DAN WITZ

Born in 1957, Dan Witz is rightly regarded as a pioneer of the genre, Cooper Union and Rhode Island Design School scholar, National Endowment for the arts Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, Public Art Fund Fellowship. Close to 20 international Solo Exhibitions from the US to the UK and international group shows too numerous to mention. Last year saw the release of the much anticipated book “ DAN WITZ. In Plain view: 30 years of Artworks, Illegal and Otherwise” published by Ginko Press

From the no-wave and DIY movements of New York’s Lower East Side of the 70’s, through the Reaganomics of the 80’s to the flourishing of graffiti art in the new millennium. Whether stickers or paste-up silk-screened posters, conceptual pranks and interventions, or beautiful tromp l’oeil paintings, the medium is inspired as much by the nature and subject of his art as by the mutating urban conditions in which the piece is executed. Besides obvious craftsmanship, the artwork of Dan Witz evinces a rigorous conceptual framework. This framework not only opens up a dialogue with graffiti and street art which dominate the urban environment, but also allows for the retention of clear and open lines with the canon of art history.

„I started doing street art when I moved to New York City in the late 1970’s and I’ve been at it ever since. Inspired by graffiti and punk rock, I began out of rebellion, against the boring, hermetic art world--but after being at it for awhile I began to see the larger, friendlier potential of putting free, anonymous art up in public. The intention behind my projects has been varied -- aesthetic, socio-political, and personal -- but the primary motivation has always been to get out of the studio and have fun while making work that addresses my deep abiding love for the urban landscape.”