PARADISE LOST Kandinsky was my roommate Vernissage Jeudi 19 Janv à partir de 18h RAMMELLZEE Futura Toxic Du 20 Janvier au 24 Février 201 Babs Medra Opening the March 10th from 6 pm Exhibition from March 11th till April 15th 2017
The exhibition The artists Practical information
THE exhibition What if Kandinsky shared his workshop with our wonderful urban vandals? Father of abstraction, brilliant theoretician of form and color, his influence transpires from the 80s in the no less genial Futura and Rammellzee. Or not to feel his soul vibrating in front of the luminous and colorful power of a work by Futura, Medra or Toxic... This art of the street has long been perceived as savage, or simplistic it is now revealing its spiritual feast. Artcan Gallery decided once again to surprise by leaving the established frames transforming its space in workshop during the week preceding the opening. Inspired by the works of Futura, Rammellzee and Toxic for the exhibition, the artists Babs and Medra will create works Made in Montpellier and will customize the gallery.
RAMMELLZEE During his lifetime, and until his untimely death at just 49, Rammellzee was an underappreciated genius. Nevertheless, he made an impact on his contemporaries due to his exceptionally creative approach and his personal, overarching theory of art. As well as being a friend of Jean-Michel Basquiat, in whose works he appears several times, he was one of the first to take the art of graffiti beyond simple lettering in the New York Subway and to take it in a more abstract and creative direction. As his work developed, he expanded upon his own theories of art to develop a doctrine of breaking free from the shackles of language, thereby transforming letters into weapons of war.
FUTURA 2000 Futura s work spans the ages, starting with his time as a graffiti pioneer from the age of 15 in the New York s Subway tunnels, yet throughout his career, he has remained ahead of his time. He trained at the School for Visual Arts, but his greatest influences come from his contacts with artists such as Stay High 149. His early career is marked by the development of his own visual vocabulary, which has constantly involved with the inclusion of atoms, structures, and explosions of colour. His works were exhibited alongside Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981 at MoMa PS1 s New York/New Wave exhibition, earning him international recognition. This gifted graffiti bomber is now one of the last of New York s 1980s virtuosos who is still active, putting his creative genius to work.
TOXIC Torrick Ablack, alias Toxic, seems to be the last man standing from the old school. Along with his friends, J.M Basquiat and Rammellzee, he was a founder member of the Hollywood Africans crew, their name referring to the stigmatisation of African-Americans in the movie industry. This magical trio worked together on multiple pieces and each developed innovations that would influence the work of the others. He was just 17 years old when his work was exhibited for the first time at New York s legendary Fashion Moda gallery in 1984. Subsequently, his works appeared in the collections of major museums including the Brooklyn Museum, the Groninger Museum and the Museum of the City of New York. His work has constantly evolved and now tends towards a more abstract approach while maintaining a link with his past as he continues to draw on an established visual identity.
MEDRA Medra was born in Vitry sur Seine in 1972 and grew up in Orly, on the southern outskirts of Paris. He attended school for advertising, but the defining factor in his youth was the hip-hop movement of the 90s, when he discovered urban wastelands and railway tracks. During this era, he was a member of several different collectives from the southern suburbs, and was affiliated with rappers who included Different Teep and MC Solaar. His first, old school style graffiti was created with the support of his sidekick at the time, Daddy Morry. Over the years, as his experience grew, his work developed a more assertive style, appearing in a variety of different formats including posters, logos, record sleeves, show sets, exhibitions, studios and performance art. Today, Medra s work features an explosive, colorful painting style that is distinctively and decisively urban.
BABS Babs fall into the graffiti at the age of 11 years. Autodidact with multiple influences he started like any purist by Tagging the streets of his city. Dating back to the early 1990s Came the Metro and train In the vandal s tradition until 2010. He left the underground Painting for the canvas and the gallery. Unveiling a new facet of its personality through a painting on canvas acrylic and spray paint communicate. His work focuses on Abstraction, movement and energy. Inspired by the cubist currents Minimalist, his painting is loaded History and emotion.
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