Tim Biskup: The Artist In You
Titi Freak: Vida Apaixonada
May 16-June 14, 2008
Jonathan LeVine Gallery
Text and photos by George Koroneos


Tim Biskup fans were in for a shock, last week, as the artist unveiled a series of abstract and personal pieces at Jonathan LeVine Gallery that eschew his traditional character-driven paintings. Biskup was happy to chat about the progression of his style, often pulling out his iPhone to show his work in different phases of completion.

The moment you walk through the gallery doors, you're face-to-face with the head of a giant dragon, lying decapitated in the shadow of two massive Biskup paintings, Follow Me and Doom Loop #1. Both paintings stand over six-feet tall and encapsulate the new direction Biskup is taking as an artist. In the former, a woman painted in cubist style mosaic shards sits reclined against geometrical streamers.

The latter, finds the same shards in an abstract design. Squint and you see a skull. In the smaller gallery, Biskup has multiple renditions of his classic Asylum painting--including one in his traditional illustrative style and another in is strikingly dark.

All the work in the series is chronicled ad nauseam in The Artist in You, a limited book published for the exhibit that looks like a manifesto, but contains Biskup's views on the art industry, poetry, and thought process behind the work in this show. "It is not my intent that these passages be taken as conclusions or accounts of my true motivations, but rather as a venting of my preconceptions and raw emotional reactions," Biskup states in the introduction. "It is a view into my thought process with all of its scattered and surreal tissue left intact."

In contrast to Biskup's introspective show, Brazilian graffiti artist Titi Freak bathed LeVine's side gallery in cheery hues of yellow and offered up a selection of etchings, paintings, and portraits created in his distinct street style. Titi Freak spent most of last Friday's VIP preview mingling with fans and showing off his insane yo-yo skills, while fans poured into the gallery for a peek at his work.

The show will run through June 14, 2008. For more information, visit www.jonathanlevinegallery.com

The guests of honor

Doom Loop #5 by Tim Biskup

Malena Seldin and artist Tara McPherson

Self portraits

Fantasma by Titi Freak

Titi Room

Brazilian artist Baixo chats with Jonathan LeVine

The Artist In You by Tim Biskup

Siamese artists - Biskup with Andrew Bell

Biskup laughs it up with Kid Robot's Nichole Lindsay

Overseas visitors - Baixo and Mariana

Titi Freak

Biskup triumphant

Baixo, Juxtapoz' William Haugh, Mariana, and Titi Freak

Biskup's Asylum #3

Chris and artist Michael Mararian

Yo-yo master

Beware of dragons

Ron Dominguez and Ad Hoc gallery's Andrew Michael Ford

Untitled 1 by Titi Freak

Stephan and Titi Freak

Stop touching the artwork

Hug it out: Jux's William Haugh shows some love to Nichole Lindsay

Biskup's Asylum #5

Much love

Friends with you - Titi Freak and Daze

Admiring Biskup's work

Creatures Inside my Head