“I'm excited to be coming to King's in April to create a large-scale painting in the Arcade. I am keen to exchange my creative energy with the King's community and to feel immersed in the vibrant cultural atmosphere of London.”
Ozmo
Please note: this event has passed
From Friday 14 April, the Classics Department of King’s College London will host a seven-day residency by the renowned Italian street artist Ozmo. The artist will create a painting on the main wall of the Arcade in Bush House, using the exhibition galleries as a live studio. Members of the King’s community and the wider public are invited to interact with the artist as he creates this large-scale work of art. The final painting will remain on display throughout the spring and early summer at the Shop, a display space across the Strand from Bush House.
Working in acrylic paints on PVC, Ozmo will produce a composition incorporating images from the canon of Greco-Roman art. The work will evolve through the artist’s conversations with members of the King’s community.
Ozmo (Gionata Gesi, b. Pisa, 1975) came to prominence in the Italian street art scene of the 1990s and 2000s, and has since won international acclaim for his public art projects, installations, and large-scale paintings on PVC. In his early years, he crossed between the underground scene in Florence and the Academy of Fine Arts. Much of his seminal work was painted illegally in the form of street murals – but later staged as public art projects. From the beginning, classical and Renaissance sculpture have formed essential strands in his practice. He conceives of his work as a process of alchemic transformation of images – from sculpture into painting, and from the notionally ‘high’ echelon of classical art into the graphic style of street art. Institutional exhibitions include those at Museo del 900 Milan and MACRO, Rome (both 2012).
The King's College London Department of Classics is thrilled to host the artist Ozmo, internationally acclaimed for his urban art interventions and interpretation of classical subjects. We are very excited about sharing our visions of a contemporary classics with the wider community and look forward to the workshop and exhibition planned for the Strand.
Dr Will Wootton, Head of Department, Classics.
OZMO: Workshop of Icons is hosted by King's Department of Classics with support from King’s Culture and King's Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Ozmo will be available daily to meet with students and members of the King’s community at the Arcade. An event to celebrate the painting will take place on Thursday 20 April.
OZMO: Workshop of Icons’ is curated by Will Wootton, Cristina Boschetti and James Cahill, with project support from Francesca Lam-March.
Event details
Bush House Arcade
Arcade at Bush House, South Wing, Strand WC2B 4PJ