Contemporary Art: Conor Harrington "Eat & Delete" @ 268 Mulberry Street, New York

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - I like contemporary art.  Recently I discovered the works by Conor Harrington, who became immediately one of my favorites. The Irish artist, who is based in London, works simultaneously for galleries and as a street artist (artsy).

            Stories About Sex And Violence

This week I admired some of Harrington`s paintings @ Old Gym, 268 Mulberry Street, New York. This is a pop-up exhibition exclusively for Harrington and is hosted by the Lazarides gallery in London (lazinc). The show runs only one week and will end this Saturday 4th October 2014. You also can find a mural of his on the Suffolk Street facade of Streit’s Matzo factory in New York´s Lower East Side (pictures at the bottom of this post).

As I saw his works, I thought "Wow". I am impressed by the raw power of these images and the blend of photorealism with surrealism. His images are a mixture of exact reproduction with a perfect dose of some roughness. I really enjoy Harrington`s techniques, which reveal his experience as a street artist.
(From top:  "The Unveiling"; "Sweet Nothings From A Vocal Gymnast"; ": "Samsons Nostalgia Trap" (all: Oil and spray paint on linen, 190 cm X 260 cm)

I also indulge in the compositions of his colorful paintings. Like many artists Harrington tells us stories about sex and violence, and about power and conflicts. But he does that with more imagination than the majority of his colleagues. There are a lot of more or less subtle signals in it, like the blue flag of the United nations on some paintings.
(above: "Small Town With A Global Punch"; "The Dangers Of Going Over The Top"; "How The World Works" (all: (Oil on linen, 190 cm X 260 cm)

                                                         

                     Brutal Dynamics

 The brutal dynamics of Harrison´s work has some cinematic qualities. His images remind me of movies by David Lynch or Stanley Kubrick. Maybe, some day the artist will transform into a movie director.
(above: "Holding Hands Across History"; "Fragments On An Endless Battlefield"; "A Tale Of Naked Ambition" (all: Oil and spray paint on linen, 190 cm X 260 cm)

Mugshot 3 - Augmented Reality";  "Mugshot 4 - Living Memory";  "Mugshot 1 - Out With A Bang" (all: Oil and spray paint on linen, 190 cm X 150 cm)

I shot the pictures from different distances to reveal some of the details which make them so special.

Bravo Conor Harrington! I hope to see more of his works in future.