Eric Haze New Abstracts and Icons Exhibition
Eric Haze will present a new series of work under his upcoming exhibition titled New Abstracts
Eric Haze will present a new series of work under his upcoming exhibition titled New Abstracts and Icons. The event will open on November 19th, 2009 between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm at an all new Level 2 creative space started by Sky Gellaty at 812 Broadway in New York. For more information, refer to the press release below.
ERIC HAZE ‘NEW ABSTRACTS AND ICONS’
NOVEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 10, 2009Eric Haze is proud to announce New Abstracts and Icons, a major solo exhibition in New York City of new paintings, drawings, and sculpture. It is the artist’s largest exhibition to date. Deeply rooted in the graphic arts, Haze has established a vocabulary of personal symbolism with a repertoire representing departures of an abstract and minimalist nature. For New Abstracts and Icons Haze recontextualizes the aesthetic congruences of geometry, symmetry, and repetition through his iconographic lens. “This show represents a clear window into the process I have dedicated myself to over the last three years, with a deeper exploration of the minimalist and pop styles that have always informed my work,” says Haze. Recognized worldwide for more than three decades for his design work and artistic productions in a multitude of mediums, the 21st century has seen Haze return to his fine art roots. His work in acrylic, ink and charcoal culminated with a solo exhibition in 2008 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Hong Kong. In New Abstracts and Icons, bold iconography and his natural line quality are free of any predictable design or past imagery. Haze is intent to convey his overall message in the purest and most organic terms possible through the combination of stark color contrasts and clean lines. The result is an overtly minimalist composition. The viewer does not have to sift through metaphors and signifiers; instead, Haze bravely reveals his personality and identity in stripped down, simple form. Through these new works chaos is calmed and harmony is nurtured. New Abstracts and Icons will be the first event held at Level 2, a newly built-to-suit 2500-square foot gallery space on 812 Broadway and 11th Street. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served at the opening reception with world class DJs A-Trak and Neil Armstrong providing the audio.
Exhition hours will be 12-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 1-7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
More background on Eric Haze, plus extensive archives of his past works can also be seen at: www.interhaze.comOPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, November 19, 8-10 p.m.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As much as the show is specifically about the new work and what I consider a fundamental shift in my approach to art, it is also about re-establishing my artistic identity beyond my recognition as designer and brand. Through the explorations of new mediums and materials a core sense of mathematics began to reveal itself to me, which has now translated into a whole new vocabulary, the results of which are fully realized in New Abstracts and Icons. After emerging and exhibiting in the downtown art scene of the early ’80s, I made a clear choice in the late ’80s to change course and pursue graphic and product design that was more congruent with my natural skills and the fundamentally populist ethos of my generation. What was originally a close community of self empowered artists and galleries began to give way to a more highbrow mentality, while the hip hop and independent street wear markets had begun to eclipse the art world as fertile grounds for independent thought and productivity. Decades later it became clear to me that the division between fine art and graphic design was not only decreasing, but in fact, was fusing together. With the generation of artists who understood the power of branding and iconography, these two worlds began informing each other in powerful and exciting new ways. Armed with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of purpose, as well as a profound personal desire to rediscover a more organic approach in my own work, I returned to canvas and paper when I returned to New York in 2004. New Abstracts and Icons not only represents a completely new direction in my personal work over the last three years, but also symbolizes what I consider an important full cycle in both my own career and art culture at large.Eric Haze – 2009
ARTIST BIO
Born in New York City, the legendary Eric Haze has been making his impact felt in the worlds of art, product and graphic design for over 30 years. After spending the early ‘80s on the front lines of the downtown New York art scene exhibiting alongside Keith Haring and Jean-Michelle Basquiat, Haze opened his design studio in 1986, becoming one of the first visual artists to define the look and graphic language of Hip Hop during its golden years. Some of his most classic works include designs for Public Enemy, EPMD, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. Haze founded his own eponymous clothing line in 1993, which remains recognized worldwide as one of the original brands that helped create the blueprint for streetwear and urban product as we know it today. At the forefront of the emergence of the modern world of contemporary artist and brand collaborations, Haze’s portfolio includes significant works with Nike, Casio, Medicom and Scion. Forthcoming releases in 2010 include a HazexStussy clothing collection and Haze x Pro-Keds model sneaker. Haze has re-established a strong presence in the fine art world with recent solo and group exhibitions in New York (Neo Graffiti, Agnès B, 2001), Los Angeles (Nov York, A-Life Gallery, 2008), Amsterdam (Calligraffiti, 2007), and Hong Kong (Full Circle, Museum of Contemporary Art / Hong Kong, 2008). Haze currently directs his brand, design, and fine art studios out of his Brooklyn headquarters.
