RYCA’S SOLO EXHIBITION “REFRESH” TO OPEN SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9
DURING WYNWOOD’S SECOND SATURDAY ART WALK AT ROBERT FONTAINE GALLERY
London-based artist RYCA presents a playful homage to Warhol through the use of Star Wars and cult sci-fi movie iconography.
MIAMI, Fla. (September 10, 2013) – Robert Fontaine Gallery, located in the heart of the Wynwood Arts District, will showcase new works by London-based artist RYCA in a solo exhibition entitled “REFRESH.” The opening reception will be held Saturday, November 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. during Wynwood’s Second Saturday Art Walk. The exhibit will be on view November 9 through November 23.
With influences ranging from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to Banksy and Shepard Fairey, RYCA brings a fresh, light-hearted approach to the easily reproduced aesthetic of pop and stencil art in the digital age. Emulating the street art movement’s formula of visual equations that create jokes with political or pop references, his work focuses on Star Wars iconography, comic books, and cult sci-fi movies. In REFRESH, he’s taken classic Warhol imagery and replaced the subject with Star Wars and other movie references.
“If you think of Warhol’s whole ethos,” says RYCA, “you think if he were still around, would he be pissed at people doing what I’m doing or would he actually think this is the product of what he did? This is the result of his actions.”
RYCA’s work on display at REFRESH that veers away from the Star Wars theme includes a life-size screen print of the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, as well as a portrait of Sigourney Weaver in her iconic space helmet from Aliens.
“We’re excited about the exhibition,” says Robert Fontaine, gallery director. “It's something new for us. RYCA's work is an ironic spin on nostalgia as high art, as well as a laugh on the art world's elitist ideology as a narrative.”
This sense of humor, which RYCA considers his trademark, extends to the show’s name as a pun for the Internet era, where F5 on the keyboard allows you to “refresh” your website. A key that comes in handy when, say, you’re bidding on hard to find Star Wars memorabilia on ebay.
Robert Fontaine Gallery is located at 2349 NW 2nd Ave; open noon-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and by appointment; 305-397-8530; gallery@robertfontainegallery.com.
High-resolution images, artist interview, and transcript of artist interview available upon request for use and publication.
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ABOUT RYCA
East Londoner RYCA, whose real name is Ryan Callanan finished art school in 2002 with an emphasis on model-making and 3D design. Movies, pop art, and the Renaissance are all sources of inspiration. His work takes iconic images from the past and puts them into new context, such as "War Skull," a silk screen print of a ponderous skull hearkening back to Hamlet's "Poor Yorick" speech, yet with the likeness of the Terminator in metal with red eyes. He was inspired to create his first print "Ona Islam" (a riff on the "Mona Lisa" covered in a burka) after visiting Santa's Ghetto, an acclaimed 2006 exhibition in London. He revels in the pop cultural pastiche inspired by the street art he observed during art school. RYCA infuses new and old, not only into his subject matter, but also into the production by experimenting with CNC engineering and industrial processes. RYCA is represented exclusively by the Robert Fontaine Gallery. http://rcalla.otherpeoplespixels.com/home.html
ABOUT ROBERT FONTAINE GALLERY
The Robert Fontaine Gallery represents both museum-quality and cutting edge pop and contemporary art from the 1960s to the present day. Gallery Director Robert Fontaine is compelled by work that is completely original without a reference to the past. With this, the gallery provides a platform for conceptual installation, urban interventionist street art, and digital media, alongside pieces by the masters of American Pop Art. His gallery has shown at the SCOPE International Contemporary Art Show in Basel, Switzerland and Miami Beach during Art Basel and in New York during Armory Week. His mission is to highlight a variety of innovative perspectives, while maintaining a balanced audience of both seasoned collectors and curious newcomers. Robert Fontaine Gallery