Narcissus

Hogre is the pseudonym of an Italian street artist, whose identity remains unknown, known for his unauthorised interventions in public space.

He grew up in Rome, lived in London for a few years and currently resides in Berlin, continuing to work in anonymity.

Origins and education

A self-taught artist, Hogre began his career in 2006, during the Italian election campaign, covering Silvio Berlusconi's election billboards with red noses and goliardic comments in Rome's Tufello district.

Since 2007, he has signed his interventions with the moniker Hogre, inspired by a humanoid monster from an early 2000s video game, to which he later added a fly, the artist's unmistakable logo. 

Subvertising and artistic style

Hogre's works are characterised by ‘subvertising’ - a term derived from the combination of the English words ‘subvert’ and ‘advertising’ - which indicates the practice of creatively vandalising advertising space. 

With his works, Hogre wants to create disturbance, criticise the use of commercial images and open up the debate about the massive use of advertising and the management of public space.

His creations are known for their subversive humour, which aims to unmask the mechanisms of advertising, consumerism and society in general. 

Techniques and interventions

To pursue his goal, the artist uses different techniques: from traditional street art on walls to the famous performance in which the artist and fake news inventor Ermes Maiolica exchanged roles at the presentation of his book ‘Subvertising, The piracy of outdoor advertising’ in Rome in 2018.

Hogre now prefers to intervene directly on billboards through parodies and linguistic subversions (for example, turning ‘Ryanair’ into ‘Ruinair’) to unmask the mechanisms of advertising, consumerism and society in general. 

Exhibitions and projects

In 2011, Hogre opened his first solo exhibition in Rome and has since exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in several Italian and European cities. 

Relevant is the project ‘Steal This Poster’, presented at MACRO - Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma in December 2019 together with the British subvertising collective Special Patrol Group, which opens up a reflection on copyright.

The project involves a platform that allows the sharing of subversive graphics, which are royalty-free and as such can be downloaded for free at stealthisposter.org.

With ‘Steal This Poster’ he has realised online campaigns for various collectives, including Lucha y Siesta in favour of the women of the Rebibbia prison. 

Hogre continues to be a leading figure in the international street art scene, using art as a tool for social criticism and promoting reflection on the role of advertising and consumerism in contemporary society.

Hogre: Works for sale with prices and value from Wunderkammern

If you are interested in the artist, you can find Hogre's works for sale online at our website.

If you would like to know about Hogre's prices, value or which works will be exhibited, please do not hesitate to contact us by sending an e-mail to shop@wunderkammern.net.