News — 2 for 2

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature Olav Mathisen: Olav Mathisen (b. 1990) is a young artist from Lillehammer, Norway. He studied at Ålesund Kunstfagskole, Strykjernet Kunstskole and is currently studying at Bergen academy of art and design. He primarily works with oil and egg tempera on canvas. His subject matter draws from fragments of the human condition; tendencies, roles, and both subjectification and objectification of "the self" in different constructed situations. His paintings consist of a variety of techniques - from total abstraction and thick pastose strokes, to more detailed figurative painting conversing on the same surface.

We are excited to feature Mathisen's work in partnership with Galleri Ramfjord in Oslo, Norway. His first solo exhibition was held there in 2014. This will be his first time showing work at a gallery in the United States.

Follow Olav Mathisen on Instagram: OLAVMATHISENART

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature Presto: Presto is a dynamic artist who seeks balance in movement and expression. Born in 1976 in São Paulo, Brazil, he showed interest in art since childhood, collecting comics, building toys and imagining creatures. In the early '90s he was introduced to graffiti, which sparked his interest in murals and installations. He has painted in the streets since 1996, developing a colorful, imaginative, narrative and character-based style. He studied at the Carlos de Campos school, home to many renowned Brazilian street artists from São Paulo including Alex Hornest (Onesto), Speto, and Os Gemeos. Presto often paints on aged, weathered wood and naturally rusted metals, creating a visual contrast with the clean line quality of his stylized, animation-inspired figures.

In 2007 he had his first solo show in São Paulo and has since presented his work in New York, Tokyo, Washington, Basel, Los Angeles, London and Beijing, as well as appearing in major art collections. Having seen his work on walls in Wynwood (Miami) this past December, we immediately invited Presto to our 2-year anniversary show. This is Presto's first time showing in Chicago.

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature Martin Whatson: Martin Whatson (b. 1984) is a Norwegian born and based stencil artist. While studying Art and Graphic design at Westerdals School of Communication, Oslo, he discovered stencils and the urban art scene. After following graffiti and its development, he started his own stencil production 10 years ago in the winter of 2004.

Martin has a continuous urge to search for beauty in what is commonly dismissed as ugly, out of style or simply left behind. He looks for inspiration in people, city landscapes, old buildings, graffiti, posters and decaying walls. This interest for decay has helped develop his style, motives and composition and he enjoys creating either unity or conflict between materials, backgrounds and human intervention. His artistic expression started more political, but has developed into a more subtle expression blending graffiti, stencil art and decay together. Inspired by artist like Jose Parlá and Cy Twombly, his abstract graffiti and stencils are a mix of urban scenes showing the development of a walls lifetime. He use grey tones as a foundation but adds vibrant colors to break the monochrome concrete expression and bring a splash of life to his work. Since his artistic debut in 2004, he has had several solo shows and participated in many group exhibitions, both nationally and internationally.

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature Chad Hasegawa: Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chad Hasegawa was enthralled with graffiti and the art of the Mission School. He moved to San Francisco in 2000 and received a BFA in advertising from the Academy of Art University. He worked for top agencies, including Venables Bell & Partners and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. After leaving advertising, he concentrated on creating murals on the streets, and painting canvases for both commercial and non-profit gallery exhibitions. He quickly gained recognition for his bold and colorful latex paint brush strokes that pushed the boundaries of public art.

Participating in, and having been influence by, the graffiti community taught Chad to be resourceful with paint and supplies. His self-taught use of color aggressively shapes an object so that it is clearly visible when viewed from a far. Up close, the work can be viewed as an elaborate color design—an almost mosaic pointillism of brick-like shapes.

He is strongly influenced by Vincent Van Gogh and Keith Haring, as well as Franz Kline and the New York School. These artists' work helped him discover the subject matter that fits his unique style: the aggressively large, abstract body shape and beautifully brown colored bear. In addition to their reputation of being fiercely protective of their young, bears are highly respected in many cultures and are considered to be ancestral spirits. Each of his bear paintings is created with the intent of being a protector; personally for himself and for everyone that may come across his work.

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature ETNIK: Etnik is an Italian-Swedish street artist. Etnik developed his artistic talent living in Florence in the 80’s before he was attracted to the underground culture of graffiti art. While his studio is in Florence, his work takes him further abroad in Europe, and also to America, where he searches for the most innovative scenes.

Ten years ago he began his current project, his “Prospective Cities” series, which defines the majority of his work today. Each work imagines a different floating ‘3-D’ city, amidst a changing sea of shapes, colors, and perspective. The artist sees the city as the theater of his actions and as the subject of his art. The result is a production that mixes fantasy with a critical interpretation of big urban environments and their peculiar constructions.

Etnik has exhibited in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Munich, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Monaco and Torino. He participated in our ARTmageddon holiday group show and we are excited to feature his work in our 2 year anniversary show. Keep posted for an upcoming mural in Chicago!

Follow Etnik on Instagram: ALESSANDROETNIK