"Wall of Sound" by Kevin Bourgeois at Olsen Gruin, New York
BLOUIN ARTINFO October 24, 2018
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The exhibition presents a collection of the artist's latest works. The much anticipated show comprises a curated selection of collage and acrylic compositions on wood panel.
According to the gallery, 'The phrase 'Wall of Sound" was originally devised to describe Phil Spector's production methods. According to Spector, the aim was "to create a dense aesthetic critical shorthand, mixed well enough that the audience would then perceive each of the different combinations as one distinct sound or form."
This concept mirrors the augmenting process Bourgeois implemented in creating this body of work. Through these collages, the artist seeks to transform the literal imagery of each album's formal narrative. His process of embellishment and jigsaw remixing of multiple record jacket sources results in an alternative visual dialogue and imbues an abstracted or figurative aesthetic to be interpreted by the viewer.
Born in 1969, Kevin Bourgeois is an American artist, muralist, and activist known for his photorealistic social-political graphite drawings and thematic installations.
Bourgeois is a self-taught artist who depicts his subjects in narratives that deal with the struggle for identity. Using collage methods to dissect pop culture through a combination of photorealism, illustration, and pop symbolism, Bourgeois explores past cultural movements as well as current ideologies, mass media, and a search for self. Collage and assemblage are of crucial importance to Bourgeois� practice in both his graphite works and those that incorporate found objects.
He has been commissioned to create murals for AOL Ventures and Allison Sarofim, and has exhibited in New York with Causey Contemporary, Exit Art, Museo do la Ciudad de Mexico, and Collector�s Contemporary in Singapore. Recently, Bourgeois exhibited at Palazzo Ca� Zanardi during the 2015 La Biennale di Venezia. Bourgeois also presented his work at Volta 12 in Basel, Switzerland, with a site-specific interactive installation titled �At Play in the Fields With the Lord.�
Bourgeois lives and works in New York where he DJs for immersive theater when he�s not in his studio drawing.
Olsen Gruin is a contemporary art gallery located within the heart of New York's Lower East Side. It is a partnership between leading Sydney art dealer Tim Olsen and New York gallerists Emerald and Adrian Gruin. The gallery has been showcasing contemporary artists from all around the world through a series of solo and group exhibitions.
The exhibition will be on view through November 18, 2018, at Olsen Gruin, 30 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, USA.
For details visit: http://www.olsengruin.com
Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibition.
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Founder: Louise Blouin