Born Robert Michael Provenzano (1970) in Westchester County, New York to a middle-class family, Ces began writing graffiti in the summer of 1983 at the young age of 13 when he was introduced to the art form by a friend. His first eye opening graffiti experience occurred that year during a visit to the graffiti hall of fame where he saw an iconic tribute mural to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by artists Dez, Vulcan, and Phade.
As most teenagers at the time, Ces’ passion for graffiti waned with the discovery of drugs and girls. By 1987 he would totally walk away to pursue his other interests. After a five-year break, he found his way back after the death of his father. Partnering with a Bronx writer named Clark, the duo went “all city,” taking New York by storm. At 23, graffiti ended up becoming an important outlet for his creativity again. By 1996, he was able to kick his drug habit which and align with stylistically inclined graffiti artists who pushed him to take graffiti seriously. Sketching, experimenting, and implementing new ideas became the new norm for the artist.
Ces is part of the wave of writers who in the 1990s focused on murals and painting the streets. These writers, including Poem, Serve, and T-Kid170, boosted Ces’ drive to paint, create, and learn. This led to the creation of his most notable works which were created alongside his FX Crew members such a Per, Poem, and Serve. This was a series of murals that were painted throughout the Bronx that transformed the Burrough into a must-see mural destination. Their murals mixed the world of fantasy with a new wave of graffiti lettering. Complex letter styles were painted at a small scale complementing massive photo realistic imagery. Ces’ illustration skills were on display for the entire city to appreciate.
His enthusiasm for art was not fully satisfied by graffiti when he was introduced to tattooing by a Bronx artist named Med. For the next 20 years, Ces established himself in the tattoo world by tattooing daily at Tuff City Style where he created thousands of tattoos for local and international clients.
Since 2010, Ces has turned his attention away from the tattoo world and has solely focused on his studio and graffiti practice. Working out of his studio in the Bronx, he creates new work daily when he isn’t traveling the globe and sharing his own personal style: a blend of old school wild style graffiti with modern techniques. His work is now exhibited around the world on walls and trains, at festivals, in top galleries and private collections, and now in his first book.
