212GALLERY
212GALLERY is pleased to present a
group of six new large-scale sculptural works by Mark
Gonzales (b. 1969). This exhibition marks the first time this
series of mirror poems has been on view since its unveiling
at Los Angeles MoCA’s historic survey of street art (Art in the Streets,
2011).
In this body of work, a synthesis occurs between
Gonzales’ trademark linguistic and physical modes of expression. Gonzales’
poetry, simultaneously impulsive and profound, is
energetically rendered in spray paint on the slick surfaces of six
prodigious mirrors. The epodic exploration of various themes using
“automatic spelling” and oft-invented syntax as seen
in Gonzales’ countless self-published zines is revisited in these
monumental works.
Though it is Gonzales’ dynamically-executed verse
that elicits pause and demands closer study, the corporeal qualities of
these works quickly seduce. In a colloquial nod to
“skate culture”, Gonzales’ use of spray paint suggests reclamation of the
raw graffiti-style textthat is so often associated with skating. By way of
the monumental and uniquely architectural
ground, the viewer is allowed – forced, perhaps – to physically occupy the
space around the art and the art object itself, thereby merging the acts
of creation and experience – and conflating the roles
of artist and patron.
Mark Gonzales began his professional skateboarding
career 30 years ago; a legendary athlete, Gonzales went “pro” in his early
teens. Gonzales has always been a prolific art-maker and
writer, and first began showing his work in the early 1990s. He has had
solo exhibitions at museums and galleries in Japan, Germany France, the
United Kingdom, Brazil, and the Netherlands, in
addition to New York and Los Angeles. This is Gonzales’ first show in
Aspen.
Images are available upon request. Please
call 970-925-7117 for further details.
212GALLERY features innovative, established and
emerging international artists working across media including,
photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media. Gallery
Hours are Monday through Saturday 10-7 and Sunday
10-6. 212GALLERY 525 East Cooper Avenue, next to Ralph
Lauren.
