Polish artist and architect Daniel Kalinski aka Chazme 718, opened last week One day in Funkypolis, his first solo show at Mirus Gallery San Francisco.
In his dystopian compositions, the artist introduces us to an urban environment deprived of people, inviting the viewer to decipher and reflect about his unique way to see the city.
Solids and abstract geometries give shape to the artist’s own vison of the city, resulting in subliminal internalizations of alienation.
Speaking the language of urbanity, Kalinski seamlessly integrates his murals into the cityscape while at the same time animating the otherwise austere architecture. Through geometric forms, shadow, and light, Kalinski provides a pathway for the passerby to enter into their environment. The relief and rediscovery this realizes in the viewer accents the urgent need to reevaluate our connection to the very place we call home. Kalinski’s paintings are rooted in brutalist architecture yet synchronize the exterior city with the true flurry of life that happens just beyond the surface.
Funkypolis will be on view through January 11 at the gallery located on 540 Howard Street, 3rd Fl, San Francisco, CA 94105.
About the artist
Daniel Kalinski was born in Laufen, Switzerland in 1980. In (year), he received his degree in Architecture from the Warsaw University of Technology. During this time, he formed part of the Warsaw graffiti scene, whose lasting influence is evident today in the work. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Escher and De Chirico, Kalinksi soon became a catalyst for formal abstraction, executing and exhibiting these works in shows such as the Five Year Anniversary of Graffuterism in San Francisco. His innovative juxtapositions of formal and urban styles are celebrated throughout Europe and the United States, winning the ARTAQ urban art award in 2011.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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