Siamonoism artwork at La Virgule, Morlaix, FR.
The term « siamonoism » comes from the italian phrase « … siamo noi » ( =we are … ) which is used by ultras of many italian football clubs in order highlight their identity like in the famous « Milano siamo noi » chant.
« Siamonoism » designates artwork or artists who’ve emerged from ultras groups or who are inspired by the subculture.Mainstream media and other ignorant sources have often depicted the ultras scene as hooliganism, when in reality « ultra » and « hooligan » are two very different cultures. The ultras scene is a worldwide phenomenon born in Italy in the late 60s and that revolutionised football support by structuring and organising groups of fans. This extremely creative scene starting using multiple ways of bringing visual and audio support to their clubs, as well as to communicate with their own members.
Sewing flags, painting banners, taking pictures, writing fanzines or writing songs, and designing scarves, are among the many creative activities inherent to the ultras scene.
I have never received any type of formal artistic education, instead I learned my trade at my local football stadium in Caen as a teenager, by working on huge banners and displays which covered whole sections of the stadium on matchdays.
The use of capital letters, bold colours, high contrasts and the search for brutal visual impacts have stayed with me ever since.@le_grand_palais in partnership with @la_villette have invited me to a festival in Britanny where I’ve put together some artwork using sheets of plastic and tape just like I’ve done for years in my local stadium.
Here, the different patterns represent different elements of the local landscape.
Thank you to Pascale, Maëva and Clemence for organising this, and thank you to the people who joined in!
Seb Toussaint 