Clown Soldier’s “The Human Cannonball” Show in Chicago opened this Friday at The Pawn Works Gallery. Here’s a dazzling circus of images that illustrate the collage based art that Clown Soldier holds closest.

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

When the huge Clown Soldier wheat-paste first appeared on the street a about a year and a half ago (see Images of the Week 01.17.10),  few people understood that it was the result of a long process of selecting elements, combining, and re-combining to reach a sense of balance – Most of us just took it at clown-face value. Here are some images from the new show and a few behind the scenes pics for context.

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

Brooklyn Street Art: So what do you do, how do you make these, what is the process?
Clown Soldier: I start with collage. I cut up thousands and thousands of pieces of imagery until something works. What’s great about collage is you come with things that you wouldn’t come up with if you were drawing.  So you cut up all these fragments, you know – it’s inspired by (William) Burroughs and it goes back to Picasso right? Anyway that process, you cut up these things and you put them together and not in a million years I would put these things together or come up with… so when I find this gem, this absurd thing.

Read more from his first public interview and studio visit here:

A New Clown Comes to Town : Clown Soldier in Studio http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/?p=18922

Clown Soldier is participating this August in the BSA presented “Street Art Saved My Life” 39 New York Stories” show in Los Angeles.

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

Clown Soldier “Billy Craven Monarchy” (image © courtesy of the artist)

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

Clown Soldier “In God We Trust” (image © courtesy of the artist)

Clown Soldier (image © courtesy of the artist)

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