On the Street

BY: Zach Wampler

Street art has a bit of a marred reputation these days. What was once a defiant gesture has been co-opted by the rich and normalized in our culture. However, certain artists use their graffiti skills to less redundant ends, and RIME is one of those individuals. At his new show CODE at 532 Gallery in New York, RIME has made a series of new paintings which melds his street murals, animation, a number of pop cultural references, and early modernism, to boot.

Born in 1979 in Brooklyn, RIME was exposed at an early age to the golden age of graffiti in downtown New York. He started working at his technique at age twelve, and his reputation only grew from then on. He has more recently developed a studio practice in tandem with his street work. His paintings in this particular show are large, bright, and aggressive. They still have the energy of a spray painted wall, but they’re more technical, polished, and elegant. It is interesting to see someone who works with spontaneity constantly use a studio to advance his own vernacular, color palette, etcetera. These canvases could be seen as testing grounds or maybe even amendments to former works.

One of the more surprising aspects of these paintings are their carefully calibrated colors and compositions. Upon first glance- before noticing the chains, breasts, or cartoonish swoops -you could mistake these works for Wassily Kandinsky. They’re wild with motion, but have the same type of premeditated balance as early abstractionists like Kandinsky or Sonia Delaunay. However, with a closer look, you see how sexy, violent, and weird these paintings are. They’re like scrambled up pulp fiction covers: arousing and slightly repulsive.

If you question the validity or merit of street artists who are now striking the balance between studio and street, I would give this exhibition a try. Like I mentioned, these paintings feel more practiced and glossy. Perhaps it is because the contemplation of a studio offers time for the evolution of practices and ideas that graffiti possibly couldn’t give to RIME. Painting on canvas probably doesn’t have the same satisfaction of street art either. You leave this show thinking that graffiti isn’t so much about rebellion anymore, but like painting or sculpture, it’s just another tool for visual expression.