Monk
For the Unconventional’s upcoming two-person show “For Better or Worse” offers the work of two artists who have made bold departures from their street art roots: Yesnik and Jaybo Monk. Yesnik, formerly known as Dave Kinsey, takes the shapes, hues, and textures of the natural world and creates new paintings and—for the first time—large-scale sculptural work. Monk is the multi-genre artist whose recent works are composite portraits, comprised of photographed sources, images of sculpture, and other materials.
Yesnik
Monk
Yesnik
“After travelling on separate but intertwining artistic journeys throughout their careers, immersed in ’80s and ’90s underground street culture and design, both artists have embarked on new paths in recent years, moving outside of their comfort zones and the stylistic origins that shaped their work up to this point,” the gallery says. “The exhibition’s title, For Better or Worse, reflects this decision, as each fearlessly embraces new aesthetic territory, without regrets or second-guessing.”
The pop-up exhibition occupies a spot in Los Angeles (5514 Wilshire Blvd.) between Sept. 7-9. See more works from the show below.
Monk
Yesnik
Monk
Lee Jinju's riveting scenes, with cascading planes and perspectives, offer both intimate symbology and an invitation to draw your own associations. In some works, solitary figures inhabit these geometric confinements; elsewhere, the artist renders just enough objects to draw a viewer into its orbit.
Sebastián Gutiérrez crafts two-layered portraits that reveal something less elegant beneath the surface. This particular series from the Puerto Rican artist, titled “Inner Beauty,” is a study in contrast. A statement says that “though his main medium is oil paint, its usually presented on everyday items such as doors, rugs, windows or toys; he wants to give the spectator an instant sense of familiarity.”
In Adele Bessy’s crowded paintings, figures and faces are used as building blocks. Her work, in both its frantic quality and control, has been compared to the likes of Bosch and Arcimboldo. The artist is based in Achères, Ile-De-France, France.