ABOUT


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 in Düsseldorf, 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.

Nowadays Van Rays 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 (aerosol paint, acrylic paint, collage and décollage) on iron sheets, acrylic glas, wooden slats or retro vending machines.

 

These arrangements can be contemplated in galleries from Cologne over London to Shanghai.

 

 [Albus]



Selected exhibitions and fairs


 

  • 2024 - DIAF, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ DIAF, Daegu.
  • 2024 - Beyond the Streets, (gr), Galerie Hegemann, Munich.
  • 2024 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2024 - Winter Special, (gr), Christian Marx Gallery, Düsseldorf.
  • 2023 - AAF Hamburg, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ AAF Hamburg, Hamburg.
  • 2023 - DIAF, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ DIAF, Daegu.
  • 2023 - Two Universes  - One Future, (gr.), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2023 - Art Vienna, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Vienna, Vienna.
  • 2023 - KIAF, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ Korean International Art Fair, Seoul.
  • 2023 - Seattle Art Fair, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Seattle Art Fair, Seattle.
  • 2023 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2023 - Galleries Art Fair, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ Galleries Art Fair, Seoul.
  • 2023 - BAMA, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ BAMA, Busan.
  • 2023 - One Art Taipei, (fa), Gin Huang Gallery @ One Art Taipei, Taipei.
  • 2022 - Van Ray, (so), Art Gallery Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden.
  • 2022 - Ducks under the Tree, (gr),  Live Performance @ Studio Van Ray.
  • 2022 - Korean International Art Fair, (fa), Pigment Gallery @ KIAF, Seoul.
  • 2022 - To The Moon And Back, (so), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2022 - AAF Stockholm, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ AAF Stockholm, Stockholm.
  • 2022 - Only Time is Ours, (so), Gallery Jeon, Seoul.
  • 2022 - Meet The Mix, (gr), Venet-Haus Gallery, Ulm.
  • 2022 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2022 - Galleries Art Fair, (fa), Gallery Jeon @ Galleries Art Fair, Daegu.
  • 2022 - AAF Brussels, (fa), Venet-Haus Gallery @ AAF Brussels, Brussels.
  • 2021 - Life is a fucking rainbow, (so), Venet-Haus Gallery, Ulm.
  • 2021 - AAF Hamburg, (fa), Galerie Hegemann @ AAF Hamburg, Hamburg.
  • 2021 - One Art Taipei, (fa), Gin Huang Gallery @ One Art Taipei, Taipei.
  • 2021 - AAF NL, (fa), Venet-Haus Gallery @ AAF Netherlands, Amsterdam.
  • 2021 - Korean International Art Fair, (fa), Pigment Gallery @ KIAF, Seoul.
  • 2021 - Mixed, (gr), Christian Marx Gallery, Düsseldorf.
  • 2021 - Fair for Art Vienna, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Kunstmesse Wien, Vienna.
  • 2021 - Van Ray, (so), Art Gallery Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden.
  • 2021 - Whaaaats Art Fair, (fa), Gin Huang Gallery @ Int. Art Fair, Taipei.
  • 2021 - The Heist, (gr), Cafmeyer Gallery, Knokke.
  • 2021 - Love on, (so), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2020 - Van Ray, (so), Gin Huang Gallery, Taipei.
  • 2020 - Contemporary Istanbul (VR), (fa), Pigment Gallery @ Virtual CI, Istanbul.
  • 2020 - X-Change, (gr), Venet-Haus Galerie and Galerie Hegemann, Ulm/Munich.
  • 2020 - Sympathy (feat. Patrizia Casagranda), (so), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2020 - Art Busan, (fa), Pigment Gallery @ Art Busan Korea, Busan.
  • 2020 - Fair for Art Vienna, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Kunstmesse Wien, Vienna.
  • 2020 - Popeye No3, (gr), Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg.
  • 2020 - Queens&Vandals (feat. Patrizia Casagranda), (so), Art Gallery Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden.
  • 2020 - Wikam, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Wikam, Vienna.
  • 2020 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2020 - London Art Fair, (fa), Venet-Haus Galerie @ London Art Fair, London.
  • 2019 - Dare, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2019 - AAF, (fa), Venet-Haus Galerie @ AAF, Hamburg.
  • 2019 - Art Bodensee, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Bodensee, Dornbirn.
  • 2019 - Popeye No2, (gr), Galerie Wolfsen, Aalborg.
  • 2019 - Metronome Festival, (l), Live Performance, Prague.
  • 2019 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2019 - Urban Works, (gr), Galerie Hegemann, Munich.
  • 2019 - London Art Fair, (fa), Venet-Haus Galerie @ London Art Fair, London.
  • 2018 - Never Let Idiots Ruin Your Day, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2018 - 5 Years, (so), Venet-Haus Galerie, Ulm.
  • 2018 - Fair for Art Vienna, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Kunstmesse Wien, Vienna.
  • 2018 - Art Bodensee, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Bodensee, Dornbirn.
  • 2018 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2018 - Rusted Reflections, (so), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2018 - London Art Fair, (fa), Venet-Haus Galerie @ London Art Fair, London.
  • 2017 - One Dollar Bill, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2017 - Sympathy for the Rebel, (so), Museum of Bergkamen.
  • 2017 - Oxidated Optimism, (so), Ahoy Gallery, Palma.
  • 2017 - Art Bodensee, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Bodensee, Dornbirn.
  • 2017 - Fuck Boring, (so), Venet-Haus Galerie, Ulm.
  • 2017 - Wikam, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Wikam, Vienna.
  • 2017 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2017 - London Art Fair, (fa), Venet-Haus Galerie @ London Art Fair, London.
  • 2016 - Diamonds & Rust, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2016 - Art.Fair, (fa), 30Works Gallery @ Art.Fair, Cologne.
  • 2016 - Wikam, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Wikam, Vienna.
  • 2016 - Art Bodensee, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Bodensee, Dornbirn.
  • 2016 - Not Limits, (gr), Galerie Hegemann, Munich.
  • 2016 - The Rust of Rebellion, (so), 30works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2016 - Limits are made to be broken, (so), Neue Kunst Gallery, Karlsruhe.
  • 2016 - Art Karlsruhe, (fa), Neue Kunst Gallery @ Art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe.
  • 2015 - GrossArtig, (gr), Galerie Hegemann, Munich.
  • 2015 - Art.Fair, (fa), 30Works Galerie @ Art.Fair, Cologne.
  • 2015 - What if it's all a lie?, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2015 - Stroke Art Fair, (fa), 30Works Gallery @ Stroke Art Fair, Munich.
  • 2015 - Urban Beauty, (gr), Urban Art Gallery, Stuttgart.
  • 2015 - Stealing graffiti is a crime, (gr), Galerie Kellermann, Düsseldorf.
  • 2014 - Urban Art Festival, (gr), KuFa, Luxembourg.
  • 2014 - Fuck You, (so), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2014 - Urban Art, (gr), Gallery Hegemann, Munich.
  • 2014 - Street Art, (gr), Gallery am Dom / Kulturamt Wetzlar, Wetzlar.
  • 2013 - Van Ray, (so), Gallery Wagner+Marks, Frankfurt.
  • 2013 - Dirty Works #04, (gr), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2012 - Expo for Mattia, (gr), Palazzo Filangieri, Naples.
  • 2012 - to wild to die, (gr), Gallery Alexandra Grass, Bielefeld.
  • 2012 - Dirty Works #03, (gr), ATM Gallery Berlin, Berlin.
  • 2011 – City Leaks, (gr), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.
  • 2011 – Van Ray , (so), Plum Gallery, Shanghai.
  • 2011 – Dirty Works #02, (gr), 30Works Gallery, Cologne.