Xenz at Fluorescent Smogg in Barcelona
Vertical Gallery's very good friend Xenz has a very special solo exhibition opening at Fluorescent Smogg in Barcelona this week. Go to www.fluorescentsmogg.com for more details.
Xenz: The Moon On A Stick
Opening Event: Thursday 30th April, 7-11pm
Project Space, Carrer de Radas 41, T2, Poble Sec 08004, Barcelona
The peculiarities of our ever-evolving landscape continue to inspire the city native, with the exhibition coinciding with the May full moon and emergence of a new season. Xenz extends his line of enquiry to explore the effects the lunar cycle has on various natural elements surrounding us, including the water and tides as well as our own involuntary and habitual responses. The hand-finished body of work was inspired by wildlife courtship rituals and innate survival instincts, drawing stark similarities between that of our natural environment and humanistic tendencies. The reflective painter displays a confident array of distinctive mark-making within each piece, confidently smearing and retracting paint to leave impressionistic markers reminiscent of Asian art influences.
Xenz’s opulent wildlife scenes are replaced with a stripped-back colour palette, creating arresting compositions that highlight our post-industrial landscape with dreamlike execution. Bridging the gap between graffiti and decorative fine art, Xenz’s work is both grounded in the present and provides a welcome escapism from contemporary routine. The contemplative artist addresses themes of identity, relationship, success and competition increasingly associated with modern life, and presents a pensive look at the current state of things.
The Moon On A Stick celebrates Xenz’s debut collaborative venture with Fluorescent Smogg, featuring a five-colour screenprint (edition of 25), hand-finished special edition (edition of 5), and a super limited box set edition of A3 black and white prints with an original sketch (edition of 4). The multifaceted print release will be accompanied by a unique site-specific takeover of the Barcelona project space, extending ideas intrinsic to the print’s development and incorporating a series of unique artworks. A limited run of black and white show posters will also be available to purchase exclusively on the opening night.
