ORGAN THING OF THE DAY : Roa at Stolen Space, Whitechapel, East London, the show opened this evening – PROJECTUM 06′, an onsite gallery installation project from the rather organically pleasing Belgium artist.  More of his building on decay, on mortality, the gory reality of surfaces, the surfaces of living things, the insides – memento mori, Holbein’s floating skull (the anamorphic skull), Roa’s creatures inhabiting city streets, his animals in derelict buildings, on derelict buildings… Another Roa triumph, not let us down so far… atmospheric, his installations, rather than being a pandering to the mass street art “market”, this feels like something far more…  .

Here;s what Stolen Space have to say…

“Belgium artist ROA is renowned for his unique portrayal of large scale urban wildlife, disquietly cohabiting city streets, hand painted in his distinctive black and white style. ROA has become famous from painting animals on derelict buildings, shutters & walls literally all over the world. He has also exhibited to much acclaim all over the world and was also included in the MOCA exhibition ‘Art In The Streets’ in LA.
ROA is an artist deeply preoccupied with the significance of the creative process. Working conceptually on each project, he nurtures a dynamic energy which evolves during the restricted time-frame. His method is consistent. Arriving in a location he adapts to his habitat, allowing inspiration to flood from buildings and objects and literally ‘waking up’ to the realities surrounding him. Foraging for the recycled found-objects he seeks becomes a harder task in London, adding a new dimension and highlighting physical process and interaction in this completed body of work.

The animals themselves are represented in their purest forms, whether they be alone or in groups, sleeping or awake, half skeleton or part organ dissection. Using placement and the enlarging of subject, ROA implies the absurdity of the human attitude toward animals, as well as toward their own roots and origin.

The architecture and discarded objects act as vessels for the huge creatures’ lifetimes, the realism of the images on the man-made material emphasising the tension between culture and nature. Observing the rodents occupying the cities he works in, ROA also comments on the acclimatisation of animals to the urbanised world.”

Here’s A flavour of the opening at Stolen Space, as well as the immediate street, the gallery yard and the Max Rippon show in the front gallery of the space…

The ROA show runs at STOLEN SPACE  until July 4th  .

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Photos S.W