Urban Interpretation

Presents:

TE

NN TA TIO

BA

RP RE

U IN R

Graffik

Gallery and 34FineArt are pleased to announce a collaborative exhibition in Notting Hill, London, scheduled to open on 11th

July

2013. Urban

Interpretation is a group exhibition which brings together works from South African and British artists. South African artists participating in the exhibition include Esther Mahlangu, Asha Zero, Motel7, Jade Doreen Waller and Warren Petersen; and from the UK, Dotmasters, Trust.iCON, Robin Coleman, Mesh137 and Chiara Rogazzo.

Though not all Street artists, all provide a reflection

on

urban

art

and

art-­making

in

disparate cultural and political locations.

Between

them,

these

works

reflect

engagements

with

specifically

local,

as

well

as

broader

contemporary

global

influences

and concerns. Do not miss this unique opportunity

between

11th

July

-­

25th

July to experience this exciting exhibition.

o Ze r A

sh

a

Asha

Zero

is

a

pseudonym,

intended

to

draw

attention

to

identity

as

a

shifting,

unstable

concept,

while

deflecting

attention

from

the

so-­called

person

behind

the name. In keeping with this notion, Zero’s work

deals

with

issues

of

fragmented

identity

in

contemporary

society,

distressed

and

atomized

by

information overload, virtual and authentic, false and true.

Exploiting

the

disrupted,

often

politically

inclined

visual

language

of

collage,

Zero

transposes

abrasions

and

fractures

into

obsessively

painted

surfaces.

Torn,

scarred

and

disjointed

images

remain

figurative,

suggesting

a

desperate,

contradictory

impulse

towards

collapse

and

wholeness at the same time.

Asha

Zero’s

work

has

been

linked

to

Trompe-­l’œil,

a

painting

style

that

employs

illusion

to

deceive

the

eye

into

believing

that

the

depicted

object

exists

in

three

dimensions,

thereby

effecting

a

moment

of

wonder

when the viewer discovers the deception. The artist has show in London before

and

has

a

strong

secondary

market

at

auction.

Asha Zero CTX\ 2010 60 x 45 cm Acrylic on board

Asha Zero Untitled 2013 25 x 18 cm Acrylic on board

Asha Zero Untitled 2013 60 x 45 cm Acrylic on board

Asha Zero Possible Portrait of Broop Nook # one 2007 40 x 30cm Acrylic on board

Asha Zero Mini Decoy # 7 2008 27.5 x 17.5 cm Acrylic on board

Asha Zero Untitled 2012 81 cm Serigraph on maple deck Edition of 100

gu la n ah er

M Es th

Esther

Mahlangu

is

part

of

the

Ndebele

community

in

Mpumalanga, located north of Pretoria. The Ndebele, unlike

many

other

tribes

in

South

Africa,

have

managed

to preserve their centuries old ancestral traditions. Despite being

a

patriarchal

society,

artistic

heritage

is

handed

down

from

mother

to

daughter;

as

a

young

woman

reaches

puberty

she

withdraws

from

male

society

for

three

months

and

is

taught

the

ceremonial

patterns

of

Ndebele

beadwork

-­

in the nineteenth century

this

tradition

was

extended

to

decorative

wall

paintings,

also

executed

exclusively

by

the

Ndebele

women.

She

has

exhibited

extensively

in

museums

worldwide

and

is

the

only

African female artist to have decorated a BMW Art car alongside artists

like

Warhol,

Hockney

and

Lichtenstein.

Esther Mahlangu Abstract 3 2012 60 x 80 cm Acrylic on canvas

Esther Mahlangu Abstract 1 2012 80 cm Acrylic on canvas

Esther Mahlangu Abstract 2 2010 60 x 80 cm Acrylic on canvas

al le r W n

ee or

D de

Ja

The

artwork

of

Jade

Doreen

Waller

is

characterized

by

an

ethereal

punctuation

of

symbols,

whispering

of

a

magical

momentary

fusion

of

the

past,

the

present

and

the future. Waller’s allegories, a glimpse into her world, are superbly

realized

with

meticulous

detail,

reminiscent

of

Dutch

and

Flemish

styles.

Her

works

are

inescapably

alluring,

enticing

one

into

a

deep

oceanic

subconscious,

aesthetically

aided

by

the

classical

yet

uncluttered

compositions, the smooth sumptuousness of paint, cold pearlescent colour, tangible and accessible detail, and the radiance of dark contrasts.

Like

a

jellyfish

entering

into

Waller’s

world,

one

easily

surrenders

to

this

current

of

infinite

wonder.

Jade Doreen Waller Pudding Face 2013 81 cm Oil on skate deck

Jade Doreen Waller Blood Flow 2013 81 cm Oil on skate deck

Jade Doreen Waller Focus for Fantasy 2013 80 x 60 cm Oil on canvas

Jade Doreen Waller Halt 2013 70 x 90 cm Oil on canvas

en rs te Pe n

W

ar

re

Warren

Petersen

has

always

had

a

passion

for painting and drawing. He graduated with a qualification

in

Fine

Art

/

Illustration,

majoring

in

painting.

Being

a

societal

misfit

from

a

small

industrial

town

in

South

Africa,

he

found

shelter

in

the

underground

hip-­hop,

graffiti

and

tattooing

subcultures.

Growing

increasingly

frustrated

with the corporate environment and the economic conditions in South Africa he became more aggressive venting his disillusionment through

graffiti

art.

After

leaving

that

environment,

he

found

security

and

sustainability

as

a

tattoo

artist.

Petersen’s

work

focuses

primarily

on

painting,

documenting,

capturing

and commenting on various moments, moods and situations. He balances

loose

energy,

explosive

colour

and

meticulous

brush

strokes

with

layers

of

influences

and

styles

in

a

figurative

manner.

His

tattooing

style

is

distinctly

noticeable

in

his

portraits.

Warren Petersen Lilith 2013 80 x 50 cm Oil on board

Warren Petersen Delilah in the mist 2013 50 x 80 cm Oil on board

Warren Petersen Succubi 2013 81 cm Oil on skate deck

7 el M

ot

After working in traditional mediums

from

an

early

age,

Motel7

has

moved

through

the

ranks

of

graffiti

to

street

art

and

like

many

international

artists,

such

as

Banksy,

Mr.

Brainwash,

Miss

Van, Blek le Rat, D*Face and Nick Walker, she has secured her position as an acclaimed urban contemporary

artist.

Since

then

her

work

has

been

featured in numerous international exhibitions, including the Basel Art Fairs, as well as galleries in Amsterdam and Los

Angeles.

Motel7

continues

to

hone

her

skills

in

urban

spaces

whenever

and

wherever

the

opportunity

presents

itself.

Increasingly

street

artists

occupy

both

urban

and

fine

art

environments. In cities like Cape Town, where street art is still illegal, artworks seldom remain on the walls for long enough to

be

fully

appreciated

before

being

cleaned

off

or

defaced.

Ironically,

while

the

value

of

works

in

urban

spaces

is

often

overlooked,

within

the

gallery

environment

these

same

works

are

approached

with

a

more

appreciative

eye.

Motel7 Daydreamers 2012 50 x 36 cm Pigment print Edition of 8

Motel7 Mickey 2012 42 x 30 cm Mixed media on paper

34FineArt is a custom designed fine

art

gallery

located

in

the

heart

of the new art district in Woodstock, Cape Town. With more than twenty years experience; trading as one of South

Africa’s

first

online

galleries

since

1997;

and with a loyal worldwide client base, 34FineArt firmly

established

its

reputation

as

a

leader

in

bringing the best of International Contemporary Fine Art to South African audiences and providing selected South African artists with special international exposure.

A few of the Gallery’s highlights include hosting several solo exhibitions of limited editions by international phenomenon Takashi Murakami; introducing work by distinguished Chinese artists like Feng Zhengjie and Zhang Xiaogang to South African collectors; regularly featuring work by artists like Damien Hirst and Mr. Brainwash in exhibitions and promoting the careers of talented emerging artists like, Jade Doreen Waller, Warren Petersen, Lionel Smit and Asha Zero.

Contact:

www.34fineart.com

-­

info@34fineart.com

rs te as Do t

m

Born and raised in London, The Dotmasters is

the

offspring

of

C6.org,

a

new-­media

based

collective

of

art-­pranksters.

Active

throughout

the

1990’s,

they

bridged

the

gap

between art and activism with attention snatching events that pulled no punches. Hitting the headlines worldwide

in

1997

with

«Man

in

a

box»

they

incarcerated

and starved one of their members in a surveillance cube in a

gallery

in

Brighton.

Their

work

was

eclectic,

merging

graffiti,

new media and performance from the street, night clubs and galleries

generating

a

steady

stream

of

irreverent

broadcasts.

Founding

member

Leon

Seesix,

bored

of

the

new-­media

world

and

the

group

dynamic,

started

working

under

the

alias

‘The

Dotmasters’,

with

a

sideways

look

at

the

populist

medium,

says

the

East

London

based

artist.

The

Dotmasters

possesses

a

typically

English

sense

of

humor,

throwing

two

fingers

up

at

the

passer-­by

with

his

impeccably

detailed

stencil

work.

Treating

the

ghetto

as

his

paradisal

home,

The

Dotmasters

work

can

be

found

anywhere

from

a

pikey

trailer

park

to

the

penthouses

of

Europe

and

have

featured

in

both

Banksy’s

Cans

Festival

in

Waterloo

and

his

Oscar

nominated

feature

film

‘Exit

Through

The

Gift

Shop’.

Dotmasters Chanel Porn 2012 43,5 x 62,5 cm Acrylic paint on vintage playing cards

Dotmasters UK Flag 2012 55 x 110 cm Acrylic paint on wood, framed

Dotmasters Drama Song 2012 43 x 53 cm Spray paint on found newspaper Circa 1939

N .iC O st Tr u

iCON (TRUST. iCON global street art movement) originates from Thamesmead in South East London. A pioneer of a new movement in street art, he started his carer in 2009 and continues to produce new thought provoking and sometimes controversial work on walls in London.

His aim is to inspire a generation of artists true to the culture of street art.

Trust.iCON Charlie Brown 2013 107 x 122 cm Spray paint on wood with diamond dust

Trust.iCON Dirty Harry 2013 107 x 90 cm Acrylic paint on wood, unique

Trust.iCON Stop & Search 2013 100 x 135 cm Acrylic paint on wood

an em ol

C in Ro b

He started painting to relieve stress from a debilitating

spinal

injury

and

accompanying

depression.

His

early

experimental

pieces

involved

images

of

Marilyn

Monroe,

The

Krays

and Jimi Hendrix.

Moving forward his expression was found in the use of mixed media such as newsprint, comic books and

magazine

cuttings.

He

finds

the

cutting

and

pasting process therapeutic and relaxing.

Robin Coleman Time of our Life 2013 100 x 100 cm Spray paint, pens and collage on canvas

Robin Coleman Life in the UK 2013 91 x 60 cm Spray paint, pens and collage on canvas

Robin Coleman Collision 2013 91 x 60 cm Spray paint, pens and collage on canvas

7 13 h

es M

His

instantly

recognizable

style

of

work,

draws inspiration from various counter culture movements and genres, such as skateboarding, graffiti,

tattoo,

street

art,

old

records,

pulp

comics,

movies and the art of ancient tribes and societies.

While

growing

up

Mesh

137

was

lucky

enough

to

visit

some

amazing

destinations

like

Mexico,

Japan,

Canada,

Europe and New York. These destinations have impacted his work

greatly,

especially

the

modern

and

historical

visual

cultures

of Mexico and Japan.

Another

great

influence

for

him

is

the

hip-­hop

scene

of

New

York.

His work can be seen on unique surfaces like old records and covers, 80’s

rap

lyrics/clothes,

trashy

novels,

skateboarding

videos

and

magazines

in

wich

he

utilizes

an

Anime

and

Manga

style.

Mesh 137 Girls Girls Girls 2013 80 x 60 cm Pen & Spray paint with Swarovski Crystal

Mesh 137 Nautical but Nice 2013 50 x 50 cm Pen

&

Spray

paint

-­

Swarovski

Crystal

zz o ga Ro a

ar hi C

Chiara

Rogazzo

studied

Visual

Arts

at

the

Passaglia

High

School

of

Arts

(Italy)

and

obtained a degree in comics at the International School of Comics in Florence. Her preferred mediums

are

oil,

acrylic,

watercolor

and

pencil.

Chiara

is

also

highly

skilled

in

illustrations,

logo

and

tattoo

design.

Her

first

job

was

working

as

a

tattoo

designer

under

a

famous

tattoo

artist.

Chiara

shows

amazing

promise

with

her

unique

style

which

has

matured

and

developed

since

showing

at

The

West

London

Arts

Factory.

Chiara Rogazzo Rose Tattoos 2012 100 x 120 cm Freehand acrylic on canvas

Chiara Rogazzo Chick 2012 156 x 110 cm Freehand mixed media on canvas Reclaimed boat wood framed

Graffik

Gallery

is

a

contemporary

urban/graffiti

art

gallery in the heart of Notting Hill’s vibrant art scene, located on the famous Portobello Road.

Known for its high level and leading edge artists, they are at the forefront of street art culture.

Regular exhibitions and urban art workshops facilitate the nurture and development of undiscovered and up and coming talent.

A

stunning

creative

space

owned

by

self-­confessed

devotees

of

street

art,

Graffik

Gallery

can

provide

expert

advice

to

new

and

established

collectors.

Contact:

www.graffikgallery.com

-­

art@graffikgallery.com