solo exhibition by SEEN February 23 – March 24, 2013 Fabien Castanier Gallery is proud to present [UN]SEEN, a solo exhibition by renowned graffiti artist SEEN. As the Godfather of Graffiti, originating from New York, SEEN is one of the most respected and established graffiti artists in the world. It has been 8 years since SEEN’s last solo exhibition on U.S. soil, and [UN]SEEN will mark the return of the legendary artist to America since moving to Europe in 2007. For this solo exhibition, the artist will exhibit never-before-shown abstract paintings created in Paris from 2007- 2012. SEEN, who has built his artistic career on perfecting the graffiti letter, presents exciting new paintings that are a distinct stylistic break from the graffiti work for which he has become known. When he moved to Paris in 2007, SEEN found the necessary time and inspiration to devote to experimentation. Those familiar with SEEN’s work will find this new series signifies his evolution as an artist. However, in true graffiti fashion, every piece is created with spray paint using various techniques that demonstrate the versatility of the spray can. The graffiti style of work – with the form of the letter – is what took off in the general public’s eye for me… I never showed the works that I was really getting into, which were more abstract. I kept that private… all these years I’ve kept it private. – SEEN (Interview with Fabien Castanier, January 2013) SEEN, aka Richard Mirando, was born in 1961 in The Bronx, New York. He began to paint graffiti in the New York City subway in 1973, with his crew, United Artists. The United Artists quickly established themselves in the graffiti world, building a reputation for creating elaborate throw-ups on the full-length of subway cars. Beginning in the 1980s, SEEN began producing work on canvas. Since then, SEEN has built a hugely successful graffiti empire. The Opening Reception with the artist will be Saturday, February 23rd, from 7-10pm. It is open to the public. An online catalog of the exhibition will be available. Please email the gallery for more information:[email protected] S E L E C T E X H I B I T I O N S 2011 SEEN Opera Gallery | Paris, France – SOLO GraffCity Opera Gallery | Paris, France 2010 PleaSEENjoy Magda Danysz Gallery | Paris, France - SOLO T.A.G. Palais de Tokyo | Paris, France Playboy Redux Andy Warhol Museum | Pittsburgh, PN 2009 The Pop-Up Show | Lyon, France – SOLO Mad Transit Artist Galerie Kleerup | Stockhom, Sweden – SOLO Live Demonstration Espace Culturel VUITTON | Paris, France – SOLO From Style Writing to Art Galerie Magda Danysz | Paris, France Urbain 1st Galerie Matignon-Leadouze | Paris France Born in the Streets Foundation CARTIER | Paris, France Public Provocation Carhartt Gallery | Weil Am Rhein, Germany Bombs Away Strychnin Gallery | Berlin, Germany 2007 SEEN City Make Your Mark | Paris, France – SOLO Sign of the Times Stolen Space | London, England - SOLO That 70s Show Power house Arena | New York, NY 2006 End of an Era Outside Institute | London, England – SOLO 2005 Stencil This Prosper Gallery | Tokyo, Japan – SOLO 2003 What Makes a Subway Car Run? STIP Gallery | Amsterdam, Netherlands – SOLO Graffiti Art Fred Siegel Gallery | Beverly Hills, CA 2001 Breaking Ground Twenty Four Gallery | Vancouver, Canada – SOLO SEEN & CES: The Bronx Brothers Pacifico Fine Art Gallery | New York, NY 1999 Urban Mythologies: The Bronx Represented Since the 1960s The Bronx Museum of the Arts | New York, NY 1980s Graffiti Art Whitney Museum of American Art Part II, 1950-2000 of the American Century, Art and Culture 1900-2000 | New York, NY Groninger Museum Exhibition Groninger Museum | Groninger, Netherlands 1998 New York Graffiti Museum Der Stadt Ratingen | Germany 1996 The Stedelijk Museum | RoeRmond, Netherlands On Subway Trains and Gallery Walls Museum of the City of New York Art of the 80s and 90s Groninger Museum | Groninger, Netherlands 1995 Beeldende Van De Kunst Groninger Musem | Groninger, Netherlands 1992-1993 Coming from the Subways, History and Development of a Contraversial Movement, New York Graffiti Art Groninger Museum | Groninger, Netherlands 1992 Gemeenter Museum | Helmond, Netherlands SEEN, QUIK & BLADE The Stedelljk Musem | Helmond, Netherlands 1991 Graffiti Art: Americans and French Musée National des Monuments Francais, Palais de Chaillot | Paris, France Paris Graffiti Exposition de 24 peintres 14, rue Chapon | Paris, France 1989 At the Wall Kunstverein Weisbaden, West Germany and Gemeente Museum | Helmond, Netherlands The Stedelijk Museum Helmond | Helmond, Netherlands 1988 American Graffiti Artists: SEEN & QUIK Deboterhal | Hoorn, Netherlands SEEN & QUIK Gallery Christ Delaet | Antwerp, Belgium Stedelijk Kunstcollectie | Helmond, Netherlands De Horizon Voorbu Gemeente Museum | Helmond, Netherlands 1986 The Stedelijk Musem | Helmond, Netherlands Leopold-Hoesch Museum | Duren, West Germany 1985 New York Graffiti Sigmund Wenger Gallery | San Diego, CA New York Graffiti Gemeente Museum Helmond | Helmond, Netherlands The Stedelijk Museum | Helmond, Netherlands 1984 Graffiti, High Artists & Classical Artists Galerie Thomas | Munich, Germany The Stedelijk Museum | Amsterdam, Netherlands New York Graffiti Louisiana Museum of Modern Art | Humleboek, Denmark 1983 SEEN: New Works Stellweg, Seguy Gallery | New York, NY Post-Graffiti Sidney Janis Gallery | New York, NY Graffiti Gronginer Museum | Groningen, Netherlands Graffiti Boymans-Van Beuningen Museum | Rotterdam, Netherlands 1982 Galerie Yaki Komblit | Amsterdam, Netherlands – SOLO 1981 New York, New Wave The Institute for the Arts and Urban Resources, P.S.1 | New York, NY EXCERPT FROM FABIEN CASTANIER’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SEEN JANUARY 2013 How are you feeling now that you’re back from Paris and living in the U.S? SEEN: Honestly, I thought coming back to the US, meaning not coming back to New York but to the West Coast, would be a breath of fresh air and a little more relaxed than it would be for me if I returned to the East Coast. The weather is obviously a bit nicer, but that was the whole idea, to come to the U.S. for the nice weather, get away from the cold, get away from the New York habits that would disrupt my everyday work. Your super hero body of work is exhibited in galleries around the world and recent auction results have been tremendous. For this upcoming exhibition at Fabien Castanier Gallery, you are exhibiting work that you created while living in Paris. Can you explain how this exhibition is different and what it’s all about? SEEN: Honestly, I like to use the word experimenting, but there’s more to it. I’ve always worked in an abstract area my whole life – as early as the 80’s, maybe late 70’s. The graffiti style of work – with the form of the letter – is what took off in the general public’s eye for me. I was painting in other styles at that time too, but I didn’t get a chance to work that deep in those areas. So during the early days, in the 80’s, when I had an opportunity to change my work style and go in a new direction I never showed the works that I was really getting into, which were more abstract. I kept that private, all these years I’ve kept it private. I wasn’t able to fully explore that style up until about 5 years ago. That’s when I got the opportunity to leave the U.S. and made my way to Paris. That was when I had all my energy and all my time. I was able to go back into experimenting in this field. Of this series that you created – all this experimentation you were doing – how does this fit into and how is it significant to your larger body of work? SEEN: I feel it fits in because an artist needs to grow and to experiment. And if they don’t do that, then they’re not growing as an artist should grow – to see where you can take something, and to me, it’s all part of the process. The shame is that it took a long time to get to this point, to produce a large body of work like this. When I was doing works in a similar manner years ago – experimenting – I wasn’t able to bring it all into one huge body like this. When people look at this work, at first they might think it’s overwhelming because it’s 5 years worth of work, “Okay, where did this come from?” Some might not see it fit in. But if you step back and look at the big picture, the form of the letter in graffiti is color blending and design work. The only problem is, the graffiti where I grew up – it was locked into a box, into a frame with an outline. I took the letter, an abstract piece basically, and I was confining it by putting an outline around it . Now, it’s totally released. The only thing that stops it at this point is the end of the canvas. And the truth of the matter is, you don’t even need the canvas, you just go beyond that. The letter just keeps growing. These paintings that you created in Paris over the 5 years, they are exclusively painted with spray cans. Can you explain this process? SEEN: The spray can is a tool that I find to be most comfortable with. I’ve used a paintbrush, an airbrush, I use other mediums and it all works for me but the spray can is the most comfortable. I figured out how to use the spray cans in an unconventional way with different works, with different abstract styles I would do. There is one way where I would take the spray can and take the cap and I would squirt the paint into the cap of the spray can.