SKIO

For this year's edition of ARTMUC, we present a selection of figurative positions featuring works by Fin DAC, SKIO, Alexis Stephens and Guy Denning.At the centre of the presentation is the human figure: not as a classical likeness, but as a projection surface for perception, transformation and inner states. Moving between urban art, contemporary figuration and painterly gesture, the works explore how identity is constructed in the interplay of body, space and image.The four artistic positions open up different approaches. Fin DAC develops a highly aesthetic, precise visual language in which cultural references and traditions condense into a distinct form of identity. At its core are strong, self-assured female figures who radiate presence and poise.SKIO's works emerge from purely analogue painting, yet their visual effect recalls the logic of digital and AI-generated imagery. Shaped by a reduced, Bauhaus-inspired formal vocabulary, the compositions take on an almost otherworldly quality, reflecting a perception increasingly defined by hybrid realities.In the works of Alexis Stephens, the body itself becomes a vehicle for movement, energy and decision. Gestures appear as frozen moments of a dynamic process in which control and impulse are present at once. Guy Denning, by contrast, reduces the figure to a raw, immediate presence. His works address the human condition with a directness that oscillates between vulnerability and resistance.Opening Hours ARTMUC May 2026 Friday, 1 May 2026 / 11 am – 7 pm Saturday, 2 May 2026 / 11 am – 7 pm Sunday, 3 May 2026 / 11 am – 6 pmGETTING THERE MTC Locations / Ingolstädter Straße 45-47 / 80807 MunichParking: The venue offers more than 1,000 parking spaces on site.Public transport: U-Bahn line U2 – Frankfurter Ring station (approx. 7-minute walk to the venue)

Under the title Mensch & Form (Human & Form), the exhibition explores the tension between the human figure and built urbanity. SKIO creates a subtle dialogue between emotionally charged figuration and clear geometric abstraction.Inspired by the spirit of the Bauhaus yet firmly anchored in the present, his works combine softness with structure, intimacy with architectural rigour. Fragments of faces and bodies merge into stylised compositions. Often the gaze is missing, and this is deliberate. The void invites projection and raises questions: How visible are we in the anonymity of the city? What becomes of the individual in urban space?With his surreal, graphic visual language, SKIO reflects on our relationship with the city: on physical presence, emotional refuges and inner perception. The exhibition is a quiet, poetic exploration of modern human existence between withdrawal and visibility, structure and fragility.About the artistSKIO began his artistic career in 1993 on the French Riviera. Having started out with the lettering typical of graffiti, he turned to more figurative and romantic territory. Following his studies in graphic design in Manchester and object design at the European Institute of Design in Toulon, he developed a distinctive visual language that combines geometry, realism and symbolic explorations of the gaze.Influenced by the Bauhaus and Surrealism, SKIO has developed a refined and sensitive aesthetic in which each work questions our presence in urban space. His paintings bring together anatomical fragments, stylised architecture and contemporary textures, suspended between abstraction and figuration. SKIO masters a range of techniques, including spray paint, brush and marquetry, and uses digital tools in the design phase. He works across murals, canvases and installations. For twenty years, his work has been exhibited internationally, in cities such as Paris, New York, Mexico City, Sarajevo, Düsseldorf and Mumbai.

First impressions deceive. We all know this, and yet we keep letting ourselves be seduced by beautiful appearances. The exhibition Looks are deceiving brings together four artists whose portraits explore beauty, aesthetics and the way they are perceived in our society.The Beautiful IllusionIn an age when millions of new images circulate every hour across the internet and social media, this is hardly surprising. We know how images are manipulated, and that even videos can now be altered with filters in real time. Yet they still shape the way we see reality. Recently, artificial intelligence has begun to generate images that look deceptively real, taking this game of confusion to a whole new level.Playing with PerceptionThe works in this exhibition are real. They were not generated by a computer from a few lines of text, but painted by hand. And yet they play with our perception. The portraits, some of them seemingly photorealistic, are blurred, distorted and overlaid with geometric elements in places. Artificial, often monochrome palettes create a visual quality familiar from hyperrealistic computer graphics. Therein lies the particular appeal of these works: they invite us to linger and immerse ourselves in the beautiful illusion.Ben SlowBen Slow uses a variety of materials for his mostly monochrome portraits. His dramatic works move between abstraction and figuration. He draws inspiration from the vibrant life of London's neighbourhoods, with their electrifying mix of cultures, and from the colourful characters he meets on his travels..EPODThe work of .EPOD is strongly influenced by graffiti, conceptual art and fine art. The fusion of these three influences results in a distinctive, instantly recognisable signature. In his works, .EPOD combines our idea of the future with vintage, fashion with technology, and reality with estrangement.Fin DACOver the years, Fin DAC has developed an unmistakable visual language he calls "Urban Aesthetics". He is known for his depictions of Eurasian women. His works address themes such as female emancipation and empowerment, sexual stereotypes and colonially shaped perceptions.SKIOSKIO observes an everyday life that is becoming increasingly virtual through the growing dominance of social media. In his paintings, he examines the uniformity that society imposes on the individual and the demands placed on beauty. Inspired by the Bauhaus and Surrealism, he seeks a balance between complexity and minimalism, experimenting with geometry, anatomy and colour."Looks are deceiving"Exhibition 23 June – 5 AugustOpening Friday, 23 June, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Where people once quickened their pace, they now stop and look. Since August 2022, Düsseldorf has had a new cultural highlight: Pretty Wall Bilk. In the underpass of Bilk S-Bahn station, ten urban artists present their work. An inhospitable place that everyone tried to pass through as quickly as possible has become a gallery in public space.A Gallery in PassingThe new open-air museum showcases a broad spectrum of contemporary urban positions: figurative alongside abstract works, ranging from graffiti and street art to urban art and Graffuturism. Today, passers-by stop on their way to work or to the shops and take a moment to enjoy the art.Five Years to the First BrushstrokeWe first had the idea for a gallery in the underpass back in 2017. But good things take time, and it took another five years before it could be realised. Bureaucratic hurdles, permits to paint the walls and pillars, the search for funding and many other less exciting tasks all had to be tackled before the project could finally get underway in 2022. Even before the first brushstroke touched the wall, the project idea was honoured with the Urbanana Award from Tourismus NRW.Finding the artists was quick. Alexis "Bust" Stephens, ARDIF, Demon, L.E.T., Marc C. Woehr, Roman Klonek, Oliver "MAGIC" Räke, SKIO, Théo Lopez and Top Notch contributed their artistic ideas, brought them to the walls and turned Pretty Wall Bilk into reality.From the Wall to the GalleryFor THE PRETTY WALL SHOW, we invited all the artists involved in the project to show their latest studio works. Like the works in the underpass, the selection in the gallery offers an excellent overview of the breadth of contemporary urban art. On show are paintings, mixed-media installations and drawings."THE PRETTY WALL SHOW"Exhibition 14 October – 25 November 2022Opening Friday, 14 October 2022, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Mixed reality refers to environments or systems that blend a person's natural perception with an artificial one. At first, this sounds like science fiction. But if we look at the term less technically, it quickly becomes clear how much we already live with blended realities today. The media, the immense flood of information from the internet and, not least, social networks put our sense of what is real to the test almost every day.Nothing Is What It SeemsThe exhibition Mixed Reality brings together three artists who engage with these blended realities, questioning beauty, aesthetics and the way they are perceived in our society. Fin DAC, who has been part of our programme since 2012, presents new works. We are also delighted to introduce SKIO and Vermibus, two more exciting positions, at our gallery for the first time.Fin DAC's collages show literally "torn" female protagonists, recombining different versions of what appears to be the same image. In doing so, he challenges sexual stereotypes and colonially shaped perceptions. SKIO observes an everyday life that is becoming increasingly virtual through the growing dominance of social media. In his paintings, he examines the uniformity that society imposes on the individual and the standards of beauty imposed on women in particular. Vermibus, too, addresses beauty ideals shaped by society and the media. He rehumanises his previously depersonalised models by literally dissolving them, delivering a sharp critique of the advertising and fashion industries.On show are collages, paintings and analogue-manipulated photographs.Fin DACIn his rapidly evolving career as an urban artist, Irish artist Fin DAC has perfected a highly distinctive visual language that unites elements of contemporary art and urban art. He calls it "Urban Aesthetics". Self-taught and a nonconformist, he draws on influences ranging from dark graphic novels to the works of Francis Bacon and Aubrey Beardsley. In little more than a decade, this style has brought him a remarkably successful career: his originals and editions are highly sought after today, and he has a loyal following of collectors worldwide.In his works, Fin DAC explores female emancipation and empowerment, as well as the reorientation of the male, colonially shaped gaze on women of other cultures. He mostly paints Eurasian women, whom he stages in traditional and ceremonial dress. His interest, however, is neither superficial nor thoughtless. Fin DAC reframes the gender-specific and cultural stereotypes that surround these women, creating a narrative that celebrates their sensuality with sensitivity rather than appropriation.In his murals, the women are often large and imposing. They claim control over their urban surroundings, yet remain feminine, with classically delicate features: powerful and vulnerable, aesthetic and intellectual, physical and emotional. Although his murals can be found all over the world, Fin DAC remains an outsider in the street art scene, preferring to follow his own path with personal projects.SKIOIn his new series Human in the City, SKIO questions the situation of the individual in a modern world and its oppressive anonymity. It is said that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. SKIO deliberately omits them in his paintings, thereby heightening the sense of anonymity. The very absence of eye contact opens up a space in which viewers cannot escape the tension inherent in the images.SKIO places his figures in Surrealist-inspired architectures, questioning our place in the urban environment. He plays with the aesthetics and concepts of virtual worlds. Some of his protagonists appear to wear VR headsets, pointing to the growing virtual dimension of our lives.SKIO painted his first murals in 1993 in the region around Nice. After a period of experimenting with typography and graffiti, he soon turned to more figurative imagery, initially inspired by pop and television culture. Today, he combines geometric and architectural forms with portraits that resemble sculptures. Inspired by the Bauhaus and Surrealism, he seeks a balance between complexity and minimalism, experimenting with geometry, anatomy and colour. His work has been shown at numerous exhibitions and festivals around the world, including in Paris, London, Mexico and Shanghai. In recent years, SKIO's work has undergone a remarkable development that has brought it to the attention of many urban art collectors.VermibusSmoother skin, smaller bags under the eyes, larger eyes and fuller lips: "photoshopping" the human body towards supposed perfection has long become the norm in advertising. Beauty presents itself as a synonym for success and happiness. And although most people recognise that this premise is false, it continues to be socially accepted and followed by the vast majority. On social media, influencers adopt these advertising concepts and carry them to a broad audience that has begun to present itself as a brand or a product.Berlin-based artist and activist Vermibus has developed a unique artistic process through which he questions contemporary ideals of beauty. His focus is the shift away from individual identity towards conformism. He attracted considerable attention when he began removing advertising posters from public space, altering them in his studio and then reinstalling them in the city. Public space is central to the message of his work.Vermibus was born in 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, where he became involved in the local graffiti scene at an early age. In 2003, he moved to Madrid, discovered new painting techniques and began deconstructing advertising with stencils. Shortly afterwards, he worked as an illustrator and later as a photographer for various advertising agencies. At the end of 2010, he moved to Berlin and was immediately captivated by its vibrant street art scene. Soon after, he launched the project Unveiling Beauty, documented in 2015 by photographer Mark Rigney and filmmaker Xar Lee, which took his style to a new conceptual level. The project led to a series of public interventions during the Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. With these interventions in the "Big Four", Vermibus set out to confront beauty cults at the very heart of their creation. Since then, his work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications. His distinctive visual language and radical conceptual approach have earned him international acclaim and an ever-growing base of collectors.Fin DAC, SKIO, Vermibus – "Mixed Reality"Exhibition 8 April – 13 MayOpening 8 April, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf