VIK MUNIZ

Muniz began his artistic career as a sculptor, but later shifted his focus to graphic arts and photography. Inspired by the work of postmodernists Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons, Muniz uses popular images in his works and presents them in a new way, thus demonstrating one of the fundamental ideas of contemporary art: the primacy of concept over uniqueness of visual context.

Experimenting with a wide range of non-traditional materials (dry pigments, dust, sugar, chocolate, diamonds, caviar, children’s toys, garbage, scraps of magazines), Muniz reproduces the works of famous artists, creating short-lived copies of iconic pieces of art. Artist captures the results of his work in series of high-resolution photographs, rediscovering the masterpieces of Van Gogh, Picasso, Malevich, Klimt, Mondrian and Matisse.

Muniz not only acquaints the viewer with the phenomenon of appropriation in photography, but also with the idea of using new techniques in creating works of art, raising the question of the primacy of an idea and the various forms of expression. He calls himself ‘an observer of the skirmish between structuralist and poststructuralist criticism’.

Muniz is convinced that art should change the world for the better and should not be elitist at all. He seeks to make it more accessible. Through the implementation of unexpected techniques and thoughtful visual puns, his works capture the interest of any viewer, from connoisseurs of museum classics to a younger audience. The apparent ease of presentation of complex images turns his work into a kind of conduit to a new world of art and technology, inextricably linked to the achievements of early master artists and art history in general.

Courtesy Gary Tatintsian Gallery