From New York to Vietnam, the 65ers have exported Tarbes and Bigorre to walls around the world

It is a signature that you have inevitably come across on the street, on a barn, on a wall in Tarbes or on top of the Pic du Midi! But the history of the 65ers has taken them far beyond the department where they were born and whose roots have spread across the planet. “We created it with a friend from Montpellier who often came to Tarbes and other guys who already do graffiti, recalls Yellow, one of the founders now in his forties, with Heaks 65, Cras, Kone, Finda and shad. He started with a graffiti workshop in Laubadère in the mid 90’s. He made it easier to meet people. There had been attempts at a collective, but we had preferred to stay in our corner. But we wanted to get together around this hip-hop culture with old people like Snake or Maze, rappers, DJs, dancers. This energy warmed the heart. We created a first association, especially riding hip-hop events around Dans6T, which was already a solid structure. “

Very quickly, the 65ers team (pronounced in French, with the accent!), Imposes the paw and the signature emerges. “We all had the same foundation, the same references and a consistent style with a festive spirit as well, remembers Yellow. In the beginning it was 100% Bigourdan, Tarbes was our identity. We had the New York style, with the Gascon accent! Today in Paris and elsewhere, 65ers speak. People know where we come from and this connects us all. Because the bigourdane signature has marked the world from Vietnam to the Czech Republic, from the walls of New York for the election of Obama alongside the hip-hop stars, to historic Berlin, passing through Morocco, Holland … “There are traces of us everywhere. But each time with the same technical and aesthetic concern. “We wanted it to be clean, square, with the desire to break through the house, smiles Giallo who recently drew the south curve of the Vélodrome in Marseille. Sometimes we were among the cows, in the open field, and another day in Brooklyn or Harlem. Today the group still exists. We are about fifteen of us, most of them are dads. Today the 65ers have created thousands of works, together or separately, but always signing their own team. “We can be proud. It’s nothing. We don’t win anything but we managed to make our dreams come true.” “

These grown-up children are therefore celebrating their majority this weekend. For the occasion they will meet in Tarbes, at the velodrome, to create together a new graffiti, around Masters of the Universe. Between these two days there will be an evening at the Artelier from 9.30 pm on Saturday, with DJ BLZ, “one of the best” according to Yellow, who makes t-shirts… Admission: € 3. Ideal for adding some color to these All Saints’ Day parties.