All posts tagged: Mirus Gallery

“RETRANSMISSION__” Presents a Contemporary Collective from Poland

“RETRANSMISSION__” Presents a Contemporary Collective from Poland

This fresh new survey of Polish artists primarily born in the 1980s is called RETRANSMISSION__ . It has as much to do with the influence of digital arts as it does with the plastic arts and art in the street.

Bartek Swiatecki Pener. “Mirror Lake”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)

This group collection at the Denver location of Mirus Gallery may possibly represent a physical lynchpin to the coming metaverse, minus the Oculus headset. A professionalized crew of artists formally trained in studies like architecture and urbanism, illustration, graphic design, painting, typography, and sculpture; These are not the kids on the street who popularized first and second-wave graffiti of the West, but rather the students of the scene infused by lore and not necessarily beholden to it.

“This collective of artists have lived and worked amongst each other,” says the gallery press release, “individually and sometimes through collaboration for many years, establishing a contemporary style unique to Poland.”

Oskar Podolski. “Full Time Crime”. “Expect 1.0” “Nothing 2.0” RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)

To mention that a certain number of these artists have a past in graffiti/street art culture sets the context of the artist’s common background, but those influences appear through mirrors, or software filters, if at all. You may look for deconstructed letter forms or raw off-kilter placements of elements, but this is such a self-aware, contemporary tableau, one may need x-ray vision to see the street from here.

Spray tags, skateboard graphics, street interventions, and covert acts of illegal artmaking may be influences in this corner of the street scene – one that has matured in the last decade and a half to embrace geometry and sophisticated illustration. It’s maturity now and development of a visual language that brings one to RETRANSMISSION__ where we are currently meditating on form, texture, refracted light, and balanced composition.

Featured Artists: Bartłomiej Chwilczyński, Bartosz Janczak, Chazme, Lukasz Berger Cekas, Lukasz Habiera Nawer, Oskar Podolski, Pawel Ryzko, Bartek Świątecki (Pener), Robert Proch, Sainer, Seikon

Bartosz Janczak. “Faun”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Sainer. “Bez Nazwi-1”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Bartolomiej Chwilcznski. “Journey XCII” “Journey LXXXVI”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Pawel Ryzko. (left) “Modulation 01″ Chazme. (right) “Rise and Shine”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Seikon. “Back to the Roots”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Lukasz Berger Cekas. “Inter + Ferre”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Lukasz Berger Cekas. “Inter + Ferre”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Nawer. (center) “Transmission Fault 2”. “Transmission Fault 1”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Robert Proch. (background left). Foreground. “Sketches 2003-2018”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Left, Oskar Podolski. “Complete Manual of L1fe” and “Exclamat-i-on”. Center and right, Chazme. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
Left and center, Oskar Podolski. Right, background Bartosz Janczak. Right, foreground Nawer. “Inter + Ferre”. RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)
RETRANSMISSION_ Mirus Gallery. Denver, Colorado. (photo © Nawer)

RETRANSMISSION_ At Mirus Gallery in Denver, Colorado is currently on view to the general public until July 8th. Click HERE for more details and schedules.

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BSA Film Friday: 05.10.19

BSA Film Friday: 05.10.19

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. INTI “Soleil”. Blinded by the Light.
2. Martha Cooper: Queen der Street Art
3. Elisa Capdevila x Anna Repullo. Contorno Urbano Foundation. 12+1 Project
4. Mare 139 : L’ avenir” Graffuturism. Group Exhibition.
5. FAUST: L’ avenir” Graffuturism. Group Exhibition.

BSA Special Feature: INTI “Soleil”. Blinded by the Light.

OMG WHERE does Chop ’em Down get their music from? Finally we said it out loud.

Yes, the monstrous archive of top-notch video that they are amassing of Street Artists and others creating work in the world is scintillating, the gut-punch editing is riveting, the pickings are lush. But time and again Zane nails it into next week with the music choices. Bless you brother.

INTI “Soleil”. Blinded by the Light. Video by Chop ’em Down Films for Peinture Fraiche Festival. Lyon, France.

Martha Cooper: Queen der Street Art via ZDF German TV (in German no subtitles)

Our sincere thanks to Susanne Lingemann and ZDF German TV for this great piece on Martha Cooper during the premiere of Selina Miles’ movie “Martha: A Picture Story” at Tribeca Film Festival. Next stop Sydney!

Elisa Capdevila x Anna Repullo. Contorno Urbano Foundation. 12+1 Project

Easily the winner of wackiest choice of concept and music for the year so far is this wiccan themed duo in Spain painting walls across from each other on an underpass. Something to do with sensuality and competitiveness and … witchcraft? Good painting tho.

L’avenir

L’avenir Graffuturism Group Exhibition

A special collection of works opened on April 26th under the banner “Graffuturism”, guided by its creator and advocate, the artist Poesia. The lineup includes a number of artists along the street art/graffiti /contemporary continuum such as Augustine Kofie, Tobias Kroeger, Carlos Mare, Doze Green, Jaybo Monk, Faust, Kenor, and Matt W. Moore – each with distinct graphic voices of their own. Below are a couple of brief profiles from the show follow here.

“L’ avenir” Graffuturism. Group Exhibition. Mare139.

“L’ avenir” Graffuturism. Group Exhibition. Faust.

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Urban Contemporary Inside the Fair : BSA x UN BERLIN ART BASEL 2016: Dispatch 6

Urban Contemporary Inside the Fair : BSA x UN BERLIN ART BASEL 2016: Dispatch 6

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Art Basel in Miami is part of an annual three city fair that includes Hong Kong and it’s name sake Basel in Switzerland. This years fair in Miami hosts 269 galleries and your brain will be fried after the first 150, in an excellent way.

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Okuda at Retrospect Galleries. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

An art fair is not really a rarefied environment but many patrons walk with that air, presumably because they find it to be a flattering look, but most people are just excited to discover new ideas and techniques for channeling the creative spirit in a multitude of ways.

Far from the action of the actual graffiti and Street Art scene in long rows of white wall cubicles that average the price of a new car to rent for four days, SCOPE nonetheless has a healthy number of Street Artists represented with studio pieces that rock as hard as any killer piece under a bridge.

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Felipe Pantone at Mirus Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Inside this environment we’re probably calling the category Urban Contemporary and it’s always interesting to see how the street practice translates to a frame on a wall – and who can do it successfully. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it’s always surprising to see how many other derivative, hackneyed, or underwhelming works are proudly on display – by artists whose main connection to actual street culture is tenuous at best.

But imitators and replicators have existed in every genre of the plastic arts for as long as anyone reading this has been alive, so it shouldn’t be a shock when you have seen 5 Banksy-esque canvasses even before you stop at the commissary for your $14 pressed vegetable panini.

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Hueman at Mirus Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For the actual fans and collectors of actual graffiti and Street Artists, it may be irksome to see the common tropes of colorful paint drips and ironic pop images mutated and slapped with cleverness – especially in view of the fact that there is a fleet of new kids outside in our cities and streets today whose work is regularly amazing.

Since many of the current generation of Street Artists have had a little or a lot of formal training as artists, the quality of work in the good spots is very high and we were happy to find many excellent pieces throughout the fair by folks whose name you may recognize. Here is a sampling of pieces we found during an audit of this year’s SCOPE just so you have an idea of the offerings.

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Cinta Vidal at Thinkspace Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Cyrcle at Station 16 Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Clet Abraham at Graffik Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Dotmasters at Graffik Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Sitk at Graffik Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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2501 and Cryptik at Innerstate Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Pixel Pancho at Innerstate Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Swoon at Chandran Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Logan Hicks and Joe Iurato at Station 16 Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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C215 at Next Street Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Kurar at Next Street Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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Denis McNett at Paradigm Gallery. Scope / Art Basel Miami 2016. (photo © Jaime Rojo)


This article is the result of a collaborative partnership with BSA and Urban Nation (UN).

 

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