Here are some preview pictures courtesy of Scott la Rockwell from the upcoming 3 man exhibition that will take place this week at 1AM Gallery in San Francisco titled “The Composite Knowledge’. Curated by Mike Bam the exhibition will feature new work from featured artists Jaybo Monk, Samuel Rodriguez, and Poesia. The show will exhibit new work from Jaybo who masterfully juxtaposes the figure with geometry. The new work looks great as Jaybo’s soft palettes and nostalgic references aesthetically push his work into new territory. Poesia new work focuses on a new series of abstract paintings painted in rich oil paint mixed with aerosol. Colorfully textured paintings referencing his abstract wall paintings Poesia again is able to push forward in new directions. Samuel Rodriguez focuses further on his deconstructed portraits documenting and analyzing racial signifiers and today’s melting pot of ethnicity. All artists with backgrounds in graffiti bring something new with their recent work showing again the growing range of our contemporary artists. If you are in San Francisco make sure you don’t miss this show Friday.
GF
Mike Bam Recently Interviewed 2 of the artists Poesia & Samuel Rodriguez, here are some excerpts from the interviews as they prepared for the show.
Samuel Rodriguez interview Excerpt
MB: I dig the letters you do for graffiti writing. Can you speak to the mindset of when you paint graff versus the work you do for gallery? For example, I do hints of the techniques I do for letter fill-ins on some of my canvas work. Is it the same for you?
Samuel: I used to put up certain borders between graffiti and gallery work but lately that distinction has become more irrelevant. I’m much more interested in this new series I’m working on, and if that manifests itself in a gallery or a random wall then that will work fine for me. I actually haven’t done much traditional graffiti art lately, although I love viewing it and will never lose that. I wouldn’t say I’m a “retired graffiti artist”, but I like to go with my gut and when I become fixated on stuff I tend to be obsessive. One thing I don’t like to do is stick to one style or genre of anything because then making art just becomes so full of rules.
But without a doubt I believe my past experience in graffiti and everything for that matter is helping to inform my present and future. With that said, I’m positive that graffiti exists in my work somehow. I do recognize the amazing revolutions and innovations that are currently happening by many in graffiti art, but personally I’m veering off into a detour.
Poesia interview Excerpt
MB: I’m diggin your new style of what I call the “expressionistic squiggle curves.” It is so different from your work from last year. I can feel the action painting of Jackson Pollock & movement in each stroke. How did you conceive of this new style?
Poesia: It’s something that came about subtly in some of my older work, while I was working in a more geometric style, I started to rebel against it during the paintings. I would intentionally make random markings over my straight lines in order to create some imbalance or texture. As I finished the paintings I was always drawn to those parts of the paintings where I could see remnants of those marks. I sorta knew it was time to move on and listen to my instincts. So, I set out to work without lines all together and paint with randomness instead. These abstract paintings are just another way of talking in a language people can understand. The same way my master painting series of works were painted to relate to representational imagery in my “More Force than Judgement” Show at Anno Domini.
Abstract paintings are an accepted style of art as much as painting the figure is. People think that because they are abstract they are non representational. I think its the opposite, and I use that conceptually as well. Its something that we don’t really think about, for example. While I was painting the recent mural for the show off 6th st at the gallery the neighborhood people walking by ranging all races and classes understood my wall more than most of my peers do. People walking by with no clue about art, graffiti or art history related more to the abstract mural I was painting then I have experienced while painting a traditional graffiti piece. I heard comments like “Oh, hey this is modern art. Love it!” and so forth. The shock value of modern art and abstract art in the 50’s has assimilated itself into our world. Everyone knows modern art and Pollock, when someone sees scribbles on something it is already associated to the world as modern art. Thoughts and conceptually focused ideas sometimes serve as the best inspiration for a change in style. It’s this same reason why I still say graffiti is the only true abstract art left. People still don’t know what to make of it.
Full interviews below
THE COMPOSITE KNOWLEDGE
Opening Reception: July 20th, 2012 from 7:00-10:00pm
On View Through: August 18th, 2012
1AM and curator, Mike Tyau, are pleased to present ”The Composite Knowledge“, an exhibition that captures the evolution of graffiti writers to fine artists. The collection includes works by Jaybo Monk from Berlin, Germany, Poesia and Sam Rodriguez from San Jose, CA. All three artist are from the network of Graffuturism.com, a website dedicated to documenting the progression of graffiti. “The Composite Knowledge” unveils exceptional works by these three artists and shows the act of “compositing” by fusing the playful, unconscious process of painting with the techniques that they have gained over the many years of being fine artists and painting with a spray can. Immersed in the experimental, this exhibition aims to excite and surprise fans, artists, and collectors, alike.
“The Composite Knowledge” displays how the intake and mixing of imagery is developed in each of the artists’ styles. It is refreshing to see the blend of realistic and abstract landscapes that are shaped and created by these three artists in their paintings. Jaybo Monk, Poesia and Sam Rodriguez’s superior spray can skills as well as their remarkable talent to wield a paintbrush have achieved a perfect balance between two art forms, graffiti and fine art. They are leading the charge to take walls down, push boundaries beyond their limits, and proving that graffiti successfully coalesces with fine art.
