Solo Exhibition DOES in Chicago

Sat, Jun 13 - Fri, Jul 31  2015

Maxwell Colette Gallery present ‘Transition‘, a solo show from the renowned Dutch graffiti artist DOES, running until July 31. The exhibition features recent mixed media paintings on canvas, including large scale work up to 18 feet in length. This will be the artist’s first solo show in Chicago and debut exhibition with the gallery. 

DOES.
Confused gold (2015)

About the Exhibition

Transition presents a body of text-based paintings where words are visually imploded and reconstituted as aggregations of disarticulated, smoldering letterforms. These compositions seem to levitate in space, dripping and melting away at their edges into the painting’s etherial, minimalist backgrounds. DOES portrays the forms with incredible accuracy and attention to detail; rendering them nearly hyper-realistic. His technical mastery is stunning, and the paintings push beyond the boundaries of traditional graffiti into a more conceptual and painterly territory where shapes and colors assume narrative and present reflections of our frenetic post-modern society.

Though traditional letterforms remain his passion, Transition finds DOES exploring new ground both visually and conceptually. The artist explains: “while my roots are in graffiti, I don’t like to limit myself to only one discipline. I think it’s more interesting to take elements from different movements and incorporate them into my work.” As the title implies, the paintings in Transition are the result of a period of heightened creative development, and provide an exciting glimpse into his unique aesthetic evolution.

About Joos van Barneveld (DOES)

Perfecting his craft since 1997, DOES is a multidisciplinary international artist recognised for his dizzying choice of colours, clean style and eye for detail.

Taking root in graffiti art, traditional letterform is Does’s primary love. He maintains that different hand styles betray elements of their owners’ emotional landscapes, putting personality traits subconsciously on display. Only using the letters D, O, E and S as a foundation, he continues to elevate these etchings to new heights. Through an explosion of colour and shape, letters assume narrative.

DOES.
Flirt (2014)

Does’s continuous search to innovate and perfect his style display his disciplined nature. Dedication, focus and self-restraint are engrained in him after living the life of a professional soccer player until the age of 28. This path was set at the age of 9 when he was selected to train with the youth selection of one the Netherlands’ professional soccer clubs. As an outlet to his existence in the public eye, he lived a double life as an aspiring graffiti artist.

While home alone, couch-bound and recovering from numerous injuries, his talent continued to develop in elaborate drawing sessions. When he was forced to give up his career as a professional soccer player due to injury, it presented a new opportunity: the chance to focus solely on his art. Having already committed many underground years to the graffiti scene and style, he quickly carved out a reputation as one of the best exponents of the craft.

DOES.
Transition (2014)

Although his style is very pure and true to its cultural roots, Does doesn’t want to be bound by what some call the graffiti rulebook. Self-taught, his inspiration is derived from memories not only from his native country, but also extensive travel abroad. His art is now also featured in collections across the globe.
 
Back home, Does is co-founder of the LoveLetters crew, a creative collective of ten European writers, and a member of the Ironlak Family. Ironlak, an established Australian paint brand, named a colour after him: Dieci Does. This name is a direct reference to the shirt number he wore as a professional soccer player – number 10.

Over the years, Does’s work has diversified into illustrative drawings, prints and canvasses. No matter the medium, his work breathes exuberance – bright, dynamic, and full of energy, Does’s meticulous craft and worldly attitude make for instantly recognisable artworks.

About Maxwell Colette Gallery

Maxwell Colette Gallery specializes in post-street contemporary art from national and international emerging artists. The gallery also maintains an inventory of high quality secondary market artwork.

MCG was founded by Oliver Hild in 2010 with a mission to blur the distinctions between fine art, street art, and graffiti. The gallery remains committed to elevating art forms and artists that have traditionally been marginalized and under-exposed. All programming at the gallery is free and open to the public.

MCG offers a full range of advisory and curatorial services including assistance with acquisition and divestment. Please inquire with your specific needs for additional information.