An immersive exhibition featuring 30 new canvas works by Angel Ortiz, collaborator and friend of Keith Haring, is heading to NYC, and the works evoke the atmosphere of early 1980s New York.
Born and raised on the Lower East Side, Ortiz and Haring first crossed paths in a school yard back in 1980 when Ortiz was just 13 years old. Haring sought out Ortiz to discuss the possibility of collaborating artistic styles after seeing Ortiz’s “Little Angel” LAII tag.
Their initial meeting led to a 6-year collaboration, combining their signature styles–creating murals, sculptures, train paintings, and more–all while traveling around the globe to participate in galleries, fashion shows, and museum exhibitions.
“The contrast between our lines was exciting. There is something uniquely satisfying to me in the fusion between our two styles of drawing. It is a delicate balance between the archaic and the distinctly modern, classical and psychedelic art at the same time,” said Haring in 1982 of their artistic connection.
Ortiz’s solo exhibition ODE 2 NYC will feature 30 new canvas works in Ortiz’s signature vibrant and playful style. His work features a mixture of contemporary geometric, abstract symbols with influences attributed to hieroglyphics and calligraphy.
He uses a dense, almost overlapping pattern referred to as “High & Tight,” which he then interweaves with geometric patterns and animated characters.
The exhibition exemplifies Ortiz’s love and admiration for NYC, a city he’s proud to call home.
Beyond this exhibition, Ortiz’s work can also be found in many esteemed private urban art collections and in the permanent collections of museums such as the Whitney, MoMA, the Guggenheim, and the Louvre Museum.
ODE 2 NYC will open on May 18 and run through June 18 at Chase Contemporary in SoHo (413 W. Broadway).