Press release for the exhibtion – Written by Mooch – Mike smith

Mooch N4’s opening exhibition will host the work of Faunagraphic and Rocket01 in their debut show in Manchester.Faunagraphic’s beautiful and delicate paintings in spray-paint and acrylic, feature birds, animals, nature, female characters and an element of fantasy.

Faunagraphic has been working as an artist for the last five years and in such a short space of time, the young Yorkshire girl’s work has graced the walls of abandoned apartments and disused factories and also stamped her mark on snowboards, canvas, clothing and exhibitions. Fauna will be working alongside Rocket01. A self-taught artist, Rocket01 has travelled the world leaving a trail of images behind him. Living on the rural edge of Sheffield, Rocket01 used the countryside as his playground, painting graffiti art on track-sides
and abandoned buildings in and around the Sheffield area.

‘Natural Selection’ is the name given to the new seriesof canvas work and prints by Faunagraphic and Rocket01 to be shown exclusively at Mooch N4. For more than 4 years now they have worked together, painting places of decay and neglect. With Fauna, hailing from the rural beauty of native Yorkshire, her inspiration comes from nature and neglected factories, which she chooses as a blank canvas for her ideas to grow into something beautiful.

Similarly Rocket01’s childhood in rural Sheffield and the slow decline of both cities industrial status has left him with a post industrial playground. This joint new found inspiration has made them appreciate their home surroundings and became the driving force behind their work helping form the organic style for which they are now known. Fauna and Rocket01 have become famous for painting in these secret abandoned locations. Painting for pleasure and for those who seek to find. With abandoned buildings comes a variety of surfaces to paint on and mark their own

Fauna and Rocket01 found themselves amazed at how quickly nature would reclaim these places, and their work soon became about the appreciation of this. With Fauna’s
beautiful nature work and Rocket01’s photorealistic animals they see themselves painting beautiful images of nature back onto the buildings and surfaces that originally
destroyed it. “We found ourselves painting amongst the trees and the undergrowth, putting our work where the public rarely ventured, we were painting for ourselves and for the joy of it”

Through ‘Natural selection’ Mooch N4 invites you to come and see the hidden work oftwo of the North’s most talented graffiti artists. ‘Natural Selection’ proves that graffiti
doesn’t have to be brash and abrasive, the work of Fauna and Rocket01 is delicate and skilled, the subject is always meaningful and there is an underlying message about
society and the environment heavily intertwined in the work. Working on canvas and pieces of wood salvaged from their painting missions ‘Natural
Selection’ aims to shed light on the duo’s secret operations and the hidden talent of the North West.

Throughout the exhibition Mooch N4 will be collecting money and raising awareness for Christies Young Oncology Unit in Manchester. Faunagraphic is a past patient of Christies, and to honour the good work done by the staff there, Mooch in conjunction with one69a, have especially commissioned some designs which will be screen printed live by the one69a collective at the launch night. Guests are invited to customise their prints by choosing the garment, colour and ink colour for the exclusive designs; all proceeds from this will go to Christies. Mooch N4 will also be providing the materials for Faunagraphic to create a mural in the Young Oncology Unit for the patients to enjoy.