Hammer Projects: Kenny Scharf
03 Dec 2015 - 22 May 2016
© Kenny Scharf
Black Rubble, 2012
Oil and acrylic on linen with powder-coated frame
60 × 72 in. (152.4 × 182.9 cm)
Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures.com. Courtesy Honor Fraser Gallery.
Black Rubble, 2012
Oil and acrylic on linen with powder-coated frame
60 × 72 in. (152.4 × 182.9 cm)
Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures.com. Courtesy Honor Fraser Gallery.
HAMMER PROJECTS: KENNY SCHARF
3 December 2015 - 22 May 2016
Kenny Scharf came to prominence in the early 1980s as a New York street artist, and over the years, his interdisciplinary practice has comprised clothing design, sculpture, installations, and video as well as painting—on walls and on canvas. Aspiring to reach a broad audience, Scharf has not shied away from commercial collaborations and merchandising, and working in the public realm has also expanded his reach as an artist. Improvised on the spot, his public murals convey a frenetic energy, reflecting his fast-paced production process, which stems from his early, unsanctioned work and the need to move quickly before being caught by the police. Even in a museum or gallery setting, Scharf stays true to those roots, retaining that sense of spontaneity in his work.
As part of the first generation to grow up with television, Scharf is interested in the immediacy of popular imagery, particularly cartoon characters. These familiar, almost universally understood figures convey complex emotions through simple means and can suggest movement even in static images. Drawing on American cartoons from the 1960s like The Jetsons and The Flintstones as well as the work of fine artists such as Yves Tanguy, Scharf has developed a cast of original cartoon characters that recur in his work. Incorporating vivid colors, he employs the expressive faces and inherent energy of his characters to effectively communicate with viewers.
Hammer Projects: Kenny Scharf is organized by curator Ali Subotnick with Emily Gonzalez-Jarrett, curatorial associate.
Kenny Scharf (b. 1958 in Los Angeles) received a BFA from the School of the Visual Arts, New York. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions and he has had solo exhibitions at Pasadena Museum of California Art (2004); Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles (2001); Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (1999); The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida (1997); University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois (1997); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (1996); and Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1995). His outdoor work can be seen at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California; Davis Bro’s Tires, Culver City, California; West Adams Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles; and Pasadena Museum of California Art; among other locations around the world. He has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, New York.
3 December 2015 - 22 May 2016
Kenny Scharf came to prominence in the early 1980s as a New York street artist, and over the years, his interdisciplinary practice has comprised clothing design, sculpture, installations, and video as well as painting—on walls and on canvas. Aspiring to reach a broad audience, Scharf has not shied away from commercial collaborations and merchandising, and working in the public realm has also expanded his reach as an artist. Improvised on the spot, his public murals convey a frenetic energy, reflecting his fast-paced production process, which stems from his early, unsanctioned work and the need to move quickly before being caught by the police. Even in a museum or gallery setting, Scharf stays true to those roots, retaining that sense of spontaneity in his work.
As part of the first generation to grow up with television, Scharf is interested in the immediacy of popular imagery, particularly cartoon characters. These familiar, almost universally understood figures convey complex emotions through simple means and can suggest movement even in static images. Drawing on American cartoons from the 1960s like The Jetsons and The Flintstones as well as the work of fine artists such as Yves Tanguy, Scharf has developed a cast of original cartoon characters that recur in his work. Incorporating vivid colors, he employs the expressive faces and inherent energy of his characters to effectively communicate with viewers.
Hammer Projects: Kenny Scharf is organized by curator Ali Subotnick with Emily Gonzalez-Jarrett, curatorial associate.
Kenny Scharf (b. 1958 in Los Angeles) received a BFA from the School of the Visual Arts, New York. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions and he has had solo exhibitions at Pasadena Museum of California Art (2004); Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles (2001); Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (1999); The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida (1997); University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois (1997); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (1996); and Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1995). His outdoor work can be seen at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California; Davis Bro’s Tires, Culver City, California; West Adams Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles; and Pasadena Museum of California Art; among other locations around the world. He has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, New York.