Tue 1 — Sun 6 February 2011 Blackall Studios, 73 Leonard St, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 4QS.
A
is an exhibition of future perspectives...
scene. Their focus on self expression and originality
The perspectives of two distinct artists,
whilst working in the urban vernacular has had a
whose ideological approach was formed
lasting influence on their own works and on the
by sharing ideas, time and ‘concrete’ during their
generation that came out of that era. Since they
formative years. The title ‘A’ is as much about
parted ways in 2003 their work diverged but some
a new beginning, as it is a reference to the Avant-
similarities remain highly evident.
garde, Abstraction and Alternative aspects within their work, all of which are central to their approach. Reshaping letters of the Alphabet, and integrating them into an urban context, was their starting point, and the fact they have now developed those classic icons and forms into heavily abstracted formations and broken landscapes reiterates a new interpretation and a new beginning. Remi/Rough and Steve More share a tradition of steering against the mainstream to produce work that is both culturally relevant and unique in its vision. For ‘A’ the artists explore the correlations between their work after seven years of development apart. More has recently returned to the UK after being based in New Zealand and Remi/Rough last showed in London two years ago. Since then he has been travelling extensively, cementing his reputation both abroad and at home in London.
Rough’s recent work is an evolution of the letterforms and colour usage from his early graffiti pieces. Lines, shapes and form are dramatically skewed to create a perspective suggesting that they occupy a three dimensional environment. His work is as much about the negative space he creates as it is the positive space he uses. The vibrant compositions and textures evoke graffiti from an imagined futuristic society. Steve More’s work has a tactile quality that is derived from the surfaces in his environment. Found and discarded materials are assimilated into pixels, questioning how the computer age affects our perceptions of time and place. His work is meticulously crafted using the forming and subsequent erosion of materials as an important part of the process. In contrast, Rough’s work is less premeditated and more concerned with immediacy of the moment.
The artists first met in the early 90’s and worked
As well as producing individual work Remi/Rough
closely over the following ten years, playing a
and Steve More are members of the highly acclaimed
progressive role in the international graffiti art
and influential art collective Agents of Change.
Photo by Amelia Jacobsen, www.ameliaphotos.com
“Remi/Rough and Steve More are leading the charge of a new school of post-graffiti style writers turned contemporary artists inspired by historical art movements such as the abstract expressionism movement of the mid 20th-century. Ever daring to push the boundaries of their work, More and Rough have reclaimed their spray can roots to communicate their own distinct post-graffiti language of form and abstraction with a sensual dialect, whilst maintaining the raw and primitive vernacular of the street.” – Sven Davis, www.arrestedmotion.com
“Choice, not chance, determines destiny.”
Rough and Steve More. Rough ‘N’ More sounds like
– Bill Byrne
a rock n roll tattoo but it is the dialogue between
Earlier, some said that all artists, whatever medium they use, are actually writing the same book and searching for quite the same ideal. In these modern times we know that a pre-made opinion can be an expensive choice when you decide to place some
colours and structures, between rhythm and timing, between the time before they met and the time after they split. One turns to space and the other to the surface, both fighting against our visual erosion. Remi/Rough translates music to canvas, using the
artists on the waiting list – it’s not only expensive,
rhythm of colour fields, repeating lines as a permanent
but it can also make you blind.
evolution of his original wild style lettering only to
Nowadays we experience the third infusion of the informal, the second of pop art, presumably the fifth metamorphosis of expressionism, innumerable dadaism remakes, and a multitude of ‘new’
keep it up to the edge of minimalism. Rough composes smooth and transparent codes on the surface, his iconographic and perspective trace, fly as riffs in a ravaged sky. Remi/Rough is painting visual haikus.
conceptual art. It is time to go back to the original
Steve More plays with our memories, with extramural
impulse. In the process of making a painting in an
feelings. He talks with biological fragments in the
abstract way the painter is in search of a reality.
deepest colour. The inside, the before and the after
Not one of realistic objects, but of the complete
are More’s main weapons. His sculptures on canvas
end result. The painting is experienced as a whole. ‘A’ is a dedication to the abstract, ‘A’ invites you to search inside the visions of these two artists who far from being antagonistic seem to be complimentary and inseparable. ‘A’ is a choice, experimenting with the limited space of canvas. ‘A’ is something that comes to life spontaneously through contrast, is plastic at the same time as psychic and pervades
are the result of his alchemistic reflections and his witness to the process of time. Their layers of burnt wood challenge the last verticality of reality. He tells us stories of forgotten particles and transforms the leftovers into main actors by replacing reality into the collective unconscious. Steve More is painting with time as a brush. Rough ‘N’ More. The combination leaves us with
both the picture and the eye of the spectator
some very satisfying results, and I urge you to fill
with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.
your eyes with them.
‘A’ is the joy of mistakes.
Contemplation is not inactivity but exercise.
Walls, literal, nominal and metaphoric, always stand at the centre of the work of these two friends, who
The foreword for ‘A’ was written by our friend,
for ‘A’, re-examine their artistic relationship, Remi/
critic and fellow artist, Jaybo Monk.
Remi/Rough
Too many questions Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 137cm x 137cm
Love her not me Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 137cm x 137cm
Cultural movements in circular sweeps Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm
Argonaut Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm
Moreau Spray paint on canvas, 40cm x 40cm
If only‌ Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm
Monaco Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm
As yet untitled Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 100cm x 100cm
The beginning is always easy Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 40cm x 40cm
Chrome blush Spray paint on canvas, 91.5cm x 122cm
Still life with throw up Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm
Steve More
Imaginary places Mixed media, 90cm x 86.5cm
Versus (i) Mixed media, 42.5cm x 45cm
Versus (ii) Mixed media, 44cm x 39.5cm
Versus (iii) Mixed media, 44cm x 44cm
Versus (iv), yellow, red, blue Mixed media, 45cm x 47cm
Everything at once Mixed media, 90cm x 90cm
Red, blue and void Mixed media, 100 x 60cm
Descent
Ascent
Mixed media, 70cm x 30cm (excluding frame)
Mixed media, 70cm x 30cm (excluding frame)
Phantom spaces Mixed media, 108.5cm x 91cm
A
is an independent exhibition that was wholly funded and managed by the artists themselves. This threw up many challenges both logistically and ďŹ nancially, and at times we had to rely on the kindness and patience of others to help make it happen. We would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those who supported us... – Steve More & Remi/Rough
Avant-garde Antithesis Accented Articulate Alphabetic Alternative Accidental Alchemy Adventurous Aesthetic Abrasive Abstraction Anonymous Alter egos Assembled Axiomatic Awareness Ambiguous Adaptive Art. Amen.
Thanks to Krista Booker and David Farrer at the Neon Hub, Laura McNamara, Vanessa Vainio, Jaybo Monk, David Shillinglaw, Amelia Jacobsen, Timid and Sven Davis at Arrested Motion. All images and texts within this catalogue, Š 2011. All rights reserved.
www.stevemore.net
www.roughe.com
www.agents-of-change.co.uk