August 27 - September 18, 2022
From West Chelsea Contemporary:
“On Saturday, August 27, West Chelsea Contemporary will welcome the public to experience the return of the gallery’s popular street art-centric exhibit “STREET KINGS: BLEK LE RAT + RISK” running through September 18 at the downtown Austin gallery (1009 W 6th St Suite 120). This show highlights two graffiti masters, each who have catalyzed the movement within their respective international homebase – Paris and Los Angeles. In celebration of this epic exhibit, the WCC team is excited to host RISK, known as the King of L.A. street art, for an artist talk, complimentary beverages, mingling and more from 2 to 4 p.m. on opening day. This exhibit and event present yet another rare opportunity for the public to interact with an internationally renowned pioneer in the contemporary art world. Interested attendees are encouraged to RSVP.
French artist Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou, visited the New York scene, where he was inspired by the WildStyle graffiti subculture and the impulsive, alleyway works of Richard Hambleton – the godfather of street art. Returning to Europe in 1979, Blek drew on his degree in printmaking and his newfound appreciation for urban art, integrating the ethos of graffiti with the practicality and refinement of stencil based design. Blek became the founder and father of the stencil art movement, pioneering the medium and paving the way for Banksy, who accredits the artist as his biggest inspiration.
Continents apart and almost two decades later, RISK, born Kelly Graval and also known by the monikers of Risky and RiskRock, moved to L.A. in 1982 at 15 years old. By 1989 he became one of the first LA-based taggers to adorn New York subway cars when he traveled to the epicenter of graffiti. From a very early age, RISK has had a deep connection to the L.A. music scene and has done original work, commissions, and designs for some of the biggest names in the music business including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slash, Ice Cube, Aerosmith, Bad Religion, House of Pain, Halsey, Cypress Hill, and Blink 182. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith wrote a special dedication for the RISK book “Old Habits Die Hard,” writing in the foreword “RISK is to art what Aerosmith is to Rock and Roll.”
Both Blek le Rat and RISK have pioneered new techniques that have garnered international acclaim and acceptance. RISK’s use of car paint and surfboard resin creates a unique metallic finish, highly desirable and aligned with the finish fetish movement in LA. Both artists work in, and on, a variety of media from Boeing 777 doors to elongated white picket fences. Each artist takes inspiration from their surroundings and continues to have an active studio practice. Their identifiable styles denote each graffiti artist as masters of their craft. Like most artists who pave the way for the next generation, Blek le Rat and RISK continue to develop their techniques and create new work that showcases their mastery. This exhibition reveals their next chapters on canvas, in neon, and across a range of media from metallic tissue to plane doors.
Initially founded in 2002 by Lisa Russell as Russell Collection, the revamped gallery launched in the fall of 2020 as West Chelsea Contemporary. Since reopening, the gallery has delivered show after show of world renowned art for purveyors and collectors alike, celebrating the biggest names in contemporary art alongside local emerging and mid-career artists. Each exhibit since its reopening has reiterated the breadth of the gallery’s wide curatorial scope and its impact for art in Austin.
Visitors will enter through the WCC Gift Shop, which features items for the art enthusiast and art collector alike. The store makes contemporary art accessible, complete with KAWS companions and Kusama pumpkins, as well as art books covering Alex Katz, Takashi Murakami, and more. Smaller art tokens such as magnets, toys, mugs, and tea towels highlight artists ranging from David Shrigley and Keith Haring to the Guerilla Girls and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday from 10-6 and Sundays from 12-6. For more information on West Chelsea Contemporary and the opening of STREET KINGS: BLEK LE RAT + RISK, please visit wcc.art and follow the gallery on Instagram @wcc.art and Facebook @wcc.gallery.
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ABOUT WEST CHELSEA CONTEMPORARY:
Founded in Austin in 2002, West Chelsea Contemporary (formerly Russell Collection) offers works by names such as Andy Warhol, Alex Katz, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Hunt Slonem, Takashi Murakami, and Yayoi Kusama. Representing emerging and mid-career artists working in a range of mediums, the gallery’s program focuses on the 20th and 21st century, with a particular interest in Modern, Pop, Contemporary, and Street Art. Today the gallery maintains an exhibition space totaling more than 7,800 square feet in the heart of downtown Austin, with a second location in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City which opened in November of 2021. WCC offers services including art consulting, delivery & installation, and custom framing. The gallery is open Monday – Saturday from 10-6 and Sundays from 12-6 at both the Austin and NYC gallery locations. For more information on West Chelsea Contemporary and its upcoming exhibits, please visit wcc.art or find the gallery on Instagram @wcc.art and Facebook @wcc.gallery. “
Reception: August 27, 2022 | 2–4 pm
1009 West 6th Street
Austin, 78703 Texas
512.478.4440
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