twotwentytwo

Here are some iPhone shots from the Barry McGee exhibit at the Berkeley Art Museum over at Cal. This was a highly anticipated feature for the legendary graffiti artist also known as Twist. The man has an incredibly vast collection of works, and he's damn good at everything he does. It's no fluke that once he accomplished everything there was for him to do in the streets, he ascended to the ranks of world renowned fine artist. These aren't photoshopped patterns everywhere, they're hand painted. Looking at one panel can be dizzying, gazing at walls and walls and walls covered in them is mesmerizing and fantastic. The arrangement of works in this so-called "mid-career retrospective" wasn't solely chronological -- refreshing if you'd already familiarized yourself with his work, but perhaps confusing for someone getting a taste of Twist/Barry for the first time. The path seemed to me like an amusement park ride through his mind, creativity, and inspiration. Scores of napkin drawings he kept from his father and a house-like structure tribute to his deceased wife Margaret Kilgallen at the end of the exhibition were two highlights. Always loyal to his friends and crew members, plenty of room was made for Josh Lazcano (Amaze) to make his presence felt in the exhibit as well. Some of the coolest stuff on display I hadn't anticipated were old photos from the 80s and early 90s of Barry and his pals before they became legends. Overall, I didn't see anything else I wouldn't have expected but somehow came away even more impressed with McGee's talent and vision than I already was. Hard not to feel inspired by a collection like this, and I left once again awestruck at just how widely celebrated street art has become at more and more previously elitist art institutions since the LA MOCA-Geffen show in 2011.

























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And here's a writeup with more pictures by my friend, Nastia
Hi-Fructose