Vitche
Equilibrium

Gallery II
Solo Exhibition

May 12, 2007 through June 9, 2007

NEW YORK, NY (April 14, 2007) – Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to present Equilibrium, Brazilian native Vitche’s first solo exhibition in New York. The show will feature a large collection of paintings, sculptures and an installation. The exhibition will be on view from May 12th through June 9th, 2007. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 12th from 7pm to 9pm.

For Equilibrium, Vitche explores how the relationship between man and nature has been lost in modern society. He incorporates themes of politics, nature, ancient cultures and the human condition to formulate questions of environmental consciousness. “To me every ancient culture has an intimate connection with the earth’s spirit.” Combining stylistic elements and techniques of graffiti and sculpture, Vitche channels his life experiences and influences of Brazilian culture to revive the primitive energy of forgotten civilizations.

Vitche translates iconography of religion, rituals, and sacred symbols to create a rich and complex dialogue of culturally significant visual narratives. Influenced by Polynesian and Aztec cultures and Brazilian Indians, he references figural characters and animals in his work. For his installation, Vitche illustrates ancient and modern energies colliding on a large-scale. A dragon, symbolizing the modern-age, battles with a tranquil dream world.

The essence of materials and color is paramount in Vitche’s work. Transforming materials from one state to another, using found wood objects from the street; he expands the connection between the material’s origin, urban environment, and new medium. Red, black, and white often dominate his work, symbolic of life’s more trivial qualities, while green is frequently present, representing the void of such color in city streets. Through these contradicting methods, Vitche creates concern for modern society’s rapid development and change.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Vitche is a painter, sculptor and graffiti artist based out of São Paulo, Brazil. He has developed a diverse style, describing himself as abstract, political, and lyrical, equating his artistic process with that of being alive. He uses his work to fill voids and change what he does not like in a given setting. Vitche allows his materials and urban environment to inspire him whether he is working in the streets or in his studio. Each setting provides a different point of view as he lets his imagination create a visual reality with accompanying narratives. As a child, he used found objects like wood, canvas, and metals to create new pieces and stories as he still does today. Vitche continues to be as original as possible by stepping away from popular graffiti content like hip-hop to the unexpected genre of the circus as well as extending his medium to include photography. His work is internationally recognized. Most recently, Vitche exhibited in Cuba’s Urban Panel Project, Los Angeles’s Scion Gallery, and San Francisco’s Upper Playground. In March an exclusive interview with Vitche was published in Juxtapoz magazine. 
 

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