With more than 150 art galleries dotted about this vast, varied and artistically-inspiring region of France, it is of little surprise that the French Riviera has become known as a modern art lovers’ paradise.

With such a large number of art galleries available on this stretch of coastline, art in almost every medium, is crying out to be explored. The artistic merits of street art has, however, always sparked debate, as ‘graffiti’, as some like to refer to it, examines the creative tensions and conflicts within this artistic arena.

When the Greek artist Taki first ‘let rip’ with an aerosol spray can more than 40 years ago, who would have thought that he was starting a movement that would later attract collectors from Moscow, Miami and now even Monaco?

This summer, the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, has been home to 400 examples of contemporary street art, more commonly known as ‘Pressurism’ on the Cote d’Azur, a name that has been derived from the aerosol can that has replaced the artist’s brush.

The ‘Pressurism’ exhibition proved extremely popular, as visitors and locals alike flocked to the Grimaldi Forum to view the works of the Italian architect Alain-Dominque Gallizia, who also curated the exhibition.

This tremendously individual and avant-garde display explored the 40-year history of the street art medium and represented ‘graffiti’ artists from across the globe, including Blade, Toxic, Dibo, Ces, Revolt and, of course, Taki.

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The rap superstar is planning to debut his first clothing collection at the upcoming New York Fashion Week.

He has been busy honing his designing skills by taking up internships with Fendi and designing footwear with Louis Vuitton since 2008. He has also been taking notes from his fashion peers as he is regularly spotted on the front row of fashion week events around the world.

West began working on his own line earlier this year, and is said to have enlisted the help of British knitwear designer, Louise Goldin for guidance on how to break into the Womenswear market.

He has is also working with Louise Wilson – a professor at the top fashion college Central Saint Martins, who’s alumni include Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Kanye was also seen visiting the prestigious college in London, causing the university to deny reports that he was planning to study with them.

Kanye attracted global media attention after he took to the stage at the Coachella festival in April, wearing a women’s shirt by French designer Celine. A move that has caused people to speculate whether he was channelling inspiration for his own collection.

All of the work towards unveiling the line is reportedly being done at West’s design studios in London and New York, and the aim is to have the collection ready for September to be shown on the runway at New York Fashion Week.

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It’s not the first time a celebrity has turned into a fashion designer and it certainly won’t be the last, but unlike many of the singer-come-dabblers-in-fashion-design who enjoy minimal success in the cutthroat industry, rapper Kayne West is causing quite a stir in the world of high-end fashion design, with the likes of Louis Vuitton requesting his creations.

The American rapper, singer and record producer now even has his own studio in Paris where he designs high-end fashion collections  for both men and women. Rumours are even circulating that West has enrolled at London’s notorious school of fashion, Central Saint Martins.

Speculation is also surfacing to whether the rapper with exhibit his spring 2012 collection this September, although a venue and specific date has yet to be announced.

In designing his landmark ‘rapper’ gear, similar to the outfit Kayne West wore to this year’s ‘106 & Park’ in June and at the CFDA Fashion Awards, which included a Mitchell & Ness Chicago Bulls snapback hat, a pair of black/red Air Jordan 1s, a Salt and Pepper Zip Hoody from American Apparel and black waxed jeans, Kayne is bringing ‘Hip Hop’ and ‘Rapper’ fashion to a high-end market.

Although Kayne West is not the only rapper to be stretching his creative instincts into the world of fashion. Nathan Thompson, aka Hollowman Giggs, who, in 2010, was signalled as the hottest rapper in the UK, has launched his own clothing store in Peckham, London, known as SN1.

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Whether or not tattoos can be considered ‘art’ has long be the subject of many a heated debate.

Whilst some see them as being associated with social deviants, the art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years, with many contemporary art exhibitions and art institutions featuring tattoos as a form of art.

When it was reported that Jully Nascimento, a woman from Brazil, tattooed her arm with a QR Code Tattoo that could be scanned, the somewhat antiquated debate of whether tattooing one’s skin can be considered to be ‘art’, was taken to new heights.

According to Geeky Tattoo, Jully believes she is the first person in Brazil to get a QR code tattoo. The tattoo was made by a tattooist known as Andre, from True Love Tattoos, and the code actually reads as the name of a song by Good Charlotte, a band and song that helped Ms Nascimento through a tough time when she was growing up.

Whilst some may argue that marking one’s skin in reference to a turbulent time in one’s youth is impervious of the ‘rebellious nature’ of tattoos, others may hold the view that such scan-able tattoos are a unique and beautiful symbol of the modern-day technological era.

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