New exhibition at Kemper at the Crossroads explores graffiti and its influence on Contemporary art
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, October 13, 2024


New exhibition at Kemper at the Crossroads explores graffiti and its influence on Contemporary art
Gajin Fujita, Ride or Die, 2005; spray paint, paint marker, paint stick, gold and white gold leaf, 84 x 132 1/2 inches; Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection; Museum Purchase, Enid and Crosby Kemper and William T. Kemper Acquisition Fund, 2005.29a–c



KANSAS CITY, MO.- Graffiti or “street art” has been largely synonymous with being made and viewed outdoors, on surfaces of public structures throughout cities worldwide, usually without permission. The works of art in Ride or Die will explore the influence of graffiti—direct and indirect—through works from the permanent collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibition is on view September 6–December 6, 2013, at Kemper at the Crossroads. Admission is free.

Ride or Die—the exhibition’s title taken from Gajin Fujita’s large-scale painting—includes works by Ed Blackburn, Archie Scott Gobber, Jim Hodges, Greg Miller, Roger Shimomura, and Frank Stella. These artworks serve as examples of the influence that graffiti has had on artists showing within a museum context.

Graffiti or “street art” has been largely synonymous with being made and viewed outdoors, on surfaces of public structures throughout cities worldwide, usually without permission. The visual vocabulary used by graffiti artists has often expressed modes of activism, creative thought, and personal and cultural insignias. Contemporary artists like Barry McGee (Twist) and many of his fellow “taggers” from San Francisco’s Mission District as well as others like Chicago native and KCAI alumnus Jordan Nickel (POSE) have made the transition from working outside to showing in galleries.* This development has significantly changed the artistic practice of graffiti artists, prompting the making of three-dimensional and smaller compositions.

Visual signifiers and recognizable motifs often associated with graffiti culture, such as abstract graphic shapes, vibrant colors, bold lettering, and mural-like dimensions, are identifiable in works by artists outside of the genre. These works, culled from the Kemper Museum’s permanent collection, serve as examples of the influence that graffiti has had on artists showing in the museum context.

New York-based artist Frank Stella’s Ohonoo (1994), inspired by Herman Melville’s writings, evokes elements of graffiti such as distinct lines, sweeping gestures, and bright colors done on a monumental scale. Greg Miller and Archie Scott Gobber incorporate text into their works, another visual component used by graffiti artists and often inspired by comic book artists and illustrators. Graffiti is also intertwined with pop culture and politics as a means to deliver messages quickly and to a wide public audience. Roger Shimomura includes political figures and media icons in many of his works, such as Untitled (1984), to address sociopolitical issues of Asian American ethnicity, while Ed Blackburn’s Painted Magazine Rodeo Rider (1976) recontextualizes an iconic image of an American cowboy from small scale magazine ad to billboard-size status. In the painting Ride or Die (2005) Gajin Fujita (Hyde) incorporates multiple aspects of graffiti art informed by his years as an active member of two Los Angeles-based graffiti bombing crews.

*Graffiti artists use personal signatures or “tag names” to identify their works.










Today's News

September 6, 2013

Exhibition shows works created on the route of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

Major exhibition of recent paintings by Cecily Brown opens at Gagosian in Beverly Hills

Women of the pleasure quarters: A Japanese painted screen on view at the British Museum

Gut feeling: Richard III had intestinal worms according to University of Cambridge researchers

Premier selection of galleries to participate in Art Basel's 12th edition in Miami Beach

Wright's lifestyle auction, Living Contemporary, mixes modern and contemporary art with 20th century

Orange County Museum of Art Director and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Szakacs resigns

Mexican artist Bosco Sodi's first solo United Kingdom exhibition opens at Pace

13th century samurai swords could sell for $200,000 or more at Bonhams New York

Out of the Ordinary auction in London sees enthusiastic bidding in packed saleroom

Group exhibition of artists represented by Bernarducci Meisel Gallery included in Photorealism in the Digital Age

Wadsworth Atheneum presents its first collection-based photography exhibition in nearly a decade

In final round, David Chipperfield Architects selected to renovate Haus der Kunst in Munich

Royal Institute of British Architects Manser Medal for best new home: Shortlist announced

New exhibition at Kemper at the Crossroads explores graffiti and its influence on Contemporary art

Hassinger & Clark: Boxes, Combs and Constellations opens at University of Delaware Museums

Kunsthaus Zürich presents solo exhibition by Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan

Peabody Essex Museum appoints new Curator of Chinese and East Asian Art

Martin Eder's first exhibition in Zurich opens at Hauser & Wirth




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful