Of Greek origin, Ioye, whose real name is Iorgos Pavlopoulos, was born in 1974 in the western suburbs of Paris. He discovered graffiti at the end of the 1980s, marked by the experience of the movement's pioneers. The tone is thus set, and his leitmotiv will be decisive for the rest of his work: the perpetual search for a harmonious, dynamic letter, with bright and striking colour schemes.
Closer to the world of skateboarding and punk than that of hip-hop, which was expanding rapidly among Parisian graffiti artists at the time, Ioye demonstrated this natural inclination in the almost metallic tone of his lettering, with its sharp and sharp cutting and its electric colours that delight the senses.
In 1998, after studying cabinet making and marquetry for 6 years at the Paris School of Applied Art ''Boulle'', he went to work in Athens for a year, taking advantage of this opportunity to leave his mark by covering the walls of the Greek capital. The imposing size of its rooms has an immediate visual impact on the urban space. His abundant production will also allow him to assert his style and influence, against all expectations, a generation of graffiti artists. Back in Paris, he founded WESIDE in 2001, a reference streetwear brand for European graffiti artists, which he managed for almost 10 years.
It is in 2009 that his work on canvas will take on a more significant place, so the company's premises will be transformed into a workshop. Drawing inspiration from his childhood memories, through images, music or perfumes often linked to the culture of his roots, his works are imbued with an emotional charge buried in nostalgia for his past. He now works as an props designer at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, and devotes the rest of his time to painting in his studio or on outside walls, where the opportunity presents itself.
