Futura 2000: Breaking Out

About

(THE BRONX, NY – MAY 29, 2024) – The Bronx Museum of the Arts announces FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT, a retrospective of this singular artist’s evolution from early graffiti art styles to his current practice of contemporary abstraction. The exhibition is the most comprehensive examination of FUTURA 2000’s five-decade career ever presented in his hometown of New York City. On view from Sunday, September 8 through winter 2025, BREAKING OUT showcases his sculptures, drawings, prints, studies, collaborations, and archival paraphernalia dating from the 1970s to the present as well as new site-specific temporary installations. 

FUTURA 2000’s practice today continues to bear his fascination with the aesthetics of science fiction and the space age. These interests led to his early adoption of sophisticated computer technology and video gaming. Utilizing spray paint with virtuosic precision, he creates abstract cosmic compositions on canvas. Refined lines are contrasted by mists of vibrant colors and gestural brush marks while large areas are left empty—allowing forms to float freely across the surface, suggesting the expansiveness of outer space. His recurring motifs include the atom shape, symbolizing perpetual motion; a crane or linear mark, indicating a moment of rupture; and the enigmatic Pointman, reminiscent of an alien presence.