“Oblivion” a solo exhibition by Dan K

London Westbank Gallery in association with Dan K present:
“Oblivion” a solo exhibition by Dan K

Constantly challenging himself with both subject-matter and technique, and with a hatred to sticking to one thing for too long, Dan K’s work is bold, exciting, fresh and difficult to categorize. What excites us about Dan’s work is precisely the unpredictability and blend of graffiti and fine art styles which creates art which really works on canvas, inside the gallery, as opposed to some artists who are great on the street on large scale murals but who can’t somehow seem to adapt their work to the gallery space. We have worked with Dan and shown his work in the past, always with success, including at the Smile Britannia Houses of Parliament Charity Auction in December 2013 where Dan’s acrylic and spraypaint on canvas work entitled “Rush Hour” fetched a very high price.

Over the last few years Dan’s work has seen a huge leap in popularity and he has travelled round the world painting large murals and participated is gallery shows globally.

Recent highlights of Dan K’s career include:
Painting 2 large murals in a prestigious Tokyo nightclub called Axxcis, having a few years back taken place in a group show in the Japanese capital. He was also commissioned to paint one of his large scale Geishas in the Pink Cow Restaurant in Roppongi.

According to the artist, the experience in Japan filled him with “endless rainy Tokyo scenes which he “took back” with him to London and we can often see in his paintings.

In 2013, Dan was part of a team of “guerrilla projectors” who turned iconic British landmarks such as the white cliffs of Dover and the Tate Modern’s chimney into large scale outdoor public art galleries.

Dan recalls seeing his work projected on the iconic Tate Modern chimney as an “amazing moment” in his career:

About this new solo art exhibition at London Westbank, Dan explains:
“The show oblivion is a personal exploration of recent times in my life which have been extremely traumatic and catastrophic. The show title “Oblivion” reflects the apocalyptic nature of the ideas behind the works; thinking the world was ending, being trapped in a personal hell, with pain and torment, standing on the edge of the abyss....Explosive, gestural swathes of fire and colour erupt from the canvases, like hellish volcanoes, with lava, aggressive and energetic, they scratch at the canvas surface like open wounds, glowing with heat and intensity.....The large scale of the paintings adds to the drama and all-encompassing feel I wanted to achieve. Standing in front of them you see nothing in your peripheral vision, just the hellish scene in front of you. You are for a moment, within that maelstrom, as I was. The large scale also allows to become far more involved in the painting physically. There are huge gestural strokes, for which I used the whole body literally to blast the paint onto the surface. It's a truly intense expression of underlying emotions and pain. Exorcising demons.“

For more information please contact [email protected] or +44 (0)207 221 2847

In order to attend the Private View on Thursday 9th October 2014 from 6:30-10pm please send names to [email protected]