This is sure to be one of the biggest shows in Brisbane this year – well, in our eyes anyways. From the man who has worked for over twenty years on walls across the country, and who has mastered the brush with just as much finesse, Lee Harnden, aka Linz, comes “Catharsis”

“Lee Harnden’s Catharsis is an exhibition of subversive explorations; a collection of portrayals that transcend the divide between Australian street culture and the grandeur of fine art.

As LINZ, an internationally acclaimed and Ironlak-sponsored graffiti writer with a career now spanning 20 years, Harnden’s movements have aligned him with celebrated Australian musicians, artists and sporting personalities. These figures, along with some closer to his heart, form the pith of his work; a realism characterised by the heightened juxtaposition of subject and technique.

There is a brutal honesty in Harnden’s work. While highlighting the rawness of gangland imagery he affords a sentimentalist portrayal of integrity and soul in each of his oil paintings. He achieves a unique exactitude through the medium but also draws upon a tremendous amount of depth, claiming more than a simple connection with his subjects.

Although some figureheads he depicts fall short of the limelight in the popularised mainstream, the romantic undertone of Harnden’s perception is revealed as every character he paints is essentially a hero in his eyes.

In his time and place, Lee Harnden is a catalyst of ‘subterranean representation’.  Unfortunate for him as it is for many true artisans, his work will speak volumes much louder in generations yet to come.”

Not even the fact that Ironlaks “Linz Iceberg” is one of my favourite colours to paint with can compete with how incredible this show is going to be. The man is a living graff legend, and his work on canvas shines just as fkn bright as his work up on the walls.Oh yeah, kick ass fkn venue too.

Go.

Who: Lee Harnden (Linz)
What: Catharsis solo show
Where: Lightspace, 30 Light Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
When: Show opens Friday 17th August from 6:30pm til 10:30pm – ONE NIGHT ONLY.

Check out Lee Harnden and Lightspace for more info.