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The results are in from an online contest for artists to win exhibition space at The White Room Gallery in Bridgehampton. A graffiti pop artist who goes by Seek One is mixing things up with a bit of spray paint.
“I think that my art specifically fits well with international and fine art galleries, because while it has that street art vibe it’s done very tastefully where you could hang it in a Manhattan penthouse,” Seek One said. “Just because it’s street art doesn’t mean it’s dirty. I like to think I do it very well. It has that blend of street art and fine art together into one piece.”
It’s his third time returning to the gallery in six months. A few of his pieces were included in “Impetus”, the White Room’s take at the opioid crisis, which concluded in May. This go-around will be a larger exhibition for Seek One.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, the artist quickly gravitated to the grungy skateboard scene in the early 1990s, learning to express himself through graffiti. After being charged with vandalism in 2015, the now 26-year-old turned his trade from concrete to canvas, mimicking and recreating styles from his inspirations: Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, King Saladeen, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
Rolodexes, Variety, Vogue, Marilyn Monroe, American Express, Twiggy, Muhammad Ali, Martini & Rossi Torino Vermouth Bianco, Frank Sinatra, Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill, skateboard decks and Rolling Stone are common subjects given flair by Seek One.
“Everything is mixed media. I make all of my pieces on wood panel from scratch,” Seek One said. “There’s a really nice abstract one that I just finished up a couple of days ago. It’s silkscreen on wood panels showing a vintage Life magazine. There’s another one with Kate Moss that I really like in there … It’s cool because they brought a couple of different artists together. And we all have such a distinct style. The group really blends well together.”
The White Room s “Positive Space” exhibition will also showcase travel-inspired paintings by Alicia Gitlitz, seductive drawings of fashionable women by Cindy Press, and contemporary interpretations of historical personalities by StrosbergMandel. The exhibition closes May 28. The eclectic contemporary art gallery was opened in 2015 by founders and co-directors Andrea McCafferty and Kat O’Neill.
“This past winter we had an online competition where artists were able to submit work. It was the first time we attracted art this way,” Ms. McCafferty said. “It was great because it was finding new talent. It was interesting to get new painters and artists out to this area.”
Seek One’s art will continue to be on display in another pop art show, “Flashback,” until the end of June.
on May 22, 2018