Van Ray

Career

Van Ray's career began with public graffiti at the end of the 90s when he started using his art to communicate with the general public and to demonstrate social criticism. His works were based on various techniques (including stencils, stickers, paste-ups, and sculptures) and meant to express his view of Western society.

After moving to Cologne in 2007, Van Ray became the founder of the artist collaboration 'fancyroom' which concentrated on textile designs by combining elements of graffiti and graphic design. The results were used for own textile collections and by several fashion brands. The collaboration dissolved in 2010.

At this time the public art of Van Ray was attracting the attention of several gallery owners, offering him to present his street art in their exhibitions. Consequently, the artist finally agreed to a first gallery exhibition in the winter of 2010, presenting his "streets on wood"-series in the 30Works Gallery, Cologne. Due to his public work, several solo as well as group exhibitions, live shows, art festival appearances, and panel discussions, Van Ray has since then become one of the most famous German street artists.

In the course of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was invited by the Institut Pierre Werner to perform his art publicly during a live performance in Luxembourg.

Techniques and themes

Van Ray's work is characterized by its detailed stencils on mostly rusty vintage materials such as iron sheets, vending machines and enamel signs or wooden slats. The works nowadays reflect a fusion of street art and pop art, retaining the basic elements of his distinctive artistic style without losing sight of his intended social criticism. On the relationship between art and protest, Van Ray commented:

"Rebellion does not derive from the use of a certain technique, but rather from the color of your tie."

His works are all signed with the "duck signature symbol".

Selected exhibitions

Literature