NEW YORK, NY.- Jonathan LeVine Gallery presents Out of Knowhere, a series of new works by New York-born, California-based artist Doze Green, in what is his fifth solo exhibition at the gallery.
In a 2014 New York Times article, David Gonzalez described Green as: a graffiti artist turned b-boy who fuses both elements into his current visual work. Kinetic curves of graffiti lettersthemselves a reflection of dance movesgive way to elaborate tableaus of thinly lined shapes and figures. He takes the letter and unravels it, like a thread.
Greens signature aesthetic stems from the kinetic flow of action painting and results in a range of style, combining figurative abstraction, organic cubism and fluid line work. Blending his refined technique with esoteric themes and metaphysical concepts, his imagery is inspired by the seasons, reincarnation and the natural cycles of human, plant and animal life.
Greens totemic subjects are portrayed in a state of flux, floating within the cosmic void. In the artists words, this transformation of consciousness represents levels of evolution and the shedding of karma. This is my interpretation of the souls journey. Leaving behind illusion, ego and material to connect with the self and converge with the source of life.
Works in Out of Knowhere include vibrantly colored canvases in which the artist applies various degrees of layers, from structurally loose to complex and meticulously detailed. The exhibition also includes a series of monochromatic works on paper. The drawings depict Greens friends and mentors, figures who paved the way in New York street culture, provided a foundation and inspired him to pursue his lifes path.
Doze Green was born in 1964 in New York City. In 1976, he began painting subway cars and became one of the original b-boy members of the Rock Steady Crew. Soon after, he transitioned from graffiti to studio work and mural commissions. In 2010, audio of an interview with Green discussing his work along with a slideshow of his images was featured in The New York Times. Recent projects include a large-scale mural during São Paulo fashion week in Brazil, as well as Crossroads of Humanity, a public mural located at CityCenter in Las Vegas, Nevada.