Drawing from nature, past works, and the experiences he had on his journey, Opalka’s recent work deliberately negates the painting practice by having fine art be torn, painted over, deconstructed, and repurposed.
The stencil work began in Northern California on the Mendocino Coast, where flora and fauna grows wild and abounds year round. Coming back to the tropics, Opalka adapted this practice with the simple but beautiful silhouette made by the palm leaf. Taking a cue from artist Lucio Fontana, the torn pieces are gestures of anger and frustration at having left California. In other works, Opalka uses poster images of rock legends, disruptors in their time, to make a statement about the artists’ identity.
Deconstructing the images and then repositioning them over stenciled backgrounds, with pieces of torn canvas and wax for texture, Opalka questions the role of the artist in the cultural and political climate we live in today.
26 mai > 23 juin 2018
exposition, Arles
samedi 26 mai
18 h 30 > vernissage