Boris “Delta” Tellegen recently exhibited new work in his solo exhibition “Surface” at Backslash Gallery in Paris. Here are some images of the completed show. Delta shows us why he is considered one of the most important graffiti artists that has moved on to the world of fine art. We say it goes deeper than just fine art, the gallery, or whatever term you want to use for the art world. Delta has been building and constructing his art for decades now. It would seem that his early graffiti work was only a sketch of soon to be larger projects. Graffiti seemed to be the spark and now he is in full inferno burning everything in site. Not being confined to a wall, a canvas or any other medium Delta builds his work in the reality of dimensions. Flat geometric renderings that resembled 3d in a 2 dimensional space are now replaced with actual 3d aspects such as texture, collage and actual built planes. Delta has been working on this transition for over a decade and with this new exhibition he hits new levels with the execution of his ideas. Strong paper work, layered and collaged on top of each either creating intense visual works. With a clean monochromatic palette Delta is able to allow you to view space without the noise of unneeded colors. The work is a step towards large scale sculpture and aesthetic architectural elements. The constructed paintings offer minimalist glimpses into the chaos that lies underneath. Tension and the instability of space is a reoccurring theme in the new work. Delta really has hit the nail on the head with this show allowing us to witness some of the best contemporary work being made. This has to be a show of the year candidate, a must see if you are anywhere near Paris.
GF
Picture Source Emporium-s.com
Backslash Gallery
29 rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth
75003 Paris
Métros Arts & Métiers, Temple ou République
Opening the 13th of September, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Exhibition: 13.09.2012 > 3.11.2012
Tuesday to Saturday, from 11am to 7pm
“Backslash is proud to announce Surface, the first solo show by Dutch artist Boris Tellegen—better known by his DELTA tag—to be held at the gallery. His installations, wood and paper collages and photographs take the visitor on a journey into a constructed universe where the intersection between the real and the conceptual is anchored in a geometrical style based on reversed perspectives.
During the 1980s, Delta spent much of his time deconstructing and reforming the letters of his tag, working with the rigor forged during his time as an engineering student. His fractured lettering pointed towards a future governed by the dual notions of phony chaos within controlled order. The artist explains: “My work is about chaos in order, or the order in chaos. Random logic maybe… (…) An important part is trying to find good constraints. A set of borders to work within, and which gives you the need to go deeper instead of wider. The more freedom, the less need to stain your brain.”
Boris Tellegen soon abandoned the streets, the setting for his first works, in favor of the enclosed universe of the exhibition space. Words became his surface and letters faded from view in favor of direction and material in works where light plays across the dimensions to offer new readings of his intricate reliefs.
The surface describes the exterior, or visible, portion of something. In mathematics, to calculate a surface is to assign a measurable quantity, a scope. Boris Tellegen seeks to go deeper, to move beyond this concept, peeling away the surface to find what lies hidden beneath.
After studying industrial design engineering at Delft (Netherlands), the young Boris Tellegen soon started creating his famous deconstructed lettering graffiti. Turning his back on a career in engineering, his works quickly found a home in enclosed spaces, including the Houston Gallery, Seattle (2000), Permspace Gallery, Tokyo (2003), Elms Lesters Gallery, London (2008), Fondation Cartier, Paris (2009), De Fabriek, Eindhoven, (2010) and the Kunstraum in Basel (2011).”
