Graffiti art and b-boy pioneer, Doze Green’s latest exhibition in New York arguably epitomises a fundamental theme of his journey, the energy of movement.
Hosted by the Allouche Gallery until December 8 this year, the exhibition titled Doze Green: A Volta marks the artist’s first solo show in New York since 2014, celebrated by a collection of 60 watercolour, pencil, charcoal, stencil, marker and acrylic drawings dating back to blackbook sketches in 2000, and features 17 new paintings on canvas from 2019.
Green commented that “This collection marks the evolution of my 30 plus years of studio work, originating from the explosively creative liminal space I found myself early in my career, both as a writer and breakdancer, heavily influenced by Dondi White, Rammellzee, and other mid 70s graffiti luminaries…”
Presented in Green’s works are metaphysical concepts that depict biological figures going through some kind of metamorphosis. The result is a fractured, multi-dimensional experience that places the viewer in motion through layers of geometric shapes.
Green explained that his transition in style post the Rocky Steady Crew era initially came as, “… social commentary to draw the incomplete man, the invisible man, the man who was defeated by society,” motivated by the vacant, shattered, and broken look he had seen on the faces of homeless people while living in the United States.
After further exploration of symbolism, futurism, and his own ancestry Green later moved to Brazil, where the environment of his hometown of Alto Paraíso de Goiás came to largely influence his more recent works. As Green explained, “Moving to Brazil shaped a new, deeper understanding of my visual language, catalysing a new relationship to colour, compositions, and figures relating to the mythical, the astrological, and the powerful energy of our Afro-Caribbean visual legacy.”
For more information about Doze Green you can visit his website, or follow him on Instagram. For more information about the exhibition, check out the Allouche Gallery event page.
