“Beautiful Vandals” Exhibition

Van Der Plas Gallery

This event has ended.

Van der Plas gallery presents a group exhibition Beautiful Vandals featuring Al Diaz, Carlos Pinto, DeeDee, Sinclair The Vandal, Con$umr, Bianca Romero, Baston 714, and Stephanie Grajales. This assembly of multi-disciplinary street artists evokes graffiti’s initial impact—to bring the vibrancy of color, attitude, and statement to an otherwise neutral cityscape.

“IF WE REMAIN STANDING STILL, WE DIE IN PLACE,” Al Diaz forewarns. In Diaz’s latest triptych created custom for this show, he reassigns the DNA of vernacular signage such as “WET PAINT” and MTA notifications. In the late 1970s, Diaz pioneered the crossfade between the underground and the gallery with his original co-conspirator Jean-Michel Basquiat as SAMO©, a phenomenon foundational to street art as we know it. Marking his fourth show with van der Plas, the gallery has established itself as a home base for Diaz, a progenitor of the form as well as an essential gathering space for offbeat artists such as Sinclair the Vandal, Con$umr, and more.

Carlos Pinto also draws upon the visual grammar of New York’s subway system. From the criminalization of churro-ladies to the uptick in daily fare, Pinto’s collages created from cut-up entry cards take on new significance. Director Adrian van der Plas said, “Although modern in its material, Pintos captures the essence of a classical portrait tradition particularly with two selected works—a bird’s reflection descending to drink from a lake, and a nude portrait of a Circe du Soleil performer.”

Throughout the show, layered and overdubbed portraits evoke passion and its many flavors. Bianca Romero’s expressive paintings send waves of rapture. Baston 714 conjures metaphysical beings that have traversed the Amazon to arrive at this concrete jungle. Responding to Art Basel-going-bananas, DeeDee offers up a bat duct-taped to the wall daring you to eat it too. Her mischief and mystique will leave you hungry for more. So if you’re not that into bats, rumor has it pin-up girl, and professional pastry chef Stephanie Grajales will serve up savory pop art and pair it with sweet artisanal chocolate as sensorial food for thought at the opening reception on Friday, December 13th from 6-9 PM. Tasty treats for the all!