ART IS NOT PEACE BUT WAR
New Works by Blek le Rat
Solo Exhibition
April 5 – May 2, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 5, 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Subliminal Projects Gallery is proud to announce, Art Is Not Peace But War, a solo exhibition by Parisian stencil pioneer, Blek le Rat. The first person attributed to making life-size stencils in the street, Blek le Rat is regarded as a founding father of street art and graffiti icon. This will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States, a historic event. The inaugural exhibition also marks the celebration of the new locale, an expanded Subliminal Projects Gallery in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park, and the launch of the 2008 exhibition calendar. Art Is Not Peace But War offers an unprecedented collection of new works, including original screen prints, paintings, and a site-specific, three-dimensional installation. Blek le Rat will also exhibit several original large-scale paintings featuring his iconic character, an archetypal traveler who walks through walls, discovering the world. Sybille Prou, a photojournalist and the artist’s wife, will exhibit her stunning, digital photos of le Rat’s street work for the first time in a gallery setting. This will be a rare opportunity to view both artists’ works together.
The concept for Art Is Not Peace But War is inspired by an article about graffiti written by Norman Maile for The New York Times in 1972 read by le Rat during his first visit to New York. For le Rat, an artist is always in a constant fight to create. He views graffiti as the most democratic form of art and parlays this perspective into each of his works. “Urban art is a powerful way to serve social causes and evoke reaction from the people, and if you have a message to give to the public, it is the best way to give it.” One of the first artists to deviate entirely from New York graffiti style, experimenting primarily with stencil techniques, le Rat created a new, urban language, a street aesthetic defined by icons.
Using human figures in his art, Blek le Rat communicates with his audiences effortlessly, opening a dialogue. “I love to give enjoyment to people through my art, and I create my work towards this concept: communication, pleasure, dialogue, and also love.” Blek le Rat’s stencil work in urban cities around the world continues to influence the sustainability of the thriving Contemporary street art movement. “I am really proud to exhibit my work in Shepard Fairey's gallery,” states le Rat, “who is in my humble opinion, the most talented artist of this generation. He understood so well the importance of urban art and he has contributed this art’s evolution in a brilliant way.” Art is Not Peace But War celebrates Blek le Rat’s undeniable talents
and historical relevance as a revolutionary artist who continues to inspire and transcend.
An exclusive, limited edition prints series, featuring a collaboration between Blek le Rat and Shepard Fairy, utilizing Sybille Prou’s photographs, will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. Editions will be signed and numbered by the artists. Signed copies of the French edition of Blek le Rat - En Traversant Les Murs, spanning two decades and documenting the life and work of Blek le Rat, will be available for sale in the gallery store. The book is by Sybille Prou and King Adz, edited by Prou, and published by Thames and Hudson.
About Blek le Rat
A pioneer of graffiti writers in Europe, Blek le Rat was one of the first people to use stencils to make public art on the street using icons instead of writing his name.
