1AM Gallery is pleased to present "Memento Mori" a new collection of works by the profound stencil artists C215 and Logan Hicks. Memento mori, Latin for "remember (that you have) to die" is the medieval Latin theory and practice of reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.
Join us for the opening of this exhibition Thursday, September 17th, 6:30-9:30pm. This event is free and open to the public. For inquiries or art catalog preview email Artsales@1amgallery.com
ABOUT C215 ++
"I try to interact with context, so I place in the streets elements and characters that belong especially to the streets. I like to show things and people that society aims at keeping hidden: homeless people, smokers, street kids, bench lovers for example"
Christian Guémy, also known as C215 is a Parisian street artist focused on stencil graffiti. Born in 1973, C215 started spray painting in 2005 and is today one of the finest, and most productive stencil artists on the street art scene.
"C215's art captures a light, depth, and humanity that is difficult, and rare using stencils, his chosen medium. Stencils tend to flatten images and make them static, but C215 has developed a style of illustrating and stenciling that yields an impressionistic illumination of his subject's character. Even though his technique is meticulously refined, C215's work transcends the formal and seems to get to the core of compassion and belief in the human spirit. Encountering C215's pieces on the street is always makes me happy" —Shepard Fairey / OBEY GIANT
follow his work:
www.C215.fr | @christianguemy
ABOUT LOGAN HICKS ++
New York-based artist, Logan Hicks, is known for his photorealistic stenciled paintings. His work has largely focused on the perception of the environment, at times humanizing its architectural angles and structures, and at others using its vastness to explore self identity. For this show, Hicks presents a wide range of works that draw from pictures taken in the Paris Catacombs, as well as grabbing inspiration from classical sculptures and paintings that deal with death and mortality.
Hick's introspective imagery is pushed from sullen, to vibrant, to enigmatic with his expert use of color and meticulous control of the spray can. Over the years, Hicks has developed his impeccable photorealistic style using stencils. Working from his own photographs, sometimes he will use up to 15 layers to achieve this precision.
Studying at the Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art in the early 1990s, Hicks cut his teeth as a successful screen printer, before being inspired to branch into stencils. Hicks was inspired move to California to align with the Low Brow movement of the 90s, and concentrate on his fine art stencil work. Hicks relocated to Brooklyn in 2007 to continue his fine art.
follow his work:
www.workhorsevisuals.com | @loganhicksny