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FIFTY24SF in association with Upper Playground is please to announce the opening of "CONTRAST" Sobekci's first US Solo-Exhibition on Saturday, September 10th at 7pm.
"CONTRAST, for us, this word has multiple meanings and a deep resonance to it. In one way we look at it is as an homage to what we have worked on up until now and as an element which has held on through all of our creative transitions over time. Contrast also relates to the duality of our existence as brothers, humans and artists. The goal of CONTRAST is to exemplify the opposition or juxtaposition of different forms, lines and colors in a work of art, in order to intensify each element's properties. In parallel, we also intensify each other's artistic style through our process of collaboration, working together as do the contrasting colors and forms on the canvas. We see the experience of working together not only a rare opportunity, but one that also continuously pushes us forward to evolve our individual styles and skills within the constructs of a disciplined daily practice. " -Sobekcis
Having spent the last few years concentrating on developing their unique graffiti style outdoors, Sobekcis has again shifted their focus towards transmitting their outdoor experience into new studio work, primarily acrylic on canvas and works on paper. Finding themselves enjoying the longevity of fine art vs. the more transitory nature of graf, which in many cases ceases to exist the very next day or week. They have instead endeavored to focus their energies on creating within mediums that inherently have a longer life-cycle. This has enabled them to invest vast amounts of time on producing work that is not only remains as meticulous as possible but also becomes full of richness. Manipulating contrasting colors and forms to create work that seeks to initially catches the eye of the viewer in the moment, while also ensuring that it stands out from the surrounding clutter and background noise of the urban environment.
Since moving back to Belgrade, Serbia in the beginning of 2015, after completing their design studies in Vienna, Austria at the Applied Arts University. They've switched from a focus on outlined figurative forms in previous shows, to a new body of work that has been in essence, a meditation on openness throughout the piece, which they feel brings more depth of feel and a subtler composition to the work. They have also been exploring increased optical contrast as well as an emphasis on philosophical contrast within the work. Resulting in a collaged landscape of abstract geometrical forms, which translates their extensive street and design experience as well as their current human perspective on to the canvas.
"By transitioning to abstraction we have been able to more efficiently reproduce the way we have worked in the past (outdoors), in which we were transmitting the graf aesthetic on to figurative elements into a new paradigm which we feel is much more balanced with the way we’d like to see our work gain relevance in the present moment and for the future ." - Sobekcis
By adopting a more fluxus-like approach, they have embarked on major works without a pre-determined destination, allowing the creative process to continually evolve throughout the production of each piece and then rolling forward to the next in the series. They seek to give the viewer an experience that leaves their interpretation open, all the while leaving breadcrumbs of subtle psychological cues, not always readily apparent at first glance.