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 Languages
Inspired 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 Experiment
For 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 Tension
In 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.
CHAZME
Daniel 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 Ryżko
Paweł 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 July
Opening
3 June, 7 pm
Pretty Portal
Brunnenstraße 12
40223 Düsseldorf
