“Breaking Ground II: Redefining the Urban Experience” Featuring John “CRASH” Matos
January 2017 – February 2017
Reception: Thursday, February 2nd, 2017 from 6-8pm
Please RSVP: 949.510.5481 by January 27th, 2017

JoAnne Artman Gallery
326 N Coast Highway || Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Contact: JoAnne Artman
Telephone: 949-510-5481 || E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.joanneartmangallery.com

CRASH

A part of the rich cultural and artistic fabric of NYC, the dynamic, explosive work of graffiti legend John “Crash” Matos is coming to the West Coast! Crash’s work is a visual collage that combines elements of comic strips and well-known pop culture imagery with his iconic visual style.

Working in the ever-evolving field of graffiti and street art, Matos is pioneering not only his technique and style but also his pivotal role in the way we perceive graffiti today. Crash curated the groundbreaking show Graffiti Art Success for America at Fashion Moda, New York, in 1980, bringing attention to graffiti on an international stage and re-directing the dialogue around it as a legitimate art form.

JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present Crash’s works on canvas following the inaugural showing at the gallery’s New York City location. In this selected body of work Crash is working within his distinctive narrative format. Each piece in the exhibition represents a different action sequence of events in various iterations relating to scale. The action here is condensed from the longer narrative format that Crash employs in his larger murals, with characters like Popeye and Dick Tracey collaged into the visual plane of action, abstracted into bursts and streaks of color, and executed in Crash’s vivid and dynamic style.

Speaking to the urban experience and rooted in visual and cultural history, Crash’s work will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize!