French artist Lek, member of the DMV crew, known for his exploration of the graffiti letters and abstract forms, is returning to Paris for his solo show at Galerie 42b. On 3rd November the artist will present a series of works on canvas painted during his one year residency at the prestigious French Academy in Rome at the villa Medici.
Lek, Kan & Jaw, members of the infamous DMV crew, recently had a 3 day exhibition/installation showing @ Galerie 42b in Paris. Opening on 18th of June, “Amerouge” featured works whose imagery was influenced by American culture and were all connected through warm red tones (rouge).
Very diverse in their styles and technique, the artists created a harmonious show which was united by the effective installation using red plastic wrap. Using only dots from a tip of his Squeezer pens, Kan created his tribute to American icons such as Bernie Dexter, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Haywoth. etc. In contrast to his meticulous work, Jaw’s painting include both massive paint splatters and delicate brush work. By layering these two techniques, he achieved the effect of damaged or aged motionless photographs or screenshots, perfectly matching the imagery of his crew mate. Finally, Lek’s complex geo abstraction pieces created with paint roller and brush are linking the works together in a subtle way, covering tones of other works and transforming them in an abstract form. (Photo credit by Nicolas Gzeley)
Before heading to Rome to attend the prestigious Villa Medici for a year, Lek & Sowat stopped by the city of Evry to paint their biggest mural to date, entitled ‘Evry Day I’m Hustlin’
Invited by the city’s on-going Street Art festival, the two artists took advantage of the immensity offered by one of local college’s wall and roof to deploy their art on a 150 feet long and 27 feet high surface.
The mural, featuring all of Lek & Sowat signature moves, made of graphic lines, colorful and abstract shapes and repetitive calligraphies is a tribute to the colossal wall paintings that flourished in the 70s along France’s freeways and tunnels.
Pictures courtesy of Nicolas Gzeley
We just received this little video teaser for “The Wall”, a group show by the French collective Da Mental Vaporz opening this Saturday 26th April at BC Gallery in Berlin. Featuring murals, installations, solo and collaborative works by Blo, Bom.k, Brusk, Gris1, Kan, Jaw, Lek and Sowat.