Saturday September 13, 2014 marked the monthly Art Walk in the Culver City Arts District. And to start the fall season off with a bang, the Fabien Castanier Gallery has an enticing new exhibit, “Miaz Brothers and the Masters”. The show is a solo exhibition by the Miaz Brothers and their first in the United States. The Italian brothers (yes, they are actually brothers) are a duo who presents a drastic new take on portraiture.
The Miaz Brothers have a very specific approach to their art; they have created dualistic style elements that play with the ideas of temporality and transcendence. Their paintings consist of large haunting images, often portraits, of evanescent figures that are scarcely there. These works are based on the Old Masters, created with aerosol paints, however the viewer is given little other context. The artists give you the materials to complete the narrative.
“Ethereal” is a term used often in reference to their works, something there but not quite there but none-the-less evocative. The idea that everything in our world is made up of constantly moving parts or "particles" is a constant theme, from the techniques of aerosol spray paint to the finished product, the ideas of making something static is uninteresting to the brothers, they like the ever-changing, movement of our existence and have tried to present that on a canvas. However they are also playing with the ideas of perception and how that differs so drastically from person to person. Each viewer sees exactly what they want to in their portraits, whether its an old friend or a historical figure, everyone has associations that are in turn projected onto a blurred canvas.
The Miaz Brothers have successfully deconstructed the ideas of art by making deconstructed art.
The show is now on display at Fabien Castanier Gallery 2919 La Cienega Blvd, Culver City CA 90232 through October 11, 2014.
