rik minte
Force and Phenomenon
Force and Ph
Written by: Gabriel Diego Delgado
henomenon
New Selections at Rosenbaum Contemporary
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n discussing Erik Minterʼs artwork, I turn to the writing of Clement Greenberg. In Greenbergʼs writing, “AvantGarde and Kitsch”, he discusses the duality of these two dichotomies (AvantGarde and Kitsch) – neither of absolutes, but orbiting on separate ellipses with the art world. I am reminded of this essay while I review Minterʼs exploratory background; from working on Matthew Barney's final Cremaster
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Written by: Gabriel Diego Delgado
3 Film series and his subsequent Guggenheim retrospective to helping design Paula Hayesʼ Silicone planters, and unique experiences like assisting Tom Otterness in his studio, and creating 3-D sculptural processes for some of David Zwirnerʼs gallery artists. All in a dayʼs work of a top-notch Preparator and Designer, but where does the artist role begins and the designer dissolve? These two roles are seen as orbiting around the figure – Minter, himself. One needs
the other to survive, to flourish and to develop…conflicting manifestations dueling for reins on the creative expression. Minterʼs voice as a fine art artist has catapulted him further into the contemporary art echelons. A unique blend of spray paint and acrylic to create unique compositions, he has definitely developed his own signature visual aesthetic. Minter explains, “As a designer and abstract painter, I explore the human interaction we have with gravity, light and speed. Experimenting with both my own physical limits in achieving
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Experimenting with both my own physical limits in achieving the gesture, to the environment that surrounds us, affecting how the paint cures and how light reacts, it's through these acts and variables in my process that help me seek new meaning in my painterly expression.
Luice (an untitled sort) - 32x48” acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
NITE GOT IN the WAY OF DAY - 12x11” acrylic, spray paint on paper
the gesture, to the environment that surrounds us, affecting how the paint cures and how light reacts, it's through these acts and variables in my process that help me seek new meaning in my painterly expression. I have developed a set of tendencies through my explorations, many of which now combine to create works of art that constantly evolve.” Spray paint is too often affiliated with the urban art scene, in Minterʼs case, he has created a technique
which seems to evolve past the occasional biases projected onto notions of street art. The rawness of the enamel paint is professionally controlled, blended to smoothness and perfection, guiding the viewer down a conduit. Hyper-color neon-esque compositional elements exploit the viewerʼs desire to understand, to recognize, and to ground the assumptions of ambiguous visual cues. These painterly effects push
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Spray paint is too often affiliated with the urban art scene, in MinterĘźs case, he has created a technique which seems to evolve past the occasional biases projected onto notions of street art.
Detail of NAPpYSLAP - acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
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Vice - 32x48�, acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
and pull us through the explosions, smears, breaks, drips and cosmic galaxies, proving to be linear escorts where we can make sense of the abstract merits. The one needs the other in the overall configuration, telling the full story of the occurrence – a new personification and art criticism index of Greenbergʼs iconic notion of Avant-Garde and Kitsch, propagated in its own painting microcosm.
Ezzdrop - 12x12”, acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
Detail of ByeWayz - acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
“Trust Fun”, a smaller 16 x 16 inch painting on aluminum exemplifies this re-evaluation of a certain dichotomy – a visual contradiction, one born of the other, continuing the energy in a completely different expression. An acrylic swirl of radiant rainbows whips itself through the composition, reminiscent of Japanese ukiyo-e artist, Hokusai. Grandiose pinks, lavish oranges and magnificent purples intermingle, calumniating into a portrayal of power, a wave of dynamism, born full of vitality– artistic reckoning through its own chaotic terms. It appears to birth a luminous ray, a neo-golden beam that re-directs our minute attentions elsewhere. Spinning 180 degrees, the semi-transparent luminescent light overlaps its creator, revealing the makerʼs strata of color, but layers it in its own veil of brilliance.
embrace your rituals
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Trust Fun /embrace your rituals/ - 16x16�, acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
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Backfire - 32x48�, acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
“Backfire”, a slightly larger work on aluminum illustrates a treasure trove of energetic abstract “subjects” grappling for control – a visual power struggle of opposing forces, abstract vs. concrete. Explosions of paint burst forth from the right side of the composition, a torrent of color, and a rupture of vigor that smashes through the limiting and physical pictorial plane. The orangegradient cylinder tussles to quench the lavender livewire. Wrapping itself around the energetic thrust like a coil, volleying to regulate the inevitable tactile expulsion. The cerulean background is the perfect juxtaposition by the artist of a calming hue to referee this epic battle of real vs. abstract; of chaos and order; of complementary colors– of Avant-Garde and Kitsch.
NAPpYSLAP - 10x14�, acrylic, spray paint on aluminum
Written by: Gabriel Diego Delgado Works on view at: www.rosenbaumcontemporary.com Š 2019 Erik Minter Art. All Rights Reserved.
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Hyper-color neon-esque compositional elements exploit the viewerʼs desire to understand, to recognize, and to ground the assumptions of ambiguous visual cues. These painterly effects push and pull us through the explosions, smears, breaks, drips and cosmic galaxies, proving to be linear escorts where we can make sense of the abstract merits. Written by: Gabriel Diego Delgado Works on view at: www.rosenbaumcontemporary.com © 2019 Erik Minter Art. All Rights Reserved.