Marc C. Woehr

From 5 May, we present the exhibition Cutting Edge with works by Marc C. Woehr and Théo Lopez. With it, we introduce two more artists who took part in the Pretty Wall Project in Düsseldorf last year. Both work in the field of graphic abstraction. The title Cutting Edge refers on the one hand to the artistic process, and on the other to the continuous development with which both Marc C. Woehr and Théo Lopez reinterpret graffiti and interweave it with ideas from Art Informel, the Bauhaus, Dada and Abstract Expressionism.The Street as the Smallest Unit, Architecture and the City as the Larger StructureMarc C. Woehr began his aesthetic practice on the street more than twenty years ago. The street as the smallest unit, architecture and the city as a larger structure, as a matrix, have never let go of him since. He has permeated them and examined them from every angle. The result speaks for itself: his wooden reliefs and paper cuts have 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.Wild Style, Dada & Abstract ExpressionismIn 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 the contemporary movement of 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. His 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.Marc C. Woehr & Théo Lopez "Cutting Edge"Exhibition: 5 May – 16 June 2023Opening: Friday, 5 May 2023, 7 pmPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 Düsseldorf

Curves and corners, circles and diagonals: even a few clear forms can build entire visual worlds. In Curves and Corners, two artists meet who both work in graphic abstraction and rely on clear forms. Their visual worlds harmonise and contrast at the same time.Hand and MachineOn one side, circles and curved shapes; on the other, straight lines, diagonals and corners. The visual contrast between their pictorial concepts continues on the levels beneath: while Marc C. Woehr also uses the computer and other machines to create his compositions, Sébastien Preschoux relies exclusively on handwork.We showed works by Marc C. Woehr in 2016 and 2018; Sébastien Preschoux is exhibiting at Pretty Portal for the first time. On show are works on canvas and paper, as well as reliefs made of wood and cardboard."Curves and Corners" Sébastien Preschoux & Marc C. WoehrExhibition 9 October – 20 November Tuesday – Friday, 2 – 7 pm and by appointmentPretty Portal Brunnenstraße 12 40223 DüsseldorfSébastien PreschouxSébastien Preschoux is a French artist known for his geometric drawings. The oscillating lines and forms in his works look as if they were computer-generated. What sets his art apart from many contemporary aesthetic concepts, however, is his insistence on manual work. In this, he is inspired by the values of the Bauhaus, which emphasised the fundamental importance of craftsmanship.Watching Sébastien Preschoux at work, one senses the tension between the serenity with which he unhurriedly brings his lines onto the canvas and the beauty of an infinitely precise gesture. The association with karesansui, the Japanese Zen garden, is inevitable. Without impatience, he traces the movement of drawing through time and lets the material unfold in space.In a natural and spontaneous relationship with materials, surroundings, time and the labour invested in them, Preschoux shows in real time what it takes to create something we usually leave to machines today. In doing so, he highlights the value and potential of the human body as a perfect tool. His works embody the concentration of all the senses, complete focus on a single point and the mantra "human versus machine". With his approach, he engages with our contemporary culture, in which technology dominates and, in many areas, displaces and replaces humans.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.

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