Probing the memories of silent time so serpentine and careworn focus dripping wisps of the sublime, German artist ECB has truly taken monumental portraiture to the next level. Painting abstract stories of earthy reality into the creases and peeling back shrouded identity from the furrowed brows, his faces have become deeply iconic as vast bastions of complex humanity burning strands of individuation into the cold concrete. Broken faces of a fractured hue of monochrome peer beyond the facades as rigid typography contrasts image against word, mathematics against intuition, sky against earth as his superb technique and depth of feeling whisper lost fragments of fleeting wholes into the seemingly anonymous cityscape and the vortices of urban loneliness...
How did you first begin painting and when did your mind’s eye and your technique begin to synchronize?
I started in 1989 with classical graffiti, but within a short while changed to more of a unique approach. Back then my concepts where more focused on graphical shapes whereas nowadays the ideas of my work have more of a fine art approach focusing on textures, showing expression within my portraits through a more painterly means rather than just using spray.
How much did civilian service affect your trajectory?
Back then everybody had to do it, so it didn’t really have a big effect from a personal standpoint.
Where is the line between creation and destruction in graffiti?
I do think there are certain places where graffiti belongs and others where it is misplaced. In my opinion it kind of takes care of all the forgotten, unnoticed and run down places of a city.
Why does the topography and landscape of graffiti have such resonance for you?
From day one I was looking for something and I found it in graffiti. Ever since then it has never changed.
How does the art of open spaces translate to a gallery?
That is the main difference. While working in open and public space the work always interacts with both the space and the public. With a mutual affection this is the major advantage I see in working outdoors. Working in a sheltered space like a museum or gallery needs a different visual language, a different approach to capture the energies and essence of the street.
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