solo exhibition by Futura 2000 for the first time in Scandinavia
V1 Gallery Presents
YEAR IN PICTURES
An exhibition by Futura 2000
It is a great honour and pleasure to present Futura 2000’s first solo exhibition in Scandinavia. Futura 2000 is currently one of the most acclaimed living artists to come out of the booming creative life of the East Village in New York in the period spanning from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Alongside artists such as Jean-Michel Basquait, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf he progressed from painting walls and trains in the New York underground to form a part of the more (un)established art world in East Village.
” Always resist being one-dimensional and look for other means of creative outlet.
The dilemma seems to be that once you’ve established yourself you’re locked into creating the work that people are familiar with. References to your own past by duplication. Eventually, that’s insane.” Futura 2000.
In Year In Pictures Futura 2000 presents new works.
Futura’s fragmented, spacey and abstract conception of the future we are almost living in, is expressed in drawings, canvases and photos. In a limbo between New York and Tokyo, floating in the realms of a near future and a science fiction-future, Futura still dreams in pictures. His style is original, direct and fuelled by a dynamic desire to experiment with different expressions and media. Futura is constantly renewing and revitalizing novel creative expressions, from evolving the visual style in the Hip Hop-culture and introducing it into the history of art, to merge hip hop and rock, punk and disco, picture and sound together with art and clothing and latest toys. Futura 2000 is constantly pushing the cultural and creative boundaries with a special affection and respect, which has ensured him a reputation as a bona fide pioneer both in the past and the present. He has litterally survived his own dated name and is today recognized by most as a living legend.
Futura 2000 commences his artistic career in 1970 by painting his name on the streets in New York. He names himself inspired by the typeface Futura from Ford’s car of the same name and the Kubrick movie A 2001 Space Oddessey. In 1982 he is seen in the legendary movie Wild Style which deals with the Hip Hop culture in NY. Futura has by now evolved his own, far more abstract, way of painting graffiti and when he in 1982 discloses his first solo exhibition at the FUN Gallery, a critic compares him with a ”space age Kandinsky”. During the same period the Hip Hop-culture expands to Europe and soon The Clash gets together with Futura who commences making posters and artwork for The Clash’s records and painting live at their concerts. The Clash and Futura end up making the track ”The Escapades Of Futura 2000” together. In 1984 Futura partakes in a group exhibition at local Louisiana, Denmark.
The underground art scene in east Village dies out in the late 1980’s just as quickly as it arose. In the following years Futura exhibits all over USA and Europe, both as a part of group exhibitions and with solo shows. For many years Futura works as a bike messenger in NY as a means of affording doing things his own way, since he refuses to be administrated by an agent or a gallerist, a principle he has stuck to till this day. In the 1990’s Futura recieves widspread commercial recognition for his record covers for japanese artist DJ Krush and the musical collective UNKLE, together with exhibitions at Agnes B’s Gallerie Du Jour in Paris. In 2000 Both Clibborn publishes Futura 2000’s book ”Futura” which many critics consider to be a work of art in itself. Together with collegue Stash, Futura establishes ”Project Recon” and opens shops in New York and Tokyo in which their own offbeat mixture of clothes, art and ”limited collectibles” are displayed and sold. Alongside his ”established” artistic activities he creates clothes with Agnes B., Bathing Ape, Levi’s and Nike, and skateboards for Zoo York, alternative camuoflage variants for Maharishi and limited edition toys with japanese Kubrick. In the end of 2004 Futura joins a big retrospective exhibition about the East Village period in New York and the New York Museum of Modern Art.
On the first of April, Futura 2000 will open Year In Pictures in Copenhagen, we are really looking forward to it. The exhibition will open at 17.00 on the 01.04.05 with DJ’s and Drinks, the exhibition will continue until the 15.05.05.
We hope to see you.
Jesper Elg, Peter Funch & Mikkel Grønnebæk
V1 Gallery. Absalonsgade 21B. 1655 Copenhagen V. Denmark. www.v1gallery.com
Wed - Fri: 15.00 –19.00. Sat: 13.00 – 17.00
For interviews with Futura 2000, pictures of his work, or other information about the exhibition, please contact: Jesper Elg: +45 26 82 81 66 / elg@v1gallery.com
For examples of Futura 2000 work: www.futura2000.com.
This exhibition was made possible with the support of PlayStation and Levi’s.
Thanks to Tuborg, Hotel Skt. Petri and Samsung (tech sponsor).
A special thanks to Norse Projects (norseprojects.com).
An interview with Futura, by Andreas Johnsen/Stocktown 2004, will be shown during the exhibition.
Futura 2000 solo exhibithions:
2003
ICA - LONDON
2001
COLLETTE-PARIS
2000
BOB-NEW YORK
1999
VARIANT-NEW YORK
1996
L'AERONEF-LILLE
SOLARIA-FUKUOKA
LIVESTOCK GALLERY-NEW YORK
1994
GALLERY COTTHEM-KNOKKE
TIME SPACE LIGHT-NEW YORK
1993
MARTIN LAWRENCE GALLERY-NEW YORK
ZERO ONE GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
1992
GALLERY DU JOUR-PARIS
1991
GALLERY DU JOUR-PARIS
STRUCTURES-MONTPELIER
1990
MARTIN LAWRENCE GALLERY-NEW YORK
PHLIPPE BRIET GALLERY-NEW YORK
GALLERY B5-MONACO
1989
ARCS & CRACS-BARCELONA
GALLERY DU JOUR-PARIS
MUSEE DU VIRE-VIRE
1988
PHILIPPE BRIET GALLERY-NEW YORK
1986
SEMAPHORE GALLERY-NEW YORK
1985
MICHAEL KOHN GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
TONY SHAFRAZI GALLERY-NEW YORK
1984
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK
TONY SHAFRAZI GALLERY-NEW YORK
YAKI KORINBLIT GALLERY-AMSTERDAM
1983
FOUR BLUE SQUARES-SAN FRANCISCO
BARONIAN-LAMBERT-GENT
51X GALLERY-NEW YORK
YAKI KORINBLIT-AMSTERDAM
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK
YVON LAMBERT-PARIS
1982
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK
FNAC-STRASBOURG
1981
SA ALTERNATIVE SPACE-NEW YORK
Futura 2000 group exhibitions:
2003
NEW MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
1999
BYSS BYSTRO-HONG KONG
SSUR GALLERY-NEW YORK
1998
REPRODUCED-BERLIN
1997
TRAMSHED-LONDON
1996
SUMMERSAULT-MELBOURNE
1995
ALCORCON EXHIBIT-MADRID
AGNES B-PARIS
TBM EXPERIMENT-ROME
CAMDEN TOWN-LONDON
C WORLD-NEW YORK
1994
SIXTH CONGRESS GALLERY-TUCSON
GALLERY DE BEAUX-ARTS-LORIENT
GALLERY COTTHEM-KNOKKE
1993
ZERO ONE GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
TIME SPACE LIGHT-NEW YORK
BERLIN ART ACADEMY-BERLIN
SIXTH CONGRESS GALLERY-TUCSON
PICASSO MUSEUM-ANTIBES
1992
REMPIRE GALLERY-NEW YORK
THREAD WAXING-NEW YORK
DAVID LEONARDIS GALLERY-CHICAGO
GRONINGER MUSEUM-GRONINGEN
KLARFELD PERRY-NEW YORK
1991
TROCADERO MUSEUM-PARIS
GALLERY DU JOUR-PARIS
LIVERPOOL GALLERY-BRUSSELS
COLEEN GRECO GALLERY-NYACK
MARTIM LAWRENCE GALLERY-NEW YORK
FEDERAL RESERVE-WASHINGTON D.C.
BROOKE ALEXANDER-NEW YORK
1990
GALLERY B5-MONACO
PHILIPPE BRIET GALLERY-NEW YORK
MICHAEL KOHN GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
GALLERY DU JOUR-PARIS
1988
MUSEUM OF AMERICAN GRAFFITI-NEW YORK
PHILIPPE BRIET GALLERY-NEW YORK
1987
MICHAEL KOHN GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
1986
SEMAPHORE EAST-NEW YORK
1985
FLOW ACE GALLERY-LOS ANGELES
KENTUCKY LITHO BUILDING-LOUISVILLE
1984
ROBERT FRASER GALLERY-LONDON
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK CITY
MUSEUM D'ARTE MODERNA-BOLOGNA
LOUISANA-COPENHAGEN
GRONINGER MUSEUM-GRONINGEN
GALOZZI LA PLACA-NEW YORK
GALLERY THOMAS-MUNICH
SEIBU GALLERY-TOYKO
1983
FAY GOLD GALLERY-ATLANTA
BOYMANS MUSEUM-ROTTERDAM
GREENVILLE MUSEUM-SOUTH CAROLINA
SYDNEY JANIS-NEW YORK
TATE GALLERY-LONDON
51X GALLERY-NEW YORK
GALLERY 121-ANTWERP
AMERICAN GRAFFITI GALLERY-AMSTERDAM
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK
TONY SHAFRAZI GALLERY-NEW YORK
MONIQUE KNOWLTON GALLERY-NEW YORK
LUCKY STRIKE-NEW YORK
GALLERY ZELLERMEYER-BERLIN
1982
BANK OF AMERICA-HONG KONG
FASHION MODA-NEW YORK
KESTNER-GESELLSCHAFT-HANOVER
P.S.1-NEW YORK
UCSC-SANTA CRUZ
FUN GALLERY-NEW YORK
1981
MUDD CLUB-NEW YORK
P.S.1-NEW YORK
NEW MUSEUM-NEW YORK
1980
SA ALTERNATIVE SPACE-NEW YORK
FASHION MODA-NEW YORK