CHAZME

Copy and paste: two commands we use every day, almost without thinking. They stand for adoption, repetition and borrowed fragments. In CopyPaste, they take on a new meaning. Here, two artists do not simply borrow elements from each other. Instead, they bring their visual languages into genuine dialogue and create something entirely new in the process.Two Visual LanguagesInspired by Brutalism and Constructivism, the urban labyrinths characteristic of CHAZME's visual language serve as a metaphor for the urban environment of modern humans. Paweł Ryżko stands in the tradition of Eastern European poster art.The ExperimentFor CopyPaste, CHAZME and Paweł Ryżko jointly created a series of works combining collage, screen printing, stencil and painting. To do so, both had to step outside their familiar conceptual space and engage in many ways with the other's understanding of colour, space and composition, without giving up their own style. To give the experiment a framework, they agreed on a specific formal constraint. The result is a series of works in a 20 × 20 cm format.A New TensionIn these works, the characteristic elements of both artists are clearly recognisable. Beyond that, the encounter between their visual languages creates a new and unique tension, revealing the familiar motifs of CHAZME and Ryżko from an unusual perspective. On show are collages and paintings.CHAZMEDaniel Kaliński, aka CHAZME, is known for his depictions of surreal, intricate and complex architectures. He began his artistic career with figurative painting in the Warsaw graffiti scene. Since then, his visual language has evolved towards formal, graphic abstraction. In his works, he combines classical mythology with contemporary urban experience: Brutalism meets poetry. Born in Switzerland, the Polish artist studied architecture and urban planning in Warsaw. An internationally sought-after muralist, he has also shown his work in numerous exhibitions across Europe.Paweł RyżkoPaweł Ryżko (b. 1984) is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. His work draws on Constructivism, using clearly structured motifs, geometric shapes and bold colours, punctuated from time to time by typographic elements. His awards include the prize of the Polish Poster Biennale and the Polish Graphic Design Award. He is co-founder of the international collective Void Projects (together with Alex Void) and of the studio Kukugrafika, founded with Sainer of Etam Cru. Driven by his passion for typography, printmaking and murals, his work is as much at home in urban space as in galleries. He has also designed a number of album covers, including Frank Zappa's Hammersmith Odeon, released in 2010 by the Zappa Family Trust.CHAZME & Paweł Ryżko – "CopyPaste"Exhibition 3 June – 15 JulyOpening 3 June, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

During a conversation with a literary friend about Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the famous dialogue between Zarathustra and the dwarf naturally came up, in which time, space and the moment are discussed: "'Everything straight lies,' the dwarf murmured contemptuously. 'All truth is crooked; time itself is a circle.'"The Mother of All FormsThe circle is often called the mother of all forms: a perfect form and a basic framework that springs directly from nature. Nevertheless, most images in contemporary art are created on rectangular formats. The rectangle gives the image a clearer boundary and forms a more self-contained surface. The circle, by contrast, has no corners and no interior angles; one could also say it has infinitely many sides. For many artists, a circular painting surface therefore poses a new challenge.The ChallengeIn Enter the Circle, ten artistic positions from graphic abstraction and Graffuturism take on precisely this challenge. Some regularly use the circle to frame their works, some occasionally, and some have chosen a round format for the very first time for this exhibition.Ten Visual LanguagesIn their works, they reflect on a wide range of ideas and concepts. They find inspiration in the exploration of colour and form, in nature, in architecture and urban landscapes, in typography and graffiti. The result is visual languages that could hardly be more different: some works bubble over with vitality and spontaneity, while others are clearly constructed and remarkably precise. The artists work with lacquer, acrylic, paper, wood and other materials."Enter the Circle"Exhibition 3 December 2021 – 4 February 2022 Tuesday – Friday, 2 – 7 pmOpening Friday, 3 December 2021, 5 – 10 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Urban and abstract: the title Urbstractions brings together two worlds that seem to have little in common at first glance. And yet every city contains an abstract composition. Facades become planes, streets become lines, traffic and movement become rhythm. Look closely, and urban space reveals a formal language reminiscent of the Constructivists' paintings.Forms, Planes and LinesThe three artists in this exhibition translate this perception into their own graphic, abstract visual language. On show are compositions of forms, planes and lines, full of rhythm and movement, inspired by urban landscapes, Constructivism and the Russian avant-garde, architecture and typography. All three have their roots in graffiti, and all three have developed from there towards abstraction.The Third ChapterIt has now been two years since CHAZME, Marc C. Woehr and Théo Lopez were last shown at Pretty Portal, and a great deal has happened for all three of them in that time. With the third edition of URBSTRACTIONS, we are presenting their new works this summer. The artists come from Poland, France and Germany.CHAZME Polish artist Daniel Kaliński, aka CHAZME, began with figurative painting in the Warsaw graffiti scene. Since then, his visual language has evolved towards formal, graphic abstraction. He studied architecture and urban planning in Warsaw. His surreal, intricate architectures and urban labyrinths serve as a metaphor for the urban environment of modern humans.Marc C. Woehr Marc C. Woehr came to art as a graffiti artist in the 1990s. The street as the smallest unit, architecture and the city as the larger structure have never let go of him since. In his collages and wooden reliefs, he combines this engagement with ideas from the Bauhaus and Dada.Théo Lopez Born in 1989 in the suburbs of Paris, Théo Lopez is one of the exceptional talents of the French urban contemporary scene. In his paintings, lines glide across the canvas, defining forms reminiscent of wild style graffiti and inspired by Dada, Surrealism and Constructivism. His work belongs to the movement of Graffuturism.URBSTRACTIONS III An exhibition of works by CHAZME, Marc C. Woehr and Théo LopezOpening 19 June 2019, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 19 June – 2 August 2019 Monday – Friday, 11 am – 7 pm and by appointmentPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

What happens when graffiti leaves the letter behind? Lettering turns into form, characters into architecture, the dynamism of the street into rhythm and movement on canvas. Under labels such as urban abstract and Graffuturism, this has given rise to one of the most exciting movements in contemporary urban art.Forms, Planes and LinesIn URBSTRACTIONS, we present CHAZME, Marc C. Woehr and Théo Lopez, a selection of the most interesting and progressive artists in this field. On show are compositions of forms, planes and lines, full of rhythm and movement, inspired by urban landscapes, Constructivism and the Russian avant-garde, architecture and typography. The artists come from Poland, France and Germany.CHAZMEDaniel Kaliński, aka CHAZME, is known for his depictions of surreal, intricate and complex architectures. He began his artistic career in the Warsaw graffiti scene as a specialist in characters and figurative painting, before developing his style towards formal abstraction. Born in Switzerland, the Polish artist studied architecture and urban planning in Warsaw, among other subjects. The futuristic cityscapes in his works are inspired by Brutalism and Constructivism. His Escher-like constructions combine rigid geometry with poetic scenery, and classical mythology with contemporary urban experience. The urban labyrinth, typical of his visual language, is a powerful metaphor for the urban environment of modern humans. In addition to numerous murals, often painted together with his artist friends Sepe and Robert Proch, he has presented his work in exhibitions across Europe. In 2011, CHAZME received the ARTAQ Urban Art Award.Marc C. WoehrSince starting out as a graffiti artist in the 1990s, Marc C. Woehr has come a long way, working his way towards an impressive artistic freedom. Like almost every graffiti writer, he began with simple lettering, followed by large pieces stretching across several metres. At some point, however, he realised that the hectic, because illegal, work outdoors at night was no longer enough for him. Wanting to work more compositionally, he promptly moved into a studio and swapped rough exterior walls for classic canvases.The street as the smallest unit, architecture and the city as the larger structure, as a matrix, have never let go of him since. His intensive engagement with urban space first gave rise to collages in the studio: compositions of photographs and newspaper clippings combined with painted passages. Even these collages echo the 1920s, the Bauhaus and Dada, and anticipate the aesthetics of his later wooden reliefs.His wooden reliefs have since become his unmistakable signature. His engagement with the art of the early 20th century has produced fresh, highly contemporary works that give no hint whatsoever that the artist began his career not with a brush or pencil, but with a spray can in hand.Théo LopezIn Théo Lopez's paintings, lines glide across the canvas. They follow imaginary free forms, sway in harmonious rhythm and take straight paths, only to change direction suddenly. In doing so, they define shapes reminiscent of wild style graffiti and inspired by Dadaism and Surrealism. Asked about further influences, Lopez names the Russian Constructivists and American Abstract Expressionism. He unites all these movements in works that belong to Graffuturism. Alongside his expressive formal language, his skilful handling of light and shadow and his use of bold colours stand out, lending his works a remarkable vitality.Théo Lopez is one of the exceptional talents of the French urban contemporary scene. He was born in 1989 in the Parisian suburbs, where he still lives and works. As early as 2008, he was invited by the collective 9ème Concept, with which he realised several large-scale international projects. Since then, he has continued to refine his expression and visual language, evolving steadily from the figurative to the abstract, from effect to essence. The young artist's works have been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications. Some of them belong to the collection of Nicolas Laugero Lasserre and are on view at the Art 42 urban art museum in Paris.URBSTRACTIONS An exhibition of works by CHAZME, Marc C. Woehr and Théo LopezOpening 3 November, 7 – 10 pmExhibition 6 November – 1 December Monday – Friday, 11 am – 7 pm and by appointmentPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

URBSTRACTIONS feat. CHAZME, ETNIK, NEIAS, PENER & SEIKON Im September zeigt Pretty Portal mit URBSTRACTIONS eine Ausstellung unterschiedlicher formaler und abstrakter Positionen. Wir freuen uns mit CHAZME, ETNIK, NEIAS, PENER und SEIKON eine Auswahl der interessantesten und progressivsten Künstler der Urban Abstract und Graffuturism Richtung zeigen zu können. In ihren Werken dominieren Kompositionen aus Formen, Flächen und Linien. Die Künstler erspüren die Transformation der urbanen Landschaft zur Megalopolis, die sie in abstrakten Darstellungen manifestieren. Die Ergebnisse sind kraftvolle Werke, voller Rhythmus und Bewegung. Die teilnehmenden Künstler kommen aus Polen, Italien und der Schweiz. CHAZME ETNIK NEIAS PENER SEIKON Ausstellung: 12.09. - 10.10.2014