After hanging out upon landing and doing their thing out front our gallery, the gang invited me by to check things out over at Carmichael. Ellis is the man, and after flying him out for our big Brooklyn show earlier this year, I just had to make some time to hang with him again. I didn’t have the chance last night, but I had the chance to get out there earlier this eve. They’ve gotten so much more done since AM and Daily D posted sneak peeks today, that I’m glad I waited an extra day to swing through… they are just KILLING it.
For the past 20 years, London artist Zeus (shown above painting his mirror image piece for the show) has been drawing inspiration from urban culture to create dynamic, experimental compositions that have re-defined graffiti art. Captivated by the hip-hop scene of the 80’s, he began expressing his creative talents on the street when he was just 14, using walls, trains and open spaces as his galleries. Since then Zeus has continually pushed the boundaries of graffiti artistry, taking the form out of its traditional setting and into new, exciting and more legitimate places. His latest work represents an innovative fusion of graffiti techniques and typography, fine art and sculpture and reflects both his background on the streets and his formal training at Chelsea College of Art.
Ellis G. demonstrating the flame tag. F’ing A!
Ellis Gallagher’s shadow chalk drawings, executed in both urban and interior settings, seek to enhance the beauty of everyday objects and mundane situations that are routinely overlooked. Chalk drawings of bicycles, milk crates, fire hydrants, parking meters and shopping carts inspire curiosity and encourage the viewer to pause, observe, initiate conversation and experience their surroundings with a renewed sense of optimism.
On top of all that, up front Grey Area, the first US solo exhibition of work by UK artist Boxi, is coming together and he’s getting ready to blow some minds with his photo realistic stencil works. Six layers of goodness make these beauties up… think Logan Hicks doing portraits and that will give you an idea of the detail in each piece. They are all hand cut, and just stunning in person. The piece above, part of the main install wall, is easily 5×10 feet – one of three canvases that large in the show.
“I am drawn to the incongruous narrative in figuration. My works aspire to polarize the stability of what is at first perceived to be harmless or sweet but in reality turns out to be pathetically desperate or tragic or vice versa. A dark disillusioned romanticism pervades throughout…(along with) confrontational themes, such as paranoia, disappointment, expectation, grief, mistrust and other upbeat reflections of our times. It is in this state of reflection, this ‘grey area’ of ambiguity and blurred truth that I have found myself in, a place where trends and crashes in the market aggressively threaten and pressurize social behavior. Making life-sized figures that articulate this uncertainty is a way for me to come to terms with the phrase ‘of our time’.” – Boxi
Very curious to see how this one plays out… Boxi has deconstructed an old ladder, and is drilling holes in it, to the point that it will be barely able to hold itself together… no doubt a statement on the fragile times we are all living in currently. This should be killer to check out on Thurs…
Born 1974 in Kent, England, Boxi completed his studies at the London St. Martins School of Art with a BA Fine Arts degree in Painting in 1996. He has lived and worked in Berlin, Germany since 1999, joining REINKING PROJEKTE in 2007.
Website: http://www.boxi.eu.com/
Simply genius. What a great piece.
Opening: Thurs, April 9th 7-10PM
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
1257 N. La Brea Ave in West Hollywood / 323.969.0600
http://www.carmichaelgallery.com/