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“I am really fascinated by the diversity of the American culture.

 

For this CURATED show, I wanted to unite American artists from really different backgrounds. Their styles and origins are at the opposites thus allowing a way for a great diversity of American culture to be represented.

 

We have Othelo Gervacio, who is influenced by Black Sabbath, biker, psychedelic and early tattoo cultures. UFO907 is a New York City graffiti legend, who brought the graffiti art inside galleries like Hidari Zingaro in Tokyo and Avenue des Arts in LA. Mark Posey is a painter based in LA, who use contemporary materials challenging people's familiarity with classical subject matters. KC Ortiz is a Chicago native, who reworks a great variety of common characters of the American culture in a street way.”

 

- Francesco Bena, CURATED Curator

'I have always been fascinated by dark, melancholic beauty; from the life-fleeting imagery of wilting flowers, to the origins of melodic, heavy metal music. The cross-section of romance and beauty has always been a place at which a large portion of my interests lie. Within those interests are 17th Century Dutch Master paintings. The sheer detail, skill and sentiment from such paintings have always left me in awe and admiration. This new body of work pays homage to that era and style of painting. Through a contemporary, deconstructive lens, I've isolated the fabric element as my subject of focus in a series of oil on linen compositions.'

 

- Othelo Gervacio

UF0907 came to Earth in the mid 90’s, Walking out on Art School disillusioned by the standard  path of the struggling artist he saw before him. Abandoning the art world, UFO found himself  allured into the subcultures of graffiti and vandalism. The paint brush was traded for the spray  can and the endless walls, forgotten back lots, rooftops, and delivery trucks of New York City  become both his studio and his gallery. The unpredictability of material and painting surface,  the risk of getting arrested or chased, the never ending adventure of paintings and in strange  places under the cover of darkness all contributed to the style and development of UFO’s  work.  

As one of the pioneers of character based graffiti UFO907 has helped (for better or worse)  push the subculture of graffiti into the mainstream, with his highly recognizable and playful  imagery. As well helping to usher in the new art movement known as “Street Art” where young  artists of today have caught onto the power and freedom of beginning an art career on the  streets as a bridge and shortcut into the gallery world.  

As of late, UFO907 has been turning out prolific bodies of work, both painting and sculpture, that  exhibit a passion and deep understanding of materials and the boundless methods of  application, while overflowing with an energy that can only be found on the streets.

'For better or for worse, my own American roots influence and inform much of my work and identity. These days those roots are more complex and tangled than ever and the support of collectors such as Francesco, by highlighting emerging and modern voices, particularly those critical of or in opposition to the American modus operandi, is critical. 

 

I’ve created new works for the exhibition that investigate who we are, where we are, and where we are going as a society while the American empire crumbles and the world is reordered in real time around us all.'

-KC Ortiz