Urban Spree Galerie

Futura: The 5 Elements

Lenny McGurr

© Lenny McGurr, Courtesy Urban Spree Galerie

Urban Spree Galerie and Art-Together are proud to announce “Futura: The 5 Elements”, a solo exhibition of new works by Lenny McGurr (b. NYC, 1955), a.k.a. Futura 2000, one of the most important living urban artists.

The Opening Reception will be held in Berlin on Friday January 11th, 2019, in presence of the artist, at Urban Spree Galerie.

We organize a special Press meeting on Wednesday, 09.01 at 16:00. The artist will also be available as well for interviews in Berlin from 09.01 to 11.01.
Please R.S.V.P. contact@urbanspree.com if you wish to attend the Press meeting.

The exhibition is one of the largest solo exhibitions of the American artist to date with more than 60 original paintings on display.

“The 5 Elements” is not a retrospective show. On the contrary, Futura worked specifically on a large museum-style conceptual exhibition, tackling the ambitious theme of the Creation of the Universe, confronting himself to the cosmos, the planets, the infinitely small, the Big Bang and the fundamental elements, producing a corpus of works that becomes a path to the exploration of the universe as well as providing a backdoor into Futura’s internal galaxy.

© Lenny McGurr, Courtesy Urban Spree Galerie

The works have been produced in early 2018 in Lille, France, during a residency organized by Art-Together, a newly launched ambitious platform for the development of urban contemporary arts.

A set of 4 silk screen prints are being released on the Opening Night. The set is based on the painting series “Pure” (Pure Air, Pure Water, Pure Earth, Pure Fire). Each 8-color screen print is hand-pulled by Dolly Demoratti (Mother Drucker/Urban Spree Studio), signed and numbered by Futura. The 50 x 50 cm prints are only sold as a limited edition of 100 sets.

A 128-page companion book titled “Futura, les 5 éléments”, will also be released in Berlin on the Opening Night and will be signed by the artist. More than an exhibition catalogue, the book intends to share the creative path of the residency and provides scientific guidance to the series of paintings.

Futura is an American visual artist, born Lenny McGurr in NYC in 1955. He is recognized as one of the first modern-era graffiti writers, and the pioneer of the abstract graffiti genre. Passionate about science fiction, he chose his moniker “Futura 2000” when he started graffiti at 15 in reference to Stanley Kubrick’s movie “2001 – A Space Odyssey”.

© Lenny McGurr, Courtesy Urban Spree Galerie

He started painting the NYC subways in the 1970s and was the first writer to paint a whole car in the abstract graffiti style which became his signature. He was part of the famed exhibition “New York/New Wave” in 1981 at the P.S.1 (Institute for Art and Urban Resources, Inc.) together with Basquiat (a.k.a. SAMO), Haring, Blade, Crash, Quik, Dondi and Kenny Scharf. Futura has often collaborated with music labels and bands (The Clash, Unkle) and is quite active in streetwear.

He had numerous solo and group exhibitions and is widely collected.

11.01.2019 – 24.02.2019

Opening Reception: Friday, January 11th, 2019 from 18:00 in presence of the artist

Opening Hours: Tu-Su 12:00-19:00

Urban Spree Galerie
Revaler Str. 99
D-10245 Berlin
T: +49 176 843 43 633

Info & Catalogue: pascal@urbanspree.com
Urban Spree Galerie

Sponsored

Berlin Daily 20.04.2024
Künstlerinnengespräch
17 Uhr: im Rahmen der Ausstellung Luise Marchand & Laura Schawelka »All Beauty Must Die« Villa Heike | Freienwalder Str. 17 | 13055 Berlin

Anzeige

Anzeige

Anzeige

Anzeige

Anzeige

Anzeige Galerie Berlin

Akademie der Künste

Anzeige Galerie Berlin

Haus am Kleistpark | Projektraum

Anzeige Galerie Berlin

Kommunale Galerie Berlin

Anzeige Galerie Berlin

Kunstbrücke am Wildenbruch

Anzeige Galerie Berlin

Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V.

Sponsored Links:

a.i.p. project - artists in progress
Akademie der Künste
Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung
Art Laboratory Berlin
Art up
Culterim Gallery
Der Divan - Das Arabische Kulturhaus
Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM)
Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V.
f³ – freiraum für fotografie
Galerie 15
Galerie Beyond.Reality.
Galerie HOTO
Galerie im Körnerpark
Galerie im Saalbau
Galerie im Tempelhof Museum
Galerie Nord | Kunstverein Tiergarten
Galerie Parterre Berlin
Galerie Villa Köppe
GalerieETAGE im Museum Reinickendorf
GEDOK-Berlin e.V.
GG3 - Galerie für nachhaltige Kunst
Haus am Kleistpark
Haus am Kleistpark | Projektraum
Haus am Lützowplatz
Haus am Lützowplatz / Studiogalerie
ifa-Galerie Berlin
Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin
Kommunale Galerie Berlin
Kunstbrücke am Wildenbruch
Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee
Künstlerhof Frohnau
Kurt Tucholsky Literaturmuseum
Meinblau Projektraum
neurotitan
nüüd.berlin gallery
Platform Glitch Aesthetics
Projektraum Schönhauser
Rathaus-Galerie Reinickendorf
Rumänisches Kulturinstitut Berlin
Schering Stiftung
Schloss Biesdorf
Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank
tunnel 19
Urban Spree Galerie
Verein Berliner Künstler