V1 GALLERY PROUDLY PRESENTS
Rehearsal For Death
A solo exhibition by NeckFace
Witches, monsters, murderers, blood, dragons and bats are not alien elements in NeckFace's medievil-like universe. Like a fairytale from hell NeckFace (22) tells a story of power and submission, violence and brutality, and on rare occasions bravery. NeckFace's human-like creatures with small beady eyes, sharp teeth and skinny bodies are ugly and repulsive, but ssomehow also strangely entertaining and lovable. With one foot placed in the youthful fascination with fantasy creatures, death metal, graffiti and violent energy and another soundly in the higher stratospheres of the art world NeckFace is one of the most interesting and praised artists on the american art scene. Or in the words of curator and art critic Carlo McCormick NeckFace is: "the most prolific and idiosyncratic street artist working today".
The exhibition Rehearsal For Death is not an exception from NeckFace's ghoulish iconography. He and his good friend and collaborator Weirdo Dave (founder of the zine Fuck This Life) are going to transform V1 Gallery to a blood dripping cave where NeckFace's odd aquarelles, sharp metal masks, violent paintings and quirky installations will be framed by Weirdo Dave's DIY-wallpaper. Rehearsal For Death is NeckFace's first exhibition in Europe since London (2005) and the only he has planned for Europe in 2007.
NeckFace forms a part of the group of artists from the dynamic West Coast who've gained widespread international recognition over the last few years (a group also counting Richard Colman, DearRainDrop, Chris Johanson, Jo Jackson, Mark Gonzales and Ed Templeton among others). Visually NeckFace could have been Marcel Dzama's evil street-punk cousin. The traditions of graffiti, the edgy characters of Raymond Pettibon, the sloppy style of David Shrigley and last but not least the curious re-interpretion of folk art can all be seen in NeckFace's works.
NeckFace's gallows humor has for several years marked the streets of New York and San Francisco. Thus you can spot his graffiti in both Spider Man 2 and Jay Z's music video for 99 Problems. His activity on the streets even gave him the doubtful 'honour' of being proclaimed the "Best anonymous sex symbol" in 2004 by Village Voice. At the same time NeckFace has been busy doing solo shows in various galleries, among others New Image Art Gallery (LA), dpmhi (London) and The Luggage Store Gallery (San Francisco). In 2004 Kaws released a book called Satan's Bride about NeckFace's art. NeckFace has previously visited V1 Gallery with the group exhibition Highmath in 2006.
