John Park has become one of Los Angeles' most recognized contemporary artists. Classically trained, he has used these fundamentals as a starting point - and then exploded convention to develop a rigorously, stylized aesthetic that is rich in layers, meaning, and skill. Park's artwork reflects the creation of a true artist - the incorporation of layers and mixed media give his work a raw, creative expression. His intricate layering of forms and text create a unique, abstract structure - however, each piece is a methodical evolution of complex forms and ideas.
Park received his training at the Rhode Island School of Design. He soon felt constrained by the traditional and regimented style of classical realism that he was pushed to achieve in art school. Then in 2008, Park began to "live paint" at various venues across Los Angeles including many of the C.A.V.E. Gallery's opening receptions. The live settings allowed him to invite spontaneity into his work - and from this energy, a unique style was sparked.
Park's distinct technique of layering marker, charcoal, and acrylic continues to evolve. His new series, titled "Guerrilla Warfare", incorporates all of Park' stylized traits as an artist. He continues to employ a rigorous approach to creating unique, environmental bases layered with text and architectural motifs for each piece. The figures that emerge from these settings are the expression of the artist's surroundings.
"Guerrilla Warfare" reflects a generation whose options and opportunities are constrained by large corporations. It is a call to "arms" to the world to wake up to the fact that governmental policies are influenced by the greed corporations - whose sole interest is the further enrichment of the few, at the expense of the masses and the environment. People must not forget that they have choices to empower themselves and not continue to support the corporations that are subverting their quality of life. The need for an immediate peaceful "revolution" is at hand - achieved through conscientious action, that is not driven by greed, but an innate motivation to live an ethical life - resulting in a healthier humanity.
Skount (Raul Garcia-Pereira) was born in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) in 1985 and is currently based in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Inspired by the classical Spanish theatre of the town where he spent the most of his childhood, Skount's oneiric masked characters beckon the viewer from the urban environment into their mysterious and playful dreamscapes. The great playwrights of Skount's youth formed a lasting impression, where he regards life as a wonderful play, in which everyone has a role.
Driven by the fundamental desire to free his own mind, Skount's creativity knows no bounds. With a background in street art, his artistic expression spans paint, paper, music and performance, to video art, sculpture, and installation. And within these various forms of expression - Skount always incorporates the concept of the mask.
Humans the world over, have used masks since ancient times for sacred rituals, as ornamentation, and in performances and theatre. The mask disguises the identity of its wearer, and symbolizes the need to hide or repress a person's desires, fears and concerns. Skount observes that everybody carries a mask - with it we conceal our identity and adopt a more socially acceptable image to get by day to day. But we can also choose the moments and people with whom we can reveal our true nature, and take off our masks.
Skount's irrepressible curiosity for other cultures has inspired him to travel and study different forms of creativity and traditions around the world. Through his travels, the artist has collected a variety of papers and fabrics, which he collages into the painting - creating tactile textures that animate the work.
Skount has also always had an appreciation of weathered buildings - many of them centuries old - and soon they became his canvas. He finds creative inspiration both in urban settings as well as remote corners of abandoned structures and rural areas, resulting in close to a hundred large-scale murals and installations across Europe. Skount has worked and exhibited throughout Europe and in China, Israel, Mexico, Australia and the United States. This is the artist's second exhibition with C.A.V.E. Gallery.
UK street artist, Pure Evil, is known for exploring the darker side of the wreckage of Utopian dreams. The series "Hollywood Nightmares" is inspired by Andy Warhol's manic obsession to paint famous people. The series features beautiful women, simplified to the most basic lines possible - which are then cut into stencil layers to create graphic portraits. Their eyes drip painted tears, the product of broken dreams of love.
Pure Evil (Charles Uzzell-Edwards) was born in South Wales in 1968. A descendant of Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor who wrote the controversial work "Utopia" and who was later beheaded by King Henry VIII, the artist's legendary lineage is influential to his aesthetic.
In 1990, Pure Evil left the ruins of Thatcher's Britain for a new life in California. He became a designer for the influential streetwear clothing label Anarchic Adjustment, producing clothes and screenprinting t-shirt graphics. He also was involved in the electronic music scene in San Francisco, which led him to become a recording artist for ambient record label FAX based in Frankfurt, Germany.
After 10 years in California, influenced by West Coast Graffiti artists such as Twist and Reminisce, Pure Evil returned to London - picked up a spray can - and started painting odd, fanged Pure Evil bunny rabbits everywhere. He fell in with the people behind Banksy's Santas Ghetto and started producing prints for Pictures on WallsI.
Pure Evil was refused entry back into the US, and subsequently started plotting and producing dark new prints and artwork in a tiny shed in the Black Mountains of Wales. He then moved back to London, debuted his first Pure Evil Solo Show in 2007 - and from the success of that, opened up his eponymous Pure Evil Gallery in a Dickensian old shop and basement in Shoreditch in the East End of London.
Since 2007, Pure Evil has exhibited his artwork worldwide including shows in China, Russia, Mongolia, Brazil, USA and all over Europe - and as an 'Accidental Gallerist', has produced over 50 exhibitions with emerging and established artists. He also produces a monthly radio show and regularly gives workshops and participates in lectures about street art.