DENIAL is news-worthy for multiple reasons.
With an army of cohorts, his guerrilla sticker campaign has managed to spread almost 500,000 adhesive pseudo-logos around the world, on almost every continent. In recent months, his prolific celebration of the sublime and the absurd has also resulted in 250 original spray-painted stencil works being sold out at 323East, and 1xRUN has delivered hundreds of works all over the world.
– Listen to Denial’s Interview on WDET FM
This local yet international artist resides just next door in Windsor Ontario, but has been declared persona-non-grata according to United States Immigration authorities, due to certain legal-hazards inherent to the art-form of graffiti. Where a less resourceful artist might just find himself shit-out-of-luck, DENIAL decided to fight the good fight, and used his creativity to find a way to circumvent his effective captivity.
Constructing a cut-out/painting of himself, complete with a Skype-enabled computer monitor for a head, DENIAL has created his own surrogate-self, to “personally” attend art-openings in the United States. Homeland Security may not like it, but the cultural virus that is DENIAL has arrived, and is definitely spreading.
Studio Visit in Windsor, Ontario
About the exhibition
Accept Denial. It’s a rare and happy coincidence when the title of an art exhibit achieves a two-fold purpose – to draw attention to the creator of the art itself and (more importantly) to bring into focus the personal philosophy that drives him to create.
Denial is the chosen name of a contemporary artist based in Canada whose concerns are both local and global. He has a sense of humor, a value system that values truth above all, and an insightful candor when it comes to a number of political and social issues.
And it is that candor that is nicely reflected in the first word of the deliberately (and deliciously) ironic title that 323East chose for Denial’s forthcoming show there. The pieces – done in mediums ranging from video installation to 3-dimensional sculptural “provocations” – are all new.
The theme of the show, however, is not new – it is an evolved one.
How does one maintain a sense of identity in a society that is slowly being suffocated by an animus of pure commercialism? Indeed, is there even a need for personal identity when nearly every facet of a person’s existence is shaped by his or her role as a consumer? Notable exceptions around the globe notwithstanding, man has never been so free as he presumably is now. However, this liberty and self-awareness is practically a dead issue – you cannot “buy” with a creed and character is not a thing taken into account by a credit rating.
The dystopian visionaries who predicted all this (the ones still living anyway) are probably smiling now – albeit sadly. And like this eminently skilled and (may we use the word?) angry artist, they probably appreciate the call to action that is coded within the show’s name.
– Listen to Denial’s Live interview on WEDT FM
– Limited Edition Release– Everyone Is Crazy, Except For Me
Following the opening reception of his solo exhibition, 1xRUN has an exclusive set of stenciled multiples that become available at noon on October 10th. There are only 40 of these 12×12 aerosol pieces on wood cradle. Check out the full details on the print page.
About DENIAL
DENIAL is news-worthy for multiple reasons.
With an army of cohorts, his guerrilla sticker campaign has managed to spread almost 500,000 adhesive pseudo-logos around the world, on almost every continent. In recent months, his prolific celebration of the sublime and the absurd has also resulted in 250 original spray-painted stencil works being sold out of 323East, and their web startup for limited edition artwork, 1xRUN has delivered hundreds of works all over the world.
This local yet international artist resides just next door in Windsor Ontario, but has been declared persona-non-grata according to United States Immigration authorities, due to certain legal-hazards inherent to the art-form of graffiti. Where a less resourceful artist might just find himself shit-out-of-luck, DENIAL decided to fight the good fight, and used his creativity to find a way to circumvent his effective captivity.
Constructing a cut-out/painting of himself, complete with a Skype-enabled computer monitor for a head, DENIAL has created his own surrogate-self, to “personally” attend art-openings in the United States. Homeland Security may not like it, but the cultural virus that is DENIAL has arrived, and is definitely spreading.
Studio Visit in Windsor, Ontario