'A' An exhibition by Steve More & Remi Rough

Tue 1 — Sun 6 February 2011 Blackall Studios, 73 Leonard St, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 4QS.

A

is an exhibition of future perspectives...

scene. Their focus on self expression and originality

The perspectives of two distinct artists,

whilst working in the urban vernacular has had a

whose ideological approach was formed

lasting influence on their own works and on the

by sharing ideas, time and ‘concrete’ during their

generation that came out of that era. Since they

formative years. The title ‘A’ is as much about

parted ways in 2003 their work diverged but some

a new beginning, as it is a reference to the Avant-

similarities remain highly evident.

garde, Abstraction and Alternative aspects within their work, all of which are central to their approach.

Reshaping letters of the Alphabet, and integrating them into an urban context, was their starting point, and the fact they have now developed those classic icons and forms into heavily abstracted formations and broken landscapes reiterates a new interpretation and a new beginning.

Remi/Rough and Steve More share a tradition of steering against the mainstream to produce work that is both culturally relevant and unique in its vision. For ‘A’ the artists explore the correlations between their work after seven years of development apart. More has recently returned to the UK after being based in New Zealand and Remi/Rough last showed in London two years ago. Since then he has been travelling extensively, cementing his reputation both abroad and at home in London.

Rough’s recent work is an evolution of the letterforms and colour usage from his early graffiti pieces. Lines, shapes and form are dramatically skewed to create a perspective suggesting that they occupy a three dimensional environment. His work is as much about the negative space he creates as it is the positive space he uses. The vibrant compositions and textures evoke graffiti from an imagined futuristic society.

Steve More’s work has a tactile quality that is derived from the surfaces in his environment. Found and discarded materials are assimilated into pixels, questioning how the computer age affects our perceptions of time and place. His work is meticulously crafted using the forming and subsequent erosion of materials as an important part of the process.

In contrast, Rough’s work is less premeditated and more concerned with immediacy of the moment.

The artists first met in the early 90’s and worked

As well as producing individual work Remi/Rough

closely over the following ten years, playing a

and Steve More are members of the highly acclaimed

progressive role in the international graffiti art

and influential art collective Agents of Change.

Photo by Amelia Jacobsen, www.ameliaphotos.com

“Remi/Rough and Steve More are leading the charge of a new school of post-graffiti style writers turned contemporary artists inspired by historical art movements such as the abstract expressionism movement of the mid 20th-century.

Ever daring to push the boundaries of their work, More and Rough have reclaimed their spray can roots to communicate their own distinct post-graffiti language of form and abstraction with a sensual dialect, whilst maintaining the raw and primitive vernacular of the street.”

– Sven Davis, www.arrestedmotion.com

“Choice, not chance, determines destiny.”

Rough and Steve More. Rough ‘N’ More sounds like

– Bill Byrne

a rock n roll tattoo but it is the dialogue between

Earlier, some said that all artists, whatever medium they use, are actually writing the same book and searching for quite the same ideal. In these modern times we know that a pre-made opinion can be an expensive choice when you decide to place some

colours and structures, between rhythm and timing, between the time before they met and the time after they split. One turns to space and the other to the surface, both fighting against our visual erosion.

Remi/Rough translates music to canvas, using the

artists on the waiting list – it’s not only expensive,

rhythm of colour fields, repeating lines as a permanent

but it can also make you blind.

evolution of his original wild style lettering only to

Nowadays we experience the third infusion of the informal, the second of pop art, presumably the fifth metamorphosis of expressionism, innumerable dadaism remakes, and a multitude of ‘new’

keep it up to the edge of minimalism. Rough composes smooth and transparent codes on the surface, his iconographic and perspective trace, fly as riffs in a ravaged sky. Remi/Rough is painting visual haikus.

conceptual art. It is time to go back to the original

Steve More plays with our memories, with extramural

impulse. In the process of making a painting in an

feelings. He talks with biological fragments in the

abstract way the painter is in search of a reality.

deepest colour. The inside, the before and the after

Not one of realistic objects, but of the complete

are More’s main weapons. His sculptures on canvas

end result. The painting is experienced as a whole.

‘A’ is a dedication to the abstract, ‘A’ invites you to search inside the visions of these two artists who far from being antagonistic seem to be complimentary and inseparable. ‘A’ is a choice, experimenting with the limited space of canvas. ‘A’ is something that comes to life spontaneously through contrast, is plastic at the same time as psychic and pervades

are the result of his alchemistic reflections and his witness to the process of time. Their layers of burnt wood challenge the last verticality of reality. He tells us stories of forgotten particles and transforms the leftovers into main actors by replacing reality into the collective unconscious. Steve More is painting with time as a brush.

Rough ‘N’ More. The combination leaves us with

both the picture and the eye of the spectator

some very satisfying results, and I urge you to fill

with conceptions of new and unfamiliar elements.

your eyes with them.

‘A’ is the joy of mistakes.

Contemplation is not inactivity but exercise.

Walls, literal, nominal and metaphoric, always stand at the centre of the work of these two friends, who

The foreword for ‘A’ was written by our friend,

for ‘A’, re-examine their artistic relationship, Remi/

critic and fellow artist, Jaybo Monk.

Remi/Rough

Too many questions Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 137cm x 137cm

Love her not me Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 137cm x 137cm

Cultural movements in circular sweeps Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

Argonaut Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

Moreau Spray paint on canvas, 40cm x 40cm

If only‌ Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

Monaco Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

As yet untitled Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 100cm x 100cm

The beginning is always easy Matt emulsion and spray paint on canvas, 40cm x 40cm

Chrome blush Spray paint on canvas, 91.5cm x 122cm

Still life with throw up Spray paint on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

Steve More

Imaginary places Mixed media, 90cm x 86.5cm

Versus (i) Mixed media, 42.5cm x 45cm

Versus (ii) Mixed media, 44cm x 39.5cm

Versus (iii) Mixed media, 44cm x 44cm

Versus (iv), yellow, red, blue Mixed media, 45cm x 47cm

Everything at once Mixed media, 90cm x 90cm

Red, blue and void Mixed media, 100 x 60cm

Descent

Ascent

Mixed media, 70cm x 30cm (excluding frame)

Mixed media, 70cm x 30cm (excluding frame)

Phantom spaces Mixed media, 108.5cm x 91cm

A

is an independent exhibition that was wholly funded and managed by the artists themselves. This threw up many challenges both logistically and ďŹ nancially, and at times we had to rely on the kindness and patience of others to help make it happen. We would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those who supported us... – Steve More & Remi/Rough

Avant-garde Antithesis Accented Articulate Alphabetic Alternative Accidental Alchemy Adventurous Aesthetic Abrasive Abstraction Anonymous Alter egos Assembled Axiomatic Awareness Ambiguous Adaptive Art. Amen.

Thanks to Krista Booker and David Farrer at the Neon Hub, Laura McNamara, Vanessa Vainio, Jaybo Monk, David Shillinglaw, Amelia Jacobsen, Timid and Sven Davis at Arrested Motion.

All images and texts within this catalogue, Š 2011. All rights reserved.

www.stevemore.net

www.roughe.com

www.agents-of-change.co.uk