Van Ray
b. 1984 Germany
The German street art artist Van Ray grew up under the influence of
the Parisian “Pochoir Movement” during the Eighties. As a result of
this early force of this kind of art, which prevalent implicates art
as an expression of social criticism in public, he began to express
his own view of society with the help of graffiti.
Due to personal maturation and developed abilities to deal with
ubiquitous social and political problems of the Western society Van
Ray broadened his artistic on hand skills by redeveloping methods
like using stencils, stickers, paste-ups and sculptures.
The German street art artist Van Ray grew up under the influence of
the Parisian “Pochoir Movement” during the Eighties. As a result of
this early force of this kind of art, which prevalent implicates art
as an expression of social criticism in public, he began to express
his own view of society with the help of graffiti.
Due to personal maturation and developed abilities to deal with
ubiquitous social and political problems of the Western society Van
Ray broadened his artistic on hand skills by redeveloping methods
like using stencils, stickers, paste-ups and sculptures. This
incremental development is also reflected in his public work. On the
basis of his so far mastered artistic skills Van Ray was supervised
in drawing and painting by the well known Susanne Ristow, this
extensive process didn’t prevent him from simultaneous 3D animation
and visualization experiments.
As a result of a personal wrap in 2007, accompanied by a movement
to Cologne, Van Ray took this opportunity to establish the artist
collaboration “fancyroom” which could be seen as an elaborate try to
create a symbiosis of design and street art. The results were used
by several textile manufactures as part of their products. Van Ray
started simultaneously to offer general public access to mainly
printed work by exhibitions.
Van Ray’s work reflect a fusion of street art, pop art and
contemporary art – retaining the basic elements of his distinctive
artistic style without loosing sight of his intended social
criticism. His recent work makes use of various techniques, such as
aerosol paint, acrylic paint, collage and decollage, on iron sheets,
acrylic glass, wooden slats or retro vending machines.
CV
2022
- Art Tainan 2022, Gin Huang Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan
- Korean International Art Fair, Pigment Gallery, Seoul
- To The Moon And Back, Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe
- AAF Stockholm, Neue Kunst Gallery, Stockholm
- Only Time is Ours, Gallery Jeon, Seoul
- Meet The Mix, Venet-Haus Gallery, Ulm
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe
- Galleries Art Fair, Gallery Jeon, Daegu
- AAF Brussels, Venet-Haus Gallery, Brussels
2021
- Art Taichung 2021, Gin Huang Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
- One Offs NFT international art fair, Gin Huang Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
- WHAAAAAT’S art fair 2021, Gin Huang Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
- ONE ART Taipei, Gin Huang Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
- Group show”LES EXPLORATEURS”, Knokke, Belgium
2020
- Van Ray Solo Show, Gin Huang Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
- Contemporary Istanbul (VR), virtual Contemporary Istanbul, Istanbul
- X-Change, Venet-Haus Galerie and Galerie Hegemann, Ulm/Munich
- Sympathy (feat. Patrizia Casagranda), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe
- Art Busan, Art Busan Korea, Busan
- Fair for Art Vienna, Kunstmesse Wien, Vienna
- Popeye No3, Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg
- Queens;Vandals(feat. Patrizia Casagranda), Art Gallery Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden
- Wikam, Neue Kunst Gallery Wikam, Vienna
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
- London Art Fair, Venet-Haus Galerie London Art Fair, London
2019
- Dare, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- AAF, Venet-Haus Galerie AAF, Hamburg
- Art Bodensee, Neue Kunst Gallery Art Bodensee, Dornbirn
- Popeye No2, Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg
- Metronome Festival, Live Performance, Prague
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
- Urban Works, Galerie Hegemann, Munich
- London Art Fair, Venet-Haus Galerie London Art Fair, London
2018
- Never Let Idiots Ruin Your Day, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- 5 Years, Venet-Haus Galerie, Ulm
- Fair for Art Vienna, Neue Kunst Gallery, Kunstmesse Wien, Vienna
- Art Bodensee, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Bodensee, Dornbirn
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
- Rusted Reflections, Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe
- London Art Fair, Venet-Haus Galerie, London Art Fair, London
2017
- One Dollar Bill, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- Sympathy for the Rebel, Museum of Bergkamen
- Oxidated Optimism, Ahoy Gallery, Palma
- Art Bodensee, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Bodensee, Dornbirn
- Fuck Boring, Venet-Haus Galerie, Ulm
- Wikam, Neue Kunst Gallery, Wikam, Vienna
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
- London Art Fair, Venet-Haus Galerie, London Art Fair, London
2016
- Diamonds Rust, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- Art.Fair, 30Works Gallery, Art.Fair, Cologne
- Wikam, Neue Kunst Gallery, Wikam, Vienna
- Art Bodensee, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Bodensee, Dornbirn
- Not Limits, Galerie Hegemann, Munich
- The Rust of Rebellion, 30works Gallery, Cologne
- Limits are made to be broken, Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe
- Art Karlsruhe, Neue Kunst Gallery, Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
2015
- GrossArtig, Galerie Hegemann, Munich
- Art.Fair, 30Works Galerie, Art.Fair, Cologne
- What if it’s all a lie?, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- Stroke Art Fair, 30Works Gallery, Stroke Art Fair, Munich
- Urban Beauty, Urban Art Gallery, Stuttgart
- Stealing graffiti is a crime, Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf
2014
- Urban Art Festival, KuFa, Luxembourg
- Fuck You, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- Urban Art, Gallery Hegemann, Munich
- Street Art, Gallery am Dom / Kulturamt Wetzlar, Wetzlar
2013
- Van Ray, Gallery Wagner+Marks, Frankfurt
- Dirty Works #04, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
2012
- Expo for Mattia, Palazzo Filangieri, Naples
- to wild to die, Gallery Alexandra Grass, Bielefeld
- Dirty Works #03, ATM Gallery Berlin, Berlin
2011
- City Leaks, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
- Van Ray, Plum Gallery, Shanghai
- Dirty Works #02, 30Works Gallery, Cologne
