Next week at Melbourne’s Rist Gallery comes the exciting and anticipated exhibition ‘Swoop & Melodie’, with new works by Tasmanian born artist Taj Alexander (aka ‘Deams’ of AWOL Crew).

AWOL Crew, whose members include Adnate, Itch, Li-Hill, Lucy Lucy and Slicer, is one of Australia’s most prominent graffiti, urban and street art crews. With artists showing locally and internationally year round, this merry band of elite talent is producing more art than you can poke a nib at, and we’ve all been waiting to see a show from Deams!

This, the first solo for Taj, “is a visual exploration of sound and movement that creates an intriguing illusion. A metaphor for human expression and relationships, the work illustrates the interdependent nature of things. With aesthetic balance and harmony the work explores this view through conversations between form, texture, colour and context. The intersecting geometry and multi-dimensional perspectives create a state of flux within the work.

An aesthetic that Taj describes as a ‘graphic tapestry’ his style can be best described as a contemporary blend of graffiti art, graphic design and abstract impressionism. The varied patterns in the work are inspired by his observation of architecture, textiles and repetition in nature.

Swoop & Melodie appeals to people’s intrinsic relationship to birds. The birds are a vessel for communicating Taj’s ideas and philosophy. Their simplistic beauty, purposeful nature, freedom and melodious expression demonstrate values which people aspire to in all aspects of life. Taj presents the birds in such a way that their existence within the work is clear to some and hidden to others. In this way he introduces the importance of our individual perception.”

Rtist is an awesome venue, and Taj is an awesome artist – so come drink, think, talk and squawk with us at Swoop & Melodie next Friday.
See you there cool cats and hot birds! (hehehe word play)

Who: Taj Alexander
What: Swoop & Melodie – Debut Solo Show
Where: Rist Gallery – 29 St Edmonds Rd, Prahran
When: Opening night Friday 7th October 6pm. Show runs til 23rd October 2011

Check out the Rtist gallery Facebook page as well as the AWOL crew website for more info on the man and the show.