Group show

HG Contemporary is proud to present a group show featuring today’s stand out street artists, RETNA, Swoon, Olek, AIKO, Pixelpancho and Jay West. The show will bring together these artists whose works have scaled the genre of street art and have made their unique voices stand out through their distinct styles.

RETNA, an acclaimed street artist from LA has created his unique style through the integration of different language components in addition to his own symbols. His caligraphic created language has been made even more appararent through the bold color choices and contrast through the use of negative space, making him a popular street artist in the fine art realm.

Caledonia Curry, working under the artist name Swoon, takes her inspiration from real-life subjects while combining them with her use of various found materials to explore the relationship between people and their built environments. Her drawings, prints, site specific installations, street interventions, and community based projects have been shown at MoMA, Deitch Projects, and The Brooklyn Museum, among many others.

Olek has made her mark using one definitive characterisitc, crochet. Although she uses crochet over many different objects and found resources, this choice of medium is one constant in her work, defining her as “Crocheted Olek.” The artist herself says, “I crochet everything that enters my space. Sometimes it’s a text message, a medical report, found objects. There is the unraveling, the ephemeral part of my work that never lets me forget about the limited life of the art object and art concept. What do I intend to reveal? You have to pull the end of the yarn and unravel the story behind the crochet.”

Aiko was born and raised in Tokyo before she decided to move to New York. In some ways her work retains a level of her past history through the use of Japanese imagery. She uses her pop art-esque style to juxtapoze the relationships between traditional imagery in a new modern style. Her subject content and choice of medium creates a compelling contrast that can transform a blank canvas into a beautiful work of art.

Pixelpancho was born in Turin, and introduced to color and form by his grandfather who painted. His passion for art and design led him to the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts and then to the Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia, Spain. He often traveled between the two places and took the time to make his mark, literally, on the environment around him. His use of wall posters, and paintings allowed him to show his surreal work in many European cities. The contrast between the world his art inhibits and the work we live in is great, and serves to cement a melancholy feeling in viewers.

Jay West, or Justin West, Hails from Harlem and uses his pop-expressionist style to create invigorating art. West started making art at 4 and hasn’t stopped, drawing inspiration from from artists like Francis Bacon, and Willem De Kooning. He uses free-form line work to create an image out of nothing. His few color choices highlight what he can do with light and form by contextualizing an environment where there is only chaos. He creates a sense of being in his works and his upbringing that was filled with comic books, and cartoons shows shines through in a pure and haptic way.

The HG Contemporary Gallery was founded in 2014 by Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim and specializes in bold, process-oriented work by emerging and established artists. HG Contemporary is committed to developing its international program as a modern and contemporary art gallery by presenting ambitious and diverse exhibitions that emphasize both aesthetics and concept. Previous shows have featured artists RETNA, Stuart McAlpine Miller, Jason Dussault, and Massimo Agostinelli.

The Group Show will run from May 17th to June 10th.