On Saturday and Sunday October 17 - 18 2009 from 1-6 pm, Brian Adam Douglas (A K A ELBOW-TOE) will be participating in the Annual Gowanus Artist Studio Tour.
Brian Adam Douglas/ ELBOW-TOE is a Brooklyn based artist that has been a predominant force in the New York street art scene creating introspective urban art for several years. His artwork for the streets is grounded in myth, symbolism and poetry and is primarily executed in woodcut, stencil or large-scale charcoal drawings. His current body of work can be divided into two main camps. His figurative work is an exploration of gesture as a means for communication. With these works he is particularly interested in the effects of environmental forces outside his control to create a timeless quality to the work thereby allowing it to feel as if it has been memory and is part of the collective unconscious. His most recent body of work has been focusing on the mythology of children's literature as a catalyst. By using well known stories that allow for instant recognition, he is able to layer upon his own message that creates a subversive re-contextualization.
His gallery work focuses on portraiture and abstracted narrative and is primarily executed in collage. These intricate collages at first glance might be mistaken for paintings given that they have a fluidity rarely seen in collages. Whilst his work has a very unique style it draws on a rich history of figurative painting and has qualities reminiscent of Freud, Bacon and Soutine.
Brian / ELBOW-TOE was the focus of a documentary on the global phenomenon of streetart by the BBC world service in November of 2008. The documentary can be downloaded at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2008/11/081103_street_art_one.shtml
For other interviews of note please check out http://www.myloveforyou.typepad.com/my_love_for_you/2008/06/qa-w-elbowtoe.html and http://arrestedmotion.com/2009/07/interview-elbow-toe-hits-up-streets-of-london/
To coincide with the Annual Gowanus Artist Studio Tour, Brian is creating silkscreens of his most recent street art, that can be purchased either at his studio or online via http://www.elbow-toe.com. Check his website periodically as a shop section will be added to the website prior to the open studio tour.
For more information on the open studio tour please visit http://www.gowanusartists.com/ where you can download a pdf map for the entire 2 day event.
The studio is located at 94 9th street, 4th floor #23. For easiest access, take the F/G train to Smith/9th Street.
Thanks so much and hope to see you there!
