James Micallef Grimaud a.k.a TWITCH
(MALTA, 1979-)
Considered to be the pioneer of street art on the Maltese islands. He is responsible for the first graffiti and large scale murals on the island. His work originates from an intimate relationship with the community.
He defines himself as an artist/anarchist. In his work he seeks to show the fragility, transformation, gentrification and progressive dematerialisation of the cultural, strongly pronounced within the vibrant Mediterranean culture in which the resident artist works.
He has held several solo exhibitions and participated in collective shows both locally and internationally whilst also collaborating with various artists in exhibitions and street art projects all over the globe.
'I started doing graffiti in the mid nineties in the streets of Malta mostly out of boredom and since i had no money to buy canvases, i'd use walls etc to express myself. There was no one doing anything or who had done anything back then so i got the title of pioneer of street art in Malta.