LIVING DECAY

LOCATION
GALLERI BI-Z, KRISTIANSAND, NORWAY

DATE:
AUGUST, 2023

This exhibition, my first major exhibition in Kristiansand, explores a wide variety of materials I have recycled or collected from the streets of Bergen, Stavanger, Mandal, Kristiansand, and Oslo – such as posters, stickers, broken signs, skateboards, bricks, peeling paint, and more. These are things we often pass by in our daily lives without recognizing their potential. For me, the portrait itself is not the most important aspect, but rather the materials used to create it and how it's made. It's about showcasing what a forgotten material can be, in a way that captures attention and inspires closer exploration. Art has a unique ability to convey important messages while helping us see the potential in materials we would normally reject, ignore, or overlook.

Many are curious about the background of my artistic process. I am a product of the rise of graffiti and street art culture in the urban environment. I can't imagine my own artistry without the influence of, and the use of, the spray can. My introduction to art wasn't through da Vinci, Picasso, or Munch, but through local graffiti artists like Dyst, Poet, Jedy, Jager, and Nemesis. When I discovered Paste-ups in high school, I started pasting up handmade or printed illustrations with wallpaper and wheat paste. I enjoyed drawing, painting, graffiti, stencils, and graphic design individually, but with Paste-ups, I could combine these techniques into a cohesive end product. They were painted over, tagged, torn down, covered by posters, or influenced by weather and wind. My style and visual language evolved as I observed this decay, and the purpose is to depict the same life cycle in my images.

I want to thank Espen Brask Nordfonn, Kristian Nicholls and everyone at Galleri Bi-Z who contributed to the exhibition. A special thanks goes to Espen Jetmundsen and Tone Larsen. This exhibition wouldn't have been possible without all of you, and I am eternally grateful!

- René Konings