Stefano “Phen” was born in Brindisi, Southern Italy, in 1982. At the age of 14 he got enrolled in Edgardo Simone art school in Brindisi where he started his involvement in the local Hip Hop movement and consecutively began his career as a graffiti writer in 1997.
Painting intensively all across Europe, Phen was constantly adding new styles and techniques to his portfolio.
In 2002 Stefano moved to Rome following his artistic path. During the 4 years he spent in the Italian capital he focused on improving his knowledge of digital tools, which eventually led him to collaborate with two big communication agencies in the city.
In 2006 Phen moved to Barcelona, Spain, where, in 2011, together with his wife Chiara Semeraro, founded "Saudade Tattoo Bcn” - another way to express his art. “Saudade” is an artistic Tattoo Loft located in Poblenou, the post-industrial neighborhood of Barcelona that is often referred to as “the creative heart of the city”. Over the past few years artists from all over the world have been coming there in search of collaboration, and Phen has also been moving globally taking part in graffiti meetings in Europe, Brazil and the USA. The artist’s work has been published in numerous local and international magazines, he has collaborated with famous TV channels and clothing brands such as ADIDAS and THE NORTH FACE.
Over the past 20 years of working as an artist Stefano Phen has been developing and constantly improving his own art style that unites painting, graffiti and tattoo. His contemporary, fresh and aesthetically pleasing art pieces feature numerous elements of hip hop and funk culture: boomboxes, street basketball, buildings, classic cars and vans get in the mix with vector graphics, sketching lines, fat cap flares, dripping fonts and impressionist brush strokes. Phen’s studio is located in Poblenou, Barcelona, and that certainly serves the artist as a constant source of inspiration.