D’Stassi Art will open the doors of their flagship gallery in Shoreditch, London for a major new Angel ‘LA II’ Ortiz exhibition.
‘The Great Collaborator’ opens on May 10th, 2024 and will bring together some of the most renowned names in street art; STIK, Shepard Fairey, Mr.Doodle, and Mark Kostabi, all working collaboratively with the legendary Angel ‘LA II’ Ortiz.
It’s a revelation to collaborate with Angel. He has a natural magic touch. He understands visual power. It’s instantly recognizable. It’s full of energy. He’s taken paintings of mine that I thought were finished, but something was lacking and he’ll truly finish it. And then it’s so much better than before. This idea of how artists naturally gravitate towards each other; They naturally collaborate and things evolve. They mutate. I think seeing that over the course of so many years is really exciting, and it should be like a living organism with some new blood.
Mark Kostabi
‘The Great Collaborator’ will also feature a series of rare collaboration artworks between Angel and the late Richard Hambleton, made before Hambleton’s death in 2017. ‘The Great Collaborator’ exhibition is set to be a truly unique experience, as these giants of Urban art come together for the first and only time.
The featured artists are; Angel LA II Ortiz and STIK, Richard Hambleton, Shepard Fairey, Mr Doodle and Mark Kostabi collaborations with Angel. More than 30 artworks will be exhibited ranging from originals to prints and works on paper.
‘The Great Collaborator’ showcases Angel’s significant contributions to the art world and his profound influence on other major artists. Angel rose to prominence in the New York art scene in the 1980’s through his almost decade-long partnership with Keith Haring. Haring spotted Angel’s tag shortly after moving to New York and sought out the then teenaged artist. After meeting, the pair combined their signature styles on paintings, sculptures and clothing taking them across the world.
When I do hang out and collaborate with artists, I make sure they’re the best of the best.
Angel Ortiz
D’Stassi Art is dedicated to honouring Angel’s artistic legacy and celebrating the magic he brings to collaborative works. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to witness first-hand the impact LAII has had on the next generation of artists and discover the inspiration behind his iconic style that has captivated audiences for over four decades.
D’Stassi Art Directors Michael Howes and Edward Sanders explain:
The Great Collaborator’ exhibition will mark our most exciting exhibition to date. It is a privilege to be part of Angel’s incredible story and to have such respected and successful artists supporting Angel and the gallery. This feels like a significant milestone for D’Stassi Shoreditch. This exhibition will truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase a fraction of the incredible influence and inspiration Angel has shared with his peers over the last 40 years from tagging in the streets of lower east side with ‘TNS’ and SOE Angels best friend of 40+ years (who we will be flying over to DJ on the night). To see him creating new unseen collaborative works with legends like STIK and Shepard Fairey is a true sign of his long overdue renaissance and is a testament to Angel’s legacy amongst his peers.
LA II has collaborated with so many great people over the years, and frequently he’s seen as someone that’s elevated by the people he’s collaborating with, whether that’s Keith Haring or Andy Warhol. But I think now his aesthetic is established enough that it’s time for him to be looking to the younger generation to be the mentor for the next version of himself.
Shepard Fairey
Angel ‘LA II’ Ortiz curates ‘The Great Collaborator’, 10th to 24th May, 2024 D’STASSI ART
Opening event: Friday 10th May 2024.Doors Open at 7PM. RSVP here: bit.ly/Dstassi
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Angel Ortiz: New York City graffiti artist LA II (a.k.a. Angel Ortiz) is best known for his collaborations with Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, Richard Hambleton, Stik, ERO and many others. Ortiz’s career took off after Haring spotted his “Little Angel” tag upon moving to New York and asked to meet the then-teenage artist. Throughout the ’80s, the two combined their signatures to create murals, sculptures, train paintings, and other objects, and Ortiz’s style and technique are thought to have influenced Haring’s solo practice from then onward. Along with several joint exhibitions together, Angel’s art is also featured in the following museums & institutions: The Whitney (NYC), MOCA Museum of Fine Arts (Massachusetts), Museum of Graffiti (Florida), Bel Air Museum (California), Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (France), Pepperdine University (California) and more.
Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, and founder of the OBEY Clothing company. He is best known for his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign and his 2008 “Hope” poster of Barack Obama. Fairey’s work often incorporates political themes and social commentary. His works are included in the collections of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
STIK is a British street artist known for his distinctive black-and-white stick figures. STIK began his career in the early 1990s, creating stencils and wheat pastes in the streets of London. His work quickly gained attention for its simplicity and emotional impact leading him to be nominated for the Turner Prize in 2008. He has also collaborated with brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Levi’s. Despite his commercial success, STIK remains committed to his roots in street art. He continues to create new works in public spaces, and he often uses his art to raise awareness of social issues.
Mr. Doodle is a British contemporary artist known for his distinctive doodle-based style. He is best known for creating large scale murals and for doodling an entire house, which he now lives in. Mr. Doodle began his career in the early 2010s, creating street art in the streets of London. His work quickly gained attention for its intricate detail and playful imagery and in 2017, he had his first solo exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Since then, Mr. Doodle has exhibited his work in galleries and museums around the world. He has also collaborated with brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Uniqlo.
Mark Kostabi is an American contemporary artist known for his colorful, cartoonish paintings and sculptures. Kostabi began his career in the early 1980s, as part of the East Village art scene in New York City. He was a founding member of the Collaborative Projects, Inc. (Colab) artist collective, which was known for its large-scale, collaborative artworks. Over the next decade, Kostabi’s work gained international attention. He had solo exhibitions in major museums around the world, and his work was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Kostabi’s works are in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Princeton University Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, among others. He currently divides his time between New York, NY and Rome, Italy.
Richard Hambleton was a contemporary American-Canadian graffiti artist, Often referred to as the “godfather of street art.” Along with his contemporaries Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hambleton painted directly on the streets of New York and achieved success during the art boom of the 1980s. Born in June of 1954 in Vancouver, Canada, he was best known for his Image Mass Murder series, wherein he painted chalk outlines around volunteer “victims” splashed red paint, thereby leaving fictional and violent crime scenes behind in over 15 cities. As time passed, Hambleton gradually transitioned to work in the studio, producing a body of work he titled the Beautiful Paintings. “I’ve been doing public art for a long time, and studio work, and there’s a relationship between the two of them,” he remarked of the shift in his practice. A reclusive artist, Hambleton lived and worked in New York City’s Lower East Side until his death on October 29, 2017.
