DALeast (featured) was born in 1984 in China and is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. He studied sculpture at the Institute of Fine Arts and began making art in public spaces in 2004. His murals can be found in cities around the world.
His latest exhibition “Powder of Light currently on at Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York, combines acrylic, ink and spray paint on a background texture of tea-stained canvas. DALeast paints animal figures in his signature style using a swirling vortex of organic black lines with white highlights. He creates a ribbon-like effect to form sinuous creatures that vibrate with kinetic energy. Horses, eagles, camels and rams leap off the picture plane, their shadows trailing behind them. Some appear to unravel while others merge together or attack one other. The artist draws inspiration from dichotomies such as the material and spiritual world, human emotion and animal nature.”
Powder of Light runs through December 29, 2012. To see more, visit Jonathan Levine Gallery, or DALEast.com.