Post by Corey Helford on Apr 24, 2011 1:18:02 GMT -8
It's not very often that you get to witness the emergence of a new fine art genre.
Whether you believe that graffiti belongs on the streets and that galleries
and museums corrupt the nature of the art, or you're excited to see these urban
talents finally get their due, I think we can all agree that it's important that a
hundred years from now there are some standing documents of their work. That's
why we're proud to be exhibiting 3 legendary graffiti masters, who are bringing
their work from the walls of the city to the walls of our gallery.
Here's the press release with more detailed info...
On Saturday, April 30th, Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present “Blurring the Lines”. The gallery’s first exhibition
of graffiti art masters will showcase new works by CRASH, FREEDOM and RISK, curated by Roger Gastman,
co-curator of MoCA’s “Art in the Streets” and co-author of HarperCollins newly released book “The History of American Graffiti”.
Bringing together three internationally-recognized graffiti artists who are concurrently featured in MoCA’s “Art
in the Streets”, the first major US museum exhibition on the history of graffiti and street art, “Blurring the Lines” is a dynamic intersection of legendary East and West coast writers, where the lines that divide urban art and the new contemporary fine art world converge.
Renowned New York graffiti artists CRASH and FREEDOM will take over the main floor with recent works inspired by their iconic imagery that was shown along alongside art luminaries Jean-Michel Basquiat, FUTURA, and Keith Haring during the 80s. A master at subway art, CRASH was also one in a handful of New York writers who painted murals on the streets during the early 80s while exhibiting at prestigious galleries worldwide. At the same time, FREEDOM moved into a larger space in Manhattan, an abandoned two mile stretch of tunnel designed by Robert Moses that would become the legendary Freedom Tunnel, launching a sixteen year run of world-famous paintings and drawings.
For his first major gallery exhibition in almost twenty years, FREEDOM notes, “While CRASH and I have
worked together over the years, this will be our first gallery exhibition together since 1987, which is exciting.”
Upstairs in the loft, famed Los Angeles graffiti artist RISK, whose bus installation is prominently featured
outside of “Art in the Streets” at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA, will unveil “Styles for Miles”. Created
on canvases constructed from vintage license plates, RISK’s new works represent his graffiti career as whole,
tying together elements from his origins writing on freeway overpasses to his commercial projects and gallery
and museum exhibitions.
FREEDOM AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY FREEDOM (BASED ON FREEDOM TUNNEL)
CRASH AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY CRASH
RISK AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY RISK
Open to the public, the reception for “Blurring the Lines” will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 7 to
10pm, and the show will be on view until May 18, 2011.
Whether you believe that graffiti belongs on the streets and that galleries
and museums corrupt the nature of the art, or you're excited to see these urban
talents finally get their due, I think we can all agree that it's important that a
hundred years from now there are some standing documents of their work. That's
why we're proud to be exhibiting 3 legendary graffiti masters, who are bringing
their work from the walls of the city to the walls of our gallery.
Here's the press release with more detailed info...
On Saturday, April 30th, Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present “Blurring the Lines”. The gallery’s first exhibition
of graffiti art masters will showcase new works by CRASH, FREEDOM and RISK, curated by Roger Gastman,
co-curator of MoCA’s “Art in the Streets” and co-author of HarperCollins newly released book “The History of American Graffiti”.
Bringing together three internationally-recognized graffiti artists who are concurrently featured in MoCA’s “Art
in the Streets”, the first major US museum exhibition on the history of graffiti and street art, “Blurring the Lines” is a dynamic intersection of legendary East and West coast writers, where the lines that divide urban art and the new contemporary fine art world converge.
Renowned New York graffiti artists CRASH and FREEDOM will take over the main floor with recent works inspired by their iconic imagery that was shown along alongside art luminaries Jean-Michel Basquiat, FUTURA, and Keith Haring during the 80s. A master at subway art, CRASH was also one in a handful of New York writers who painted murals on the streets during the early 80s while exhibiting at prestigious galleries worldwide. At the same time, FREEDOM moved into a larger space in Manhattan, an abandoned two mile stretch of tunnel designed by Robert Moses that would become the legendary Freedom Tunnel, launching a sixteen year run of world-famous paintings and drawings.
For his first major gallery exhibition in almost twenty years, FREEDOM notes, “While CRASH and I have
worked together over the years, this will be our first gallery exhibition together since 1987, which is exciting.”
Upstairs in the loft, famed Los Angeles graffiti artist RISK, whose bus installation is prominently featured
outside of “Art in the Streets” at The Geffen Contemporary at MoCA, will unveil “Styles for Miles”. Created
on canvases constructed from vintage license plates, RISK’s new works represent his graffiti career as whole,
tying together elements from his origins writing on freeway overpasses to his commercial projects and gallery
and museum exhibitions.
FREEDOM AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY FREEDOM (BASED ON FREEDOM TUNNEL)
CRASH AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY CRASH
RISK AT MOCA
NEW WORK BY RISK
Open to the public, the reception for “Blurring the Lines” will take place on Saturday, April 30 from 7 to
10pm, and the show will be on view until May 18, 2011.
