'Identity in Transit'

About

Identity In Transit is the first major exhibition of works by painter, graphic designer and screen printer, MAST (Max Strasser) from Germany. - Featuring a new collection of work created just for this exhibition, this is a chance to delve into the murky world of Victorian crime. MAST manipulates and modifies his own creations interpreted from an archive of police photos of thieves and prostitutes after their arrest, using screen printing and paint. Reminiscent of an 1800's rogues' gallery, the artwork plays with the interaction between the viewer and the face looking out at them. MAST's interest in the human face comes from his understanding of expression as the most basic form of human communication. We see human features and faces in inanimate objects around us, and attribute emotions to them. MAST explores this perception through the process of abstraction. Alongside the collection MAST will be exhibiting another form of ‘found' artwork; vandalised, ripped and destroyed posters. With these posters, similarly to the art, he questions the separation between artwork and random visual information between a maker's purpose and accident. The posters also make a subtle reference to criminality in their likeness to ‘wanted' posters. MAST studied Graphic design in Augsburg, Germany after which he furthered his studies in Madrid and fell in love with screen print in 2007. Strasser then opened an experimental screen print studio and artist's workshop in Munich which he still oversees currently. In 2010 He then moved to London and completed a Fine Art MA at Camberwell College of Arts. Strasser now works as an artist, graphic designer, painter, graffiti artist and visual mischief- maker in Germany and all over Europe. - Identity In Transit is curated by Liat Chen. - www.liatchen.com www.mastard.de