
URBAN ART & CALLIGRAFFITI
... repeating my secret words, I create a ritual space, which allows the encounter between artwork and observer/spectator. Art has always needed (and will always need) a ritual space/context, in order to be experienced. I create this space through "words", which become like a written a mantra...
because "words" CREATE Reality.
Drew.Lab_One
History
More ABOUT ME
Andrea Villanis, known by her street art alias Drew.Lab_One, is an Italian-born, Berlin-based artist renowned for her innovative fusion of classical calligraphy and urban street art. Born on June 17, 1985, in Naples, Italy, she began her artistic journey at the age of 13 in experimental theater, which sparked a passion for portraiture and calligraphy. Her interest in the power of words and language deepened as she pursued modern philology and later transitioned to street art.
Drew.Lab_One's work blends four distinct calligraphic traditions: Arabic, Italian, Cyrillic, and Gothic. By merging these diverse influences, she creates a unique visual language that combines flowing gestures, geometric elegance, and structural power. Her art transcends mere legibility; it is about design, rhythm, and the spiritual potential of language. In her street art, she often repeats words and phrases to create ritual spaces, inviting viewers into deep, almost meditative engagements with her work.
For Drew.Lab_One, art is a ritual—a way to transform words into mantras, emphasizing the idea that “words create reality.” Her calligraphy becomes a powerful visual mantra, exploring human experience and urban life through the lens of both tradition and innovation.
Her work has taken shape on the walls of Berlin, where the city itself acts as a canvas and a living dialogue for her societal critique. Her involvement in the upcoming exhibition “Love Letters to the City” (2024–2027) marks a significant step in her career, where she continues to merge the past with the future in an ongoing exploration of urban culture and human connection.


me talking
After a long, enlightening and meditative practice of classical calligraphy (especially Roman Capital, Uncial, Copperplate and Gothic) I abandoned the classical letter forms, for building up unique font, learning from "tradition" and projecting them into future.
I took four different calligraphic traditions and merged them together: I took the Arab tradition for developing a more fluid gesture; through the Italian tradition I regained possession on the geometrical and rational shapes, which add elegance to the composition and I added the Cyrillic structure and the mammoth power of the Gothic.
VISION
In my Street-art-works, through the repetition of words/quotes (written with my secret language) I create a ritual space, which allows the encounter between artwork and observer/spectator. Art has always needed (and will always need) a ritual space, in order to be experienced. I create this space through "words", which become like a written a mantra...
because "words" CREATE Reality.
