DANIEL DENS
Artist Statement
My work juxtaposes iconic silk-screened images that are at once historic and contemporary as well as counter-cultural and mainstream. Images of celebrities, political figures, and albums are layered against news articles and type, creating compositions that reflect a sensationalized vision of the world.
Over the past 12 years the work has evolved, using silkscreen as the medium, to produce original paintings, which are modern iconic flashbacks expressing my interests in music, history, and pop culture. Each piece becomes a story as the selected elements, colors, and layout are realized onto the canvas. Bits of color and texture from previous layers are exposed onto the surface creating a more intense contrast in each image. The chosen images blend from one body of work to the next. To accompany the paintings, I am also creating several series of different sculptures that reflect my work and my interest in producing objects in multiples. Being raised in Belgium filled my childhood with a diverse selection of both European and American influences that are present in my paintings and sculptures.
Dens is a self-taught artist from Belgium. He moved to Venice, California in 2002, and began creating mixed-media pieces. For the past 10 years, he worked in New York City refining his technique to create high quality silkscreen paintings and sculptures. Dens' has exhibited extensively in New York and Europe . Dens’ studio is currently in Ventura, California.
Over the past 12 years the work has evolved, using silkscreen as the medium, to produce original paintings, which are modern iconic flashbacks expressing my interests in music, history, and pop culture. Each piece becomes a story as the selected elements, colors, and layout are realized onto the canvas. Bits of color and texture from previous layers are exposed onto the surface creating a more intense contrast in each image. The chosen images blend from one body of work to the next. To accompany the paintings, I am also creating several series of different sculptures that reflect my work and my interest in producing objects in multiples. Being raised in Belgium filled my childhood with a diverse selection of both European and American influences that are present in my paintings and sculptures.
Dens is a self-taught artist from Belgium. He moved to Venice, California in 2002, and began creating mixed-media pieces. For the past 10 years, he worked in New York City refining his technique to create high quality silkscreen paintings and sculptures. Dens' has exhibited extensively in New York and Europe . Dens’ studio is currently in Ventura, California.
