11/3-11/23 | Hashimoto Contemporary | New York, NY

Rippling Stone

Muralist DALeast explores human and animal subjects in a new show at Hashimoto Contemporary

DALeast’s animal and human wall murals burst from walls around the world. Seemingly constructed of metal shards, feathers or sticks, their structure is open and sometimes disintegrates. With skillful use of light and shadow, he creates figures with form and depth that pulse with life. The artist has said, “The components in my work show the path of our existence and the phenomenon of how we integrate, meet and separate.” Born in China in 1984, he has spent much of his life traveling and creating. Now settled in Berlin, he will show his latest work in an exhibition, Rippling Stone, at Hashimoto Contemporary in New York, November 3 through 23.Rippling Stone - E, ink and acrylic on linen, 39 x 79"Describing Rippling Stone - E, he says, “I had a vision of a stream in the mountains that travels through different regions. Sometimes it crashes and merges with rocks, and sometimes it rests in the stillness, moving very slowly. A falling stone causes a ripping pattern, that pattern reflects, then it becomes indistinct whether the stream or the stone is rippling. The show is representing a moment, so all the work echoes with this motif.”Rippling Stone - B3, watercolor on paper, 9 x 12"

He continues, “Once I had a dream that I was walking on a thick tree branch above a dense primeval forest. A black panther walked toward me. She was very gentle despite having a fierce appearance, very beautiful and majestic. I felt we were somehow connected and we spent a magical time roaming around the jungle. The dream was very clear when I woke up, but has since faded. So I painted this piece to remember that dream and a dreamlike friend. The repeating and changing patterns in the background of the painting are like stills of each fleeting moment. This effect also appears in other paintings in the show.”Rippling Stone - BP, watercolor on paperDALeast’s connection with his subjects brings them to life in a way that makes it possible for the viewer to connect with them as well. The disconnected shards of his compositions “connect” to form a whole that is completely convincing. As Edgar Degas wrote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” —Rippling Stone - W, acrylic ink on canvas