Artist discovery: Milan Basic

The art above is copyright the artist - click to go to the source

A banking errand today took me to the HSBC at the corner of Georgia and Hornby, which meant I was in one of my favourite spaces in Vancouver: the Pendulum Gallery. So I took a few minutes to check out the current exhibition:

transFORMATION - milan basic
(May 11 - May 23, 2009)

The absract art was quite interesting, especially the way he uses coppery paint along with muted colours, with what appears to be a thick clear varish. At first, the pieces appear to be entirely abstract, but once you step back and look at them, you can see all sorts of things (I was able to see faces, doves, elephants).

What interests and excites me most about Milan Basic's work is what I discovered when I did some googling for this post.... he has a very cool background as a graffiti and mural artist in Vancouver. I have a new mission, to go and find a few of his pieces (the one above is called SLEEPY EYED GIRL and is located at East 16th Avenue and Main Street).

More info:

• Hi-Fi Murals - Milan Basic's website
• City for a Canvas. A 5 minute documentary featuring milan basic's graffiti art - and you can watch him paint the mural above
• Milan Basic short film. Brave Art talks with MIlan about his roots in Vancouver Graffiti and the evolution of his work.

BTW, If you've never been to the Pendulum Gallery before, you should check it out. Even if you aren't into art exhibitions, this is wonderful space. It is large, bright and airy - and the precision of the huge overhead pendulum is amazing. There's also a nice little cafe with tables in the open space amongst a few fig trees. The space is also surprisingly quiet. You can sit back, sip your coffee and watch the pendulum do it's thing.