Curated by Giuseppe Pizzuto
Critical essay by Shepard Fairey and Serena Silvestrini
Tavar Zawacki (USA, 1981) is an American abstract artist based in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to graffiti at the age of 13 and after graduation at the High School he started travelling around the world. A multitude of different cultures, beliefs, communities and practices of other artists have been very important for his creative process, inspiration and education. For twenty years (1996–2016) he created and signed all of his artworks with his street artist pseudonym, ‘ABOVE’. In January 2017, the artist decided to step out of his self-imposed shadow of anonymity and start signing artworks with his real birth name – allowing more freedom of creative exploration, as well as liberation from the arrow icon he has associated himself with. His painting styles with mural works in large scale, as well as his indoor fine art are characterized by the use of hard-edge painting, color field, geometric abstraction, Op art, and Trompe-l’oeil painting styles. Since 2005 the artist displayed his work in galleries and creative institutions around the world.
Wunderkammern presents Tavar Zawacki’s solo show, SHAPESHIFTING, for the first time in Italy at the Milan gallery. For this occasion the artist has decided to reflect on the concept of metamorphosis intended in a personal and artistic sense, testing himself with the use of different types of shapes and colors. The exploration of different forms and their intersections is seen by Tavar as a stimulating game and a continuous experimentation, materializing in a visual aesthetic and in a use of techniques that enhance the color. The geometric shapes are combined freely as if they were puzzles, leaving the viewer the opportunity to look at his works from multiple angles. Medium – large canvases and sculptures of various sizes sometimes set on white walls, sometimes on walls with contrasting colors will be present in the show.
CULTURAL PARTNERS
IED – Istituto Europeo di Design
