ART EXHIBITION
PichiAvo continue to scale multistory buildings from Ontario to Tahiti, recently painting a series of vibrant new murals. Known for combining figures from Greek mythology with spraypainted tags synonymous with graffiti, the Valencia-based duo often work in vibrant jewel tones, especially warm pinks and violets shadowed by cool blues. Rendered in a style evocative of ancient marble statues, classically idealized portrayals of deities like Mercury and Venus are intertwined with contemporary street art.
Enigmatic figures frozen in time in Hans Op de Beeck’s lifelike, monochromatic sculptures
A range of dualities are at the core of Op de Beeck’s practice, such as wakefulness and sleep, motion and stillness, or life and death. Seated on the floor with an arm resting on her knee, an exhausted boxer recovers from physical exertion in Hans Op de Beeck’s newest life-size sculpture, “Hélène.” Coated in the artist’s signature shade of gray, the work captures the interplay of light and shadow to reveal subtle folds of fabric, padding, and the figures’s physical features.
Op de Beeck’s monumental sculptures often focus on a central, heroic figure, like “The Horseman,” which depict lithe, enigmatic figures who appear about to embark on adventures. While the characters appear to be on the move, they are simultaneously frozen in time.
Op de Beeck’s immersive installation “We were the last to stay” invited viewers into an alternate reality containing the remnants of a mysterious, perhaps apocalyptic, event. Devoid of people, the scene is of a small community where residents may have sustained a simple way of life. Every surface is coated in gray, with chairs overturned and homes vacated. Visitors, inherently colourfully dressed and lively, activated the installation by highlighting stark contrasts between presence and absence.