Gallery Selections by De Buck Gallery

De Buck Gallery | Selections

De B uck Gal l e r y

De Buck Gallery | Selections

Artists Ruby Anemic

Dieter Balzer

Renan Cepeda

John Clement

Daniela Edburg

Soonja Han

Dion Johnson

Hans Kotter

Jane Manus

Georges Moquay

Kelly Reemtsen

Regine Schumann

FC Sofia

William Sweetlove

XOOOOX

ZEVS

De Buck Gallery De Buck Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program reflects the most intriguing developments in the international art scene, ranging from street art, as practiced by Zevs and XOOOOX, to the Minimalist tendencies of artists like John Clement and Regine Schumann to the intersection of art and technology as evidenced by the works of Hans Kotter and the neons of Ruby Anemic. These artists build upon the legacy of the late twentieth-century artists who first developed these genres, while creating unquestionably contemporary works of art. The gallery also maintains an inventory of secondary market artwork.

ZEVS, Storm, 2012, oil and Liquitex on canvas, 72 x 128 3/4 in, 183 x 327 cm

Ruby Anemic Provocative, irreverent and highly playful, Ruby Anemic takes a hard look at the world around him through his use of image and language. The vast diversity of his body of work is united throughout by Anemic’s constant wit. In many ways, he is the quintessential post-modern artist, drawing on a combination of Minimalism, Pop, and Dada. Anemic believes that his “work should speak for itself,” and that it certainly does, often literally, through his use of thought-provoking phrases such as No Guts No Glory and I Need More. His work belies an undying interest in, and often an exaggeration of, the absurdity of society, while also reflecting the history of art in pieces like Break Glass in Case of Emergency, a cleverly framed gun that embodies a Duchampian spirit, as well as popular culture in, for instance, his use of song lyrics. Whether text-based, photographic, or geometric, Anemic’s art lends itself not only to the artist’s interpretation, but also to the multiplicity of interpretations that each person will bring to it. This dynamism is, in fact, what the artist most hopes to achieve. Anemic’s art is, regardless of medium, always the result of his key inspiration: life itself, something that is in constant flux and unique to each individual; his work is an intuitive response to the world around him and provides a compelling lens with which others can view it. Ruby Anemic was born in Berlin in 1975. In addition to his 2012 exhibition at De Buck Gallery, You Can Have It All, Anemic has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the United States. His work is included in a number of prominent private collections, as well as in the Daimler Contemporary Collection (Berlin) and the Angel Collection of Contemporary Art (Tel Aviv).

Bitch, 2012, metal letters behind Plexiglas, 20 1/2 x 28 1/2 in, 52 x 72 cm, unique

No Guts No Glory, 2012, neon, 19 1/2 x 45 1/2 in, 50 x 116 cm, Edition of 8

Break Glass in Case of Emergency, 2012, 45 Magnum behind glass, 22 x 30 in, 56 x 76 cm, Edition of 7

Thank You Thank You Thank You, 2012, neon, 30 x 64 in, 76 x 163 cm, unique

I Need More, 2012, dollar bills, 7 5/6 x 11 4/5 in, 20 x 30 cm, Edition of 8

Dieter Balzer A self-proclaimed Minimalist-Constructivist, Dieter Balzer’s work reflects the trend towards a streamlined, geometric art that became especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s with the work of artists like Donald Judd and Carl Andre. Balzer, however, builds upon the precedent set by these artists by invigorating the often austere appearance of Minimalism with a bright and joyful palette. Balzer’s labor-intensive wood and foil creations also represent a new achievement in this field by successfully blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, two-and three-dimensionality. Though when viewed from straight on, they appear flat, Balzer’s works are composed of multiple layers of intricate constructions of line, color, form and negative space. His interweaving of vibrant color in stunning patterns results in grid-like creations that take on a new appearance when analyzed from different viewpoints. The dynamic play of positive and negative space in these works, along with Balzer’s, at times, surprising integration of elements that jut out from what appear to be completely flat surfaces, gives the impression of a visual poetry of sorts. Dieter Balzer was born in Heuhofen/Pfalz, Germany in 1958 and attended the University of Heidelberg and the College of Art in Chesterfield, England. His work has been included in exhibitions throughout Germany and abroad, including at the Museum der Wahrenehmung (Graz, Austria) and the Museum Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany).

Konjunktionen 2, 2004, foil on MDF, 55 1/8 x 59 x 2 3/4 in, 140 x 150 x 7 cm, unique

Rorschach, 2011, foil on MDF, 25 1/4 x 77 1/2 x 1 1/2 in, 64 x 197 x 4 cm, unique

Renan Cepeda Renan Cepeda’s hauntingly beautiful photographs, often portraits of simple rural scenery like a farmhouse or lone tree surrealistically illuminated in vibrant shades of red, green or blue, also double as remnants of performance art. Cepeda’s stunning effects are created in long-exposure photography sessions that can last up to hours, during which the artist passes through the scene undetected using a torch and color filters to literally “paint” the color into his photographs. Cepeda compares the process to graffiti, denoting both the performative aspect of his process as well as the idea of “violating” the pre-existing scenery of the real world. Beyond this, no manipulation is done to the photographs, and thus, the final image is essentially a record of Cepeda’s nighttime performance, much in the way that many performance artists record their projects with video and photographs, or even create art objects from their props. His use of light and color serves to glamorize the otherwise quotidian objects that are often the focus of his work, thereby giving them a mystical quality that removes them from the everyday world. Renan Cepeda was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1966. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in his native Brazil and elsewhere, and is included in prominent collections including the Pinacotheque of the State of Sao Paolo, the Luz y Alfonso Castillo Foundation (Buenos Aires), and BANESPA Collection (Sao Paolo). He has also received a Sony Photography Award and was nominated for the 2012 PIPA award, sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art in Sao Paolo.

Tijolo Aurea Arvore, 2008, c-print, 19 2/3 x 19 2/3 in, 50 x 50 cm, Edition of 5

Casa Roxa, 2012, c-print, 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in, 50 x 50 cm, Edition of 5

Casa Listrada, 2008, c-print, 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in, 50 x 50 cm, Edition of 5

Centenaria Lara, 2007, c-print, 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in, 100 x 100 cm, Edition of 5

Vando Verde Rosa, 2008, c-print, 39 1/4 x 39 1/4 in, 100 x 100 cm, Edition of 5

John Clement A student of such acclaimed artists as Marc di Suvero and John Henry, John Clement’s geometric work certainly follows in a similar tradition of largescale Constructivist-inspired sculpture, and yet breaks the boundaries of the genre by constantly playing with the ideas of form and space in curvilinear compositions. His work juxtaposes a variety of playful steel coils and arcs, that, when layered on top of one another, take on a life of their own. While Clement today focuses primarily on large-scale outdoor work, reminiscent of both di Suvero and Henry’s association with public sculpture, his smaller works are evocative of a parallel but unique joyfulness. Viewers cannot help but think that the works are, on their own volition, about to swivel on their bases and spin about in space. The dynamic and dramatic union of form, line, and negative space in each work emphasizes this impression of implied movement. When installed in public, the works invite physical and mental exploration, which further enhances one’s experience and understanding of the artwork. After receiving a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, Clement studied briefly at New York’s School of Visual Arts before working with di Suvero and Henry in the 1990s. In addition to numerous gallery exhibitions, Clement has completed many important public commissions and installations throughout the United States and abroad. His work is also included in the collections of the Heckscher Museum of Art (Huntington, NY) and the City of Long Beach, CA.

Tusk, 2012, steel, 80 x 72 x 96 in, 203 x 183 x 244 cm, unique

Hotter Lips, 2012, powder-coated steel, 30 x 32 x 10 in, 76 x 81 x 25 cm, unique

Clementine, 2012, powder-coated steel, 11 x 12 x 8 in, 28 x 31 x 20 cm, unique

Sun Flower (Bloom), 2012, powder-coated steel, 46 x 40 x 20 in, 117 x 102 x 51 cm, unique

Caspian, 2012, powder-coated steel, 37 x 45 x 20 in, 94 x 114 x 51 cm, unique

Daniela Edburg Drawing upon a mixture of horror, mystery, and outrageous humor, the photography of Daniela Edburg truly represents a play of reality and surreality. Her images, while strikingly beautiful and often seemingly serene, always hide a darker back-story. A young woman on a picnic is mauled by gummy bears, a children’s baseball team observes a tell-tale mushroom cloud; these are the events that make up the world of Edburg’s photography. The noticeable theatricality of each image comes, according to Edburg, from the world of film and television, which like photography, glamorizes everything, regardless of subject, due to the very nature of the medium. References to popular films and even iconic paintings are made clear in her Drop Dead Gorgeous series which references James Whistler and Jacques-Louis David, among other artists. Edburg’s strong sense of color and composition further strengthen the link to painting. Daniela Edburg was born in Houston in 1975, and was raised in Mexico. She has exhibited at a number of galleries and museums worldwide, and is the recipient of various awards. Her work is included in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA).

Death by Toaster, 2001, c-print, 59 x 39 in, 150 x 100 cm, Edition of 3

The Storm, 2010, c-print, 39 1/3 x 59 in, 100 x 150 cm, Edition of 7

Soonja Han Soonja Han’s work is united by one common thread, the simplest form of all – the circle. Han takes an obsessive interest in the motif, and pushes the limits of its usage, reflecting the vast expanse of her imagination and creativity. Ranging from painted geometric studies that utilize color and form to contribute to astounding compositional tensions to conceptual assemblages that integrate circles in an unorthodox manner, Han’s work reflects a desire to achieve perfection in her undertaking. The circle has become an object of intense concentration and research for Han, so that each artwork represents a unique manifestation in Han’s, and her audience’s, rethinking of the shape. Her works relate to broader trends of geometric abstraction, and yet transcend it in their conceptual focus on circles and the apparent struggles between like-forms and identical or contrasting colors, while alternatively alluding to artists as diverse as John Baldessari, On Kawara and Lucio Fontana. Soonja Han’s background reflects a marriage of the eastern and western artistic traditions, for she was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1952, but has lived in Paris since the 1980s. Her work has been included in a number of exhibitions worldwide.

Blue Flower, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 59 x 59 in, 150 x 150 cm

Untitled, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 38 x 51 in, 97 x 130 cm

Dion Johnson Fully utilizing the color spectrum, Dion Johnson’s work consists of amorphous forms of brilliant color. Each work allows the viewer to focus on a unique interplay of overlapping, crisscrossing colors and shapes, creating the illusion of movement and spatial relationships of varying depth. While the paintings’ crispness of line finds its origins in the digital sketches that Johnson works with, the completed works are truly a feast for the eyes. His extraordinary use of acrylic paint creates almost digital landscapes, enhanced by his ability to camouflage both brush and stroke. Johnson’s distinctive technique solicits the viewer’s closer examination, although there is no trace of line to be found. His large-scale canvases are visual experiences in precision, beauty, design, and most importantly, color. Johnson facilitates the “dripping” effect of the paint, by augmenting reality, meaning, the overlap of color is not organic, rather the artist challenges the viewer’s interpretation of color, and enhances it. Inspired by his local surroundings, the “bright lights, big city” of Los Angeles, one can find allusion to Art Deco architecture, car lights, and cliffs in his work. Dion Johnson was born in Ohio in 1975, and holds a BFA from Ohio State University and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University. His work has been exhibited extensively on the West Coast, and is included in many public and private collections, including the Andaz Hotel (West Hollywood, CA).

Fountain, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 40 in, 153 x 102 cm

Velocity, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 160 in, 152 x 406 cm

Hans Kotter Hans Kotter’s work is an exquisite commentary on the way that light interacts with the environment. It references the minimalist neon sculpture of the 1960s and 1970s by artists such as Dan Flavin, and can be seen as part of the canon of exciting “light” work by contemporary artists such as Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell. Kotter’s creations oscillate between technical perfection, naturalness, artificiality and painterly appearance, creating works of art that cannot be comfortably categorized. His lightbased sculptures reflect the mutability of light due to the steady change of colors as one flows into the next, as well as a strong interest in engaging his audience. This is achieved primarily through the interactive quality of his work – the appearance of each is customizable according to viewer preference. Much of Kotter’s oeuvre, including his Chromatic Plants series, is based upon the use of a prism, photographing the diffraction of light through it. The results are beautiful, unique images that seem to be amorphous forms of pure color. These images are further integrated into his sculptural work as slides composed of intricate and unique series of color segments. Throughout his oeuvre, Kotter consistently manipulates light and color to invariably benefit and transform the environments that his works inhabit. Hans Kotter was born in Muhldorf am Inn, Germany in 1966, and his work has been exhibited widely throughout Europe and the United States. Highlights include participation in exhibitions at Villa Datris (L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France), Kinetica Museum (London), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Zagreb, Croatia). His work is in collections including the Targetti Light Art Collection (La Sfacciata, Italy), Museum Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany), and Kinetica Museum (London).

Colour Code, 2012, Plexiglas light box, slide-on Plexiglas, color-changing LED lights and remote control, 78 3/4 x 5 1/8 x 5 1/8 in, 200 x 13 x 13 cm, unique

Tunnel View - Ellipse, Down Under, Right Curved, 2012, Plexiglas, mirror, metal, color-changing LED lights and remote control, 23 1/2 x 35 1/2 x 9 in, 60 x 90 x 23 cm, Edition of 3

Chromatic Plants, 2010, c-print on aludibond with diasec face, 39 1/3 x 15 3/4 in, 5 panels, each, 100 x 40 cm, 5 panels, each, Edition of 3

Jane Manus Jane Manus has been continuously developing her oeuvre of forceful geometric sculptures since the 1970s, when as a student at the Art Institute of Boston she learned to weld metal, an experience Manus describes as a breakthrough in her artistic career. Manus’ work has indeed evolved, and today she works exclusively in aluminum. Her vibrant sculptures seamlessly integrate disparate elements of geometry, thereby truly transforming the spaces that they inhabit. Dynamic shapes and massive forms penetrate the viewer’s space, and seem to move and change in appearance due to their extreme three-dimensionality. Abstract though they are, Manus’ sculptures also retain an unyielding expressive character that gives each work a life and spirit of its own. Architecture, bridges, and artists such as Kazimir Malevich are Manus’ primary sources of inspiration, and each is certainly discernable in her work. Aside from incorporating these diverse influences, Manus does something more; she creates large-scale geometric sculptures that not only fill space, but also create environments while retaining a graceful aesthetic appeal that is unique to each piece. Jane Manus was born in New York in 1951, and is now based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, and is included in many prestigious collections, including those of the Sagamore Hotel (Miami, FL), Harn Museum of Art (Gainesville, FL), The Lincoln Center/ List Collection (New York), the Georgia Museum of Art (Atlanta, GA), and Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY).

White Box, 2011, painted aluminum, 120 x 42 x 84 in, 305 x 107 x 213 cm, unique

Box Trot, 2007, painted aluminum, 13 x 11 x 4 in, 33 x 28 x 10 cm, Edition of 27

On a Clear Day, 2011, painted aluminum, 20 x 18 1/2 x 10 in, 51 x 47 x 25 cm, unique

Georges Moquay Drawing upon a mixture of hip-hop culture, Aztec iconography, and the artist’s own rich experiences, Georges Moquay’s paintings are invigorating commentaries on the multiplicities of contemporary culture. Moquay creates lively figures that range from the profane to the profound, often reviving his characters time and time again, such as his “White Buddha,” creating a chain of characters by which his work can be identified. In appearance, the works allude to street art pioneers like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, who first popularized the genre in 1980s New York. However, the humor, diversity and vivid expressiveness of these works reflect Moquay’s own vibrant personality and background; the artist has even compared himself to a DJ in the way that he seamlessly integrates his many disparate interests into each painting. Georges Moquay was born into a family of artists in France in 1970, and was most inspired to take up painting by his mother Rotraut, also an artist, who was previously married to Yves Klein. His work has been exhibited at galleries throughout France and abroad, and he was featured on the French television program Riding Zone in 2012.

Yellow and Blue Smashed, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 76 1/2 x 52 1/2 in, 194 x 133 cm

Make a Deal, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 79 1/2 x 96 5/6 in, 202 x 246 cm

Kelly Reemtsen At first glance, Kelly Reemtsen’s paintings could be described as anything but sinister. Close up views of bright, vintage dresses against impasto white backgrounds, these figures stand for cheerful personifications of an iconic sense of femininity nostalgic of the 1950s. This impression, however, is not the entire story of Reemtsen’s work. All of her women are anonymous, often headless, embodiments of both the beautiful and the ominous. Most of her figures either fall helplessly through a blank and seemingly endless atmosphere or stand at attention holding “masculine” objects, such as axes, chainsaws or hoses, which hold both violent and domestic connotations. The contrast between these objects and what is expected of the ladies who hold them is chilling. Pills are also objects of interest for Reemtsen – again, everyday objects that may hold a darker meaning, and yet are glamorized by the artist’s attentive treatment of their rich colors and unique surfaces. Reemtsen’s work then, is composed entirely of contradictions, which make her characters, though faceless and anonymous, extremely compelling women. Kelly Reemtsen studied Fashion Design, an area that clearly resonates in her work today, as well as painting at Central Michigan University and California State University Long Beach. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and is included in many collections including the corporate collections of 20th Century Fox (Los Angeles, CA) and Bon Appetite (San Francisco, CA). She was most recently an Artist in Residence at the Venice Printmaking Studio in Italy.

Pop Quiz, 2012, oil on panel, 36 x 36 in, 91 x 91 cm

You Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, 2012, color woodcut, 40 x 40 in, 100 x 100 cm

Pretty With Pink, 2011, oil on panel, 44 x 44 in, 112 x 112 cm

Blue Valium, 2012, sprayed lacquer on resin, 4 in, diameter, 10 cm, diameter, 7 x 7 x 7 in, box, 18 x 18 x 18 cm, box, Edition of 10 Pink Valium, 2012, sprayed lacquer on resin, 4 in, diameter, 10 cm, diameter, 7 x 7 x 7 in, box, 18 x 18 x 18 cm, box, Edition of 10

Not Every Pill is Bitter, 2012, oil on panel, 30 x 30 in, 76 x 76 cm

Regine Schumann Regine Schumann’s work is nothing less than a transcendental experience in light and color. Ranging from series of simple acrylic boxes to amalgamations of coiling tubes that spiral down from the ceiling, her sculptures are greatly influenced by architecture in their graceful forms and geometric precision. Schumann’s innovative use of materials and color combinations provides each work with a unique and ineffable luminosity. In daylight, the streamlined blendings of transparent and opaque surfaces in each work interact in playful studies of light and form. Due to Schumann’s use of phosphorescent paint, under black light, her works are transformed into glowing, mysterious objects that radiate through the darkness. Once the lights go out, suddenly colors shift and surfaces seem to dissolve into nothingness, surrounded only by a glowing outline. In addition to her analysis of light, color, and surface, Schumann’s work references Minimalism’s interest in simplifying art to basic forms. Her oeuvre consists of many compelling juxtapositions of circles and rectangles, dramatic linearity and dynamic curvilinear forms that are especially highlighted under the aura of black light. Regine Schumann was born in 1961 in Goslar, Germany and was most recently exhibited at the Kunstmuseum Heidenheim, Germany. She has had numerous solo exhibitions in Europe, Canada, and the US, including at the Museum Ritter (Waldenbuch, Germany) and the Vassarely Museum (Budapest), and her work is in several important private collections worldwide.

The Marfa Queen I, 2011, fluorescent acrylic, 52 x 8 x 12 in, 132 x 20 x 30 cm, unique

Colormirrror Chelsea Seven, 1-7, 2012, fluorescent and photoluminescent acrylic, 33 x 56 x 3 in, 84 x 142 x 8 cm, Edition of 6

Colormirror Chelsea Five, 1-5, 2012, fluorescent and photoluminescent acrylic, 17 x 32 x 4 1/2 in, 43 x 81 x 11 cm, Edition of 8 Colormirror Fifth Avenue, 2012, fluorescent acrylic, 15 x 15 x 2 in, 38 x 38 x 5 cm, unique

Touch Me, 2011, plastic light strings, 118 x 39 x 24 in, 300 x 100 x 60 cm, unique

FC Sofia FC Sofia, an artist duo composed of husband and wife Frederic and Catherine, possess the unique ability to combine universal themes with an undeniable whimsy that draws upon both Pop Art and New Realism. They effortlessly allude to items from art history and popular culture, such as Picasso’s Bull’s Head, Richard Prince’s nurses, the Sex Pistols, and fashion logos, to both comply with the expectations of the outside world and shatter them through the artists’ own edgy take. The works ooze alternatively with sex and violence, as the world of FC Sofia is filled with dominatrixes and machine guns, often ornamented with logos or children’s toys, thereby instantaneously giving these adult connotations a child-like spirit. Their popular Domestic series is a perfect example of these quirky juxtapositions. Animal masks adorned with painted symbols and implanted neon hair, these works are fun, humorous, and invite viewer interaction. Despite this appeal, they ultimately derive from the masks created out of human skulls in an Oceanic tribal murder ritual. Thus FC Sofia’s work is a constant commentary on potentially dark themes treated in an almost child-like manner to create amusing and appealing works of art. Catherine and Frederic Sofia were born in France in 1966 and 1967 respectively, and have been exhibited worldwide. Their work was recently shown at the Centre Pompidou-Metz (Metz, France), and the exhibition was accompanied by workshops for children and teenagers that allowed them to create their own masks and self-portraits in the style of FC Sofia’s work.

Invasion No. 11, 2011, painted aluminum, 78 3/4 x 29 1/2 x 3/4 in, 200 x 75 x 2 cm, Edition of 8

Domestic 200%, 2012, painted resin,

22 5/6 x 17 1/3 x 6 1/3 in, 58 x 44 x 16 cm, unique

23 2/3 x 24 1/2 x 9 1/2 in, 60 x 62 x 24 cm, Edition of 4

22 5/6 x 17 1/3 x 6 1/3 in, 58 x 44 x 16 cm, unique

23 2/3 x 24 1/2 x 9 1/2 in, 60 x 62 x 24 cm, unique

Domestic 200%, 2012, painted resin,

23 2/3 x 24 1/2 x 9 1/2 in, 60 x 62 x 24 cm, Edition of 4

30 3/4 x 19 x 5 1/2 in, 78 x 48 x 14 cm, Edition of 4

23 2/3 x 24 1/2 x 9 1/2 in, 60 x 62 x 24 cm, Edition of 4

Pimped Picasso, 2012, leather covered bicycle seat and gold plated handle bar, 27 x 31 1/2 x 8 in, 69 x 80 x 20 cm, Edition of 4

Technoplasm, 2009, painted vintage military helmet and toys in glass and painted steel box, 52 3/4 x 22 5/6 x 47 2/3 in, 134 x 58 x 121 cm, unique

William Sweetlove Colorful dogs, cats, penguins, and crocodiles of different shapes and sizes make up the world of William Sweetlove’s work. Though undoubtedly inviting and playful, Sweetlove’s animal kingdom also reflects a serious interest in the future of science and the environment. According to Sweetlove, each of his surreal creatures is a clone; they carry their own food supplies and other necessary items in the water bottles and backpacks that are strapped to their backs. They are all manifestations of Sweetlove’s concern with the climate change that could lead to a catastrophic decline in available food and drinking water, and he links his work to the politically charged art of the 1960s and 1970s. Although these cloned animals can be seen as innocent victims of man’s centuries-long abuse of the environment, they also double as whimsical companions that vary in size from tiny creatures in a Plexiglas vitrine to monumental figures that rise skywards and dwarf their surroundings. Sweetlove’s use of shockingly vibrant colors and interest in the contemporary world links him to the Pop artists that he has cited as an influence on his work. William Sweetlove was born in Oostende, Belgium in 1949, and has been active as an artist since the mid-1970s. He is also a member of the Cracking Art Group, and has completed many public installations and exhibitions worldwide both as a solo artist and as a member of the group. Recent projects include those at Punta del Este Airport (Uruguay), the Museum of Natural Science (Turin, Italy), Kunstmuseum Boras (Göteborg, Sweden), and Kasteel Gaasbeek (Brussels, Belgium).

Cloned French Bulldog, 2007, resin, 63 x 78 3/4 x 39 1/3 in, 160 x 200 x 100 cm, Edition of 16

XOOOOX XOOOOX’s work, whether on the streets of Berlin or in a gallery setting, conveys the dynamics between standard ideas of beauty and ruin. Grimy buildings and rough, untraditional art surfaces like raw wood, parquet flooring, or copper sheets are adorned with gorgeous women, often appropriated from photographs of fashion models, seductively glancing out to their viewers, who may be either art enthusiasts or simply random passersby. Many of the women are surrounded by the letters X and O, which doubly act as the artist’s signature and imply that it is XOOOOX himself that the women are thinking of, denoting a strong personal connection between the artist and his women. Despite XOOOOX’s move from the streets to works that exist outside of this context beginning in 2008, his optimistic attitude about beauty in the most unlikely of places translates perfectly between the two modes of working. The transgressive quality of XOOOOX’s graffiti is reinforced by the fact that the stencil technique that he uses originates in political tagging traditionally done by military and revolutionary organizations. Thus, XOOOOX’s work is full of paradoxes. It is beautiful and focused on stunning models, and yet also becomes integrated into grungy environments and materials; it is optimistic and yet subversive. It is these qualities, however, that make his work so full of life, as his women seem to tell their stories from the walls they rest upon. In addition to working as a street artist in his hometown of Berlin since 2003, XOOOOX has exhibited widely throughout Germany. Recent exhibitions include those at the Georg Kolbe Museum and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, both of which are located in Berlin.

Laguna Beach (Loop), 2012, spray paint on copper, 78 3/4 x 39 1/3 in, 200 x 100 cm

Livin Proof (Blue Lines), 2012, spray paint on metal mounted on board, 49 1/4 x 57 1/2 x 2 in, 125 x 146 x 5 cm

ZEVS Since his early days working on the streets of Paris during the 1990s, Zevs has risen to become one of the most prominent figures on the contemporary street art scene. Zevs is best known today for his trademark “liquidation” technique, in which he transforms seemingly solid images into evocatively dripping ones that are perhaps more unstable than they seem. Zevs has experimented with a number of methods in his graffiti, canvases, and performances that help him to subvert the unmistakably ubiquitous commercial and Hollywood driven culture of the twenty-first century. In the past, this has included a high profile “kidnapping” of a figure from a billboard, an infamous arrest following his creation of a large-scale mural of a liquidated Chanel logo in Hong Kong, and his Visual Violations series, in which he blurs out the faces of figures like Jim Morrison and Marilyn Monroe. With his work, Zevs offers a commentary on the lasting widespread influence of these figures, as well as corporate logos ranging from Louis Vuitton to Coca-Cola to Apple, on contemporary culture. No matter what he does to them, these images are instantly recognizable to nearly everyone. Yet, at the same time, Zevs’ denial of these images via liquidation or otherwise confirms that, despite their apparent strength in our culture, these icons are not invincible: quite simply, nothing lasts forever. In combining a street art mentality with a Pop Art usage of popular culture in a way reminiscent of Warhol, Zevs’ work manages to both highlight and subvert what is, in many ways, the very essence of contemporary culture. Zevs was born in France in 1977, and first gained renown as a street artist in Paris during the 1990s. Since then, he has extensively participated in exhibitions and performances worldwide, including at the 2010 Moscow Biennial, Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek (Copenhagen), the Mechelen Cultural Center (Mechelen, Belgium) and the historic Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich).

Liquidated Apple – Blue, 2012, Liquitex on metal, 49 3/4 x 24 1/2 in, 126 x 62 cm

Liquidated Louis Vuitton Murakami Multico/Performance at Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich, 2011, Liquitex and UV print on canvas, 35 x 48 in, 2 panels installed, 89 x 122 cm, 2 panels installed

Liquidated Lehman Brothers - Black, 2011, Liquitex on canvas, 30 x 52 in, 76 x 132 cm

ÂŠ De Buck Gallery 2012 De Buck Gallery 511 W 25th Street, Suite 502 New York, NY 10001 T. +1 212 255 5735 E. info@debuckgallery.com www.debuckgallery.com Lay-out and typesetting Stipontwerpt, Antwerp, Belgium www.stipontwerpt.be Printer Daneels Graphic Group, Beerse, Belgium www.daneels.be ISBN 978 0 985 17480 4 Cover artwork by ZEVS Liquidated YES, 2011, brass plated stainless steel on patinated bronze base, 12 x 10 x 4 in, 30 x 25 x 10 cm, Edition of 8 Liquidated YES, 2012, mirror polished bronze on patinated bronze base, 36 1/2 x 36 x 10 1/2 in, 93 x 91 x 27 cm, Edition of 4 Liquidated YES, 2012, gold bonded metal, 70 3/4 x 39 1/3 x 7 3/4 in, 180 x 100 x 20 cm, Edition of 2 Photo Credits Jana Ebert, Page 5 Jeffrey Sturges