In One Hand a Ghost..

White Walls is pleased to present In One Hand a Ghost, the Other an Atom a solo show featuring new works from Australian artist New2. The exhibition will feature between 16 and 24 pieces large-scale works made entirely from paper. The opening reception will be Saturday, December 15th from 6-9 PM, and is free and open to the public for viewing through January 5th, 2013.

All the works of In One Hand a Ghost, the Other an Atom are hand-cut layered paper collages, crafted with even more detailed than the work New2 debuted in 941 Geary’s showcase of the top contemporary Australian artists, Young and Free. With 28 years of writing on trains and in the street, New2’s mastery is evident, with some pieces displaying the artist’s more traditional lettering, while others break off into progressive new forms. Paper is not a medium one normally associates with graffiti. New2’s meticulously-layered collages push our standard conception of the art form. The bold compositions take on a different shape depending on the angle they’re seen from, and the unexpected dips and valleys in the lightweight material creates a striking juxtaposition.

From the Artist:

My recent works are concerned with the juggling of and merging of apparent dualities as facets of one experience. For example: Traditions I’ve been a part of during my 28 years of writing (ghost) dissolving into and carrying over into my more futuristic take on letters (atom) and I’ve been abstractly exploring notions such as religion versus science, belief versus apparent fact. The kind of things that coexist and make up the past and future of human experience for me now.

New2 began painting in Melbourne Australia in the early 1980s. He is a founding member of the Da Mad Artists (DMA) crew who were prominent figures in the Australian train writing movement. He was part of the first generation of writers and street artists to gain recognition outside of Australia. New2 is still writing on walls and also investigating other areas of his creative field, utilizing paper collage, ceramic versions of his lettering, and wooden sculptures. He has exhibited in both group and solo shows in Australia, United States and Europe. Whilst his walls pieces are visually modern and progressive, his work respects the ongoing tradition of letter writing.