Preview: Jason Revok “Systems” ~ Opens Oct. 22

[dropcap size=big]J[/dropcap]ason REVOK has been elemental to the Los Angeles art scene that we've covered for the last ten years. As a member of crews MSK and the Seventh Letter, REVOK's graffiti was an inspiration to the entire Los Angeles scene for years, setting an impossibly high standard of tagging, piecing, and bombing. Featured in the landmark "Art in the Streets" show at MOCA and then promptly arrested by a bitter and corrupt Sheriff's department, REVOK left Los Angeles for Detroit to pursue his artistic destiny in a place less hostile to artists on the fringes of legality.

Since then, REVOK has further refined his artworks, successfully combining aspects of his graffiti with inspirations from the world of modern art such as Frank Stella. The common theme across all the work, and indeed throughout Jason REVOK's career as an artist, is the never-ending cycle of creation and destruction inherent in art and in life. Just as a REVOK mural would be built on top of an existing structure, and would later be destroyed by other artists, the city, or the elements, his new paintings emphasize the limitless potential that creation and destruction offer.

Particularly beautiful are the 'tape loop paintings,' inspired by the work of avant-garde composer William Basinski. These large-scale works are abstract, mysterious, alluring, and take the creation/destruction loop to a logical extreme, where the paintings look like they have been made and remade millions of times to form a pattern, or a system of creation.

Also on view are works made with a tool REVOK invented that can hold 8 spray cans at once to create variations on tagging using the medium to create a minimalist, abstract pattern that recalls the street but also exist entirely on their own. The surfaces these paintings are made on are the same metal street signs the city of LA purchases, creating a loop from street vandal to gallery artist. It's this ability to see between things, to stare into the void separating creation and destruction, the darkness connecting all types of art, that makes REVOK a special artist and this show worth seeing in person.

Jason REVOK: SYSTEMS will be held at 5428 W. Washington Blvd in Los Angeles, within the Castelli Arts complex. The exhibition will take place from October 22 through November 12, 2016, with an Artist Reception held on Saturday, October 22 from 7-9 PM.

All Photos ©Jon Azim Lake 2016

JASON REVOK
Jason REVOK is an American contemporary artist noted for his complex assemblage works. Respected for decades of influential and pioneering work as a graffiti writer, REVOK’s studio work explores deeply shared themes involving place and human experience using the very materials that make up the environment around him. REVOK has exhibited in the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles as well as The Pasadena Museum of Contemporary Art. His work has been exhibited internationally in the United States, Europe and the Middle East and is in a number of important private collections worldwide.

LIBRARY STREET COLLECTIVE
Library Street Collective specializes in cutting edge contemporary fine art with a focus on emerging and established artists who have pushed the boundaries of traditional medium and exhibition space. Located in the heart of downtown Detroit, we present regular group and solo exhibitions while contributing to the artistic renaissance of the city's public, private, and heritage spaces. It is our mission to bring both world-renowned artists and exciting new work to a reimagined Detroit, as well as carry this sentiment as we expand our presence through exhibitions, special projects and art fairs nationally and internationally.