In the beginning, there was Futura.
That’s kind of how this expansive space feels with no people in it. It is a universe created by a post-graffiti graffiti godfather who has freed his own imagination to search for new planets of influence, new centers of intelligence. Many of the New York graffiti artists who made names on trains in the 1970s and early 80s found a track to transition to the future, whether through evolving their style or reprising it again and again. When you look at the influence of 20th century fine art abstraction as it has matured on the Street Art scene of the last decade, this cat may have begun in this retro-future, and we’re now just catching up to him.
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Thirty years after he took his work into the gallery from the trainyards, Futura reminds us of the greater possibilities of aerosol as a tool for expression, exploration. The power of the works as presented is cosmic; explosive, exploratory, often serene. Fire and lava formations, oceans, suns, patterned reflections and free nebulous images as captured by powerful telescopes as they float above us. While his hand is freestyle and almost impulsive, Futura can be as selectively deliberate as he is uncontrolled. Viewed in this wide open and darkened gallery galaxy, the space-age illumination gives the works a feeling of astronomy, with each canvas a floating body in the cosmos, clearly viewed from your own porthole. But it’s clear who the north star is.
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura. Detail. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Futura (photo © Jaime Rojo)
FUTURA – “Future-Shock”, is at the Andy Valmorbida Pop-Up in Tribeca.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Corporate Space, Happy Universal Shapes, and Additive Averaging Two unusual aspects distinguish todays' posting. One is that the featured project by the remarkable street artist MOMO is not actually ...
For twelve days we're presenting twelve wishes for 2012 as told by an alternating roster of artists and BSA readers, in no particular order. Together, they are a tiny snapshot of the people wh...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening : Vhils: Diorama Vhils: Dissection Saber and ZES/MSK in Downtown LA ...
For many the shock of Silent Spring was not that the chemical industry had run roughshod over the rules and poisoned our water, air, and soil. For a large number of readers it was the fact that Rache...
Superhero and Street Artist/painter/contemporary artist Anthony Lister still crushes walls thank you very much. He never left the street actually – he just opened the door to the studio as well. And h...