About
Mead Carney is pleased to present Berlin based urban artist XOOOOX's first exhibition in the United Kingdom. Inspired by iconic fashion photography, XOOOOX is one of the most distinguished and sought after street artists worldwide, working in both the natural and built environments as well as in interior spaces.
An integral figure in the Berlin street art scene, XOOOOX's work has also graced many international cities including Paris, Milan, Vienna, New York and London. His recognizable detailed and intricate stenciling of fashion models, is accompanied by his signature X's and O's in varying sizes.
Although he is a global symbol, XOOOOX himself is an enigma. His identity has never been disclosed and his anonymity remains a secret, even at his own exhibition openings. This begs to ask the question if the artist is present?
The life-size stencils of professionally styled photo models form the leitmotif of the figurative studies and scrutinize the worship cult and seduction techniques of the fashion world. Beguilingly beautiful, XOOOOX's women convey a sense of melancholy and introversion. His work alludes to the growing displeasure with uniformity and the consumption-driven hype of the fashion industry.
Using transitory media such as exposed building facades, worm-eaten wood, rotting fabric and rusty metal, XOOOOX grounds this apparently glamorous theme in the street. XOOOOX pays homage to traditional haute couture while leveling criticism at the over industrialization of fashion as a cultural artifact of our time.
For Transformer XOOOOX has used copper as a new background for his familiar stenciling. He is experimenting with notions of transformation, repetition, fading and reemergence. The subconscious transition of memories become reality in altered shapes, composition, colours and time.
The various installations within Transformer reference collectable memorabilia. The placement of keepsakes and mementoes that people deem to be important, ultimately shape one's living / working environment and interior space.
While the location of XOOOOX's practice has changed, a shift from exterior to interior, the considered arrangement and accumulation of imagery, motifs and message remains the same. Through his choice of materials and the temporal nature of his street art, he distinctly contrasts the glamour of fashion culture with existentialist themes such as vulnerability and the obsession of preserving beauty.
XOOOOX was born in 1979. He currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
For further press information, interviews or images please contact Lara Wolfe: T: +44(0)7894336766 E:lara@meadcarney.com
