Van Ray

Van Ray

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.

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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

    Selected Work

    Nothing and Anything/ Synthetic resin paint on steel, Dollar bills/ H57 x W57 cm/ 2022

    Proceeding/ Synthetic resin paint on steel, Dollar bills/ H57 x W57 cm/ 2022

    Dollar Days/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H55 x W55 cm/ 2022

    King Up/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H126 x W126 cm/ 2020

    Hello Sunshine/ Synthetic resin paint on steel, Dollar bills/ H122 x W67 cm/ 2022

    Devotion Panel/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H126 x W76.5 cm/ 2020

    Small Holder/ Synthetic resin paint, rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H55 x W55 cm/ 2022

    Holding on/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H126 x W126 cm/ 2021

    Hands On It/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Dollar bills/ H72 x W180 cm/ 2022

    Glutted Paradise/ Synthetic resin paint, Epoxy resin, Dollar bills/ H72 x W180 cm/ 2022

    Glutted Lover/ Synthetic resin paint, Epoxy resin, Dollar bills/ H55 x W55 cm/ 2022

    Woodstock Suggestion/ Synthetic resin paint, Rest technique on steel, Mirror glass/ H125 x W125 cm/ 2021

    Sunny Thoughts/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H117 x W77.5 cm/ 2020

    The Purpose/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H118 x W58 cm/ 2020

    Succeeded/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H118 x W78 cm/ 2020

    Oh Sweet Love/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H84 x W28 x D17.5 cm/ 2020

    Beautiful Real/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H39.5 x W74 cm/ 2020

    Circus Routes/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel/ H73.5 x W181.5 cm/ 2020

    Ballsy/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H58 x W87 cm/ 2020

    Retrospect/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ Diameter 55 cm/ 2020

    Reality Check/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Plexiglass/ H126 x W126 cm/ 2020

    Wealth - Rubin/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Mirror glass/ H126.5 x W81.5 cm/ 2020

    Tin Gods/ Synthetic resin paint, Rust technique on steel, Plexiglass/ H73.5 x W181.5 cm/ 2020

    To Good Life/ Synthetic resin paint on enamel sign/ H81.5 x W52 cm/ 2020