![]() Into a more subtle expression blending graffiti, stencil art and decay together. His artistic expression started more political, but has developed ![]() This interest for decay has helped develop his style, motives and composition and he enjoys creating either unity or conflict between materials, backgrounds, He looks for inspirations in people, city landscapes, old buildings, graffiti, posters and decaying walls. Martin has a continuous urge to search for beauty in what is commonly dismissed as ugly, out of After following graffiti and its development, he started his own stencil production 10 years ago in the winter of 2004. ![]() ![]() Graphic design at Westerdals School of Communication, Oslo, he discovered stencils and the 1984) is a Norwegian born and based stencil artist. Playing with ideas of vandalization, urban art in “REVIVE” is a way toĭeconstruct the past and articulate the contrast between a commercially produced item and the memory it contains. This new body of work sees the prominent street artist call into question the expectations of urban art, by uprooting the medium from its urban context. Throughout his career he has examined the nature of contrasts. The spray can becomes a mode of theoretical obfuscation, warping the distance between centuries, and bringing to mind the work of surrealist artists such as Rene Magritte. This technique allows the found object to be decontextualized, by dismantling, obscuring and performing its original meaning – particularly the photograph. Black and white cameo portraits of Victoriana-era women are given spray painted masks in full colour. Furniture and vintage photographs sourced by Whatson from flea markets and auctions are ‘vandalized’ with graffiti. Found objects are reworked and repurposed to draw into question the individual status and collective value assigned to ‘raw materials’. The exhibition marks a new phase in the artist’s creative direction. “REVIVE” is curated by Rom Levy and supported by LeBasse Projects. His pieces appear in megalopolis like London, Paris, New-York, Las Vegas, Miami, Tokyo… Working primarily as a stencil artist over the past ten years, Whatson uses explosive color against greyscale backgrounds to challenge ideas of perception, possibility and imagination in the urban environment. This will be the artist’s largest and biggest exhibition to date with several installations and never seen paintings. “REVIVE” showcases a new series of work by Martin Whatson, a major name in the international street art scene, to be shown for the first time in Los Angeles. The opening reception takes place on Septemfrom 6pm to 9 pm and will be on view through October 8, 2017. You'll connect with a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, read articles and newsletters ad-free, sustain our interview series, get discounts and early access to our limited-edition print releases, and much more.RexRomae Gallery is proud to present a pop-up exhibition in Los Angeles showcasing brand new artworks of Norwegian stencil artist, Martin Whatson. You can see more of his indoor and outdoor work on his Instagram and website.ĭo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. Whatson’s inspirations come from a variety of urban origins, interested in everything from decaying walls to the graffiti and posters that cover them.Ĭurrently Whatson has a work in the group exhibition “ LAX / ORD” at Chicago’s Vertical Gallery. The works often focus on a singular matte subject, one that is seemingly unaware of the bright words and marks that have surrounded their bleak environment. Norwegian born artist Martin Whatson produces stencil art that lashes out at the mundane, interrupting grayscale scenes with explosions of vibrantly painted graffiti.
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