is juxtaposed against the inherent danger in creating them. He powerfully states that “neo-muralism is a display of individual strength.” Such works are often created under the purview of regulations because they predominantly require permission from large entities like developers and local government. He explains, “given the technical constraints, alternative or illegal productions are fairly rare compared to official and organized artwork.” However, Thomas notes that “in practice, those safety precautions are rarely being followed.” As a result, and through the enthrallment of it all, “the neo-muralists paint, eat, listen to music, and sleep on [their] makeshift workshops with zero gravity.”
Thomas follows the introduction with a section profiling the artists he worked with on his documentary. Each of the 24 artists included feature their country and city of origin, years active, and other useful bits of information. These profiles also include several pages of high-resolution, stunning photography. Of these artists, eleven also include several paragraphs of more in-depth information.
Next, he includes a “log book” summarizing his interviews with seventeen artists, most of whom are featured in the book’s previous section. Here, the paper’s finish shifts from glossy to matte. The tangible softness of this detail fosters a sense of intimacy between the reader and the text.
He continues on to summarize the techniques he utilized in creating his documentary, including montage, sound design, and music. This is followed by a brief outline of the film’s bumpy premier. Though Sky’s The Limit was printed in French, the contents of this matte section are printed in full after the premier’s summary for English readers. Thomas concludes his book with a small section titled “Bonus” filled with behind the scenes photos from the documentary’s creation.
In the end, Sky’s The Limit embodies Thomas’s passion for street art, paying tribute to the risk this form poses to artists as a sort of reverence for their contribution. He emphatically explains, “out of reach, timeless, and free of the constraints of mainstream cultural movements, neo-muralism is beneficial to all: locals, fans, curators, artists.” His involvement in the community is evident through his informed interviews with the artists, and his ability to select some of the most predominant voices active in the field today. This, paired with his own opinions on the state of the movement today, make Sky’s The Limit a street art book unlike any other available on the market. It is a collector’s item for those who understand that “this spectacular and tantalizing movement never stops shaking walls and retinas alike.” As Thomas says, “let’s love and protect walls and artists in order to valorize the talent.”
Sky’s The Limit: website | facebook | instagram
The documentary is available for rent or buy on iTunes
