John Vitale｜Anonymous Earth Deweller XII｜Original

About the Artist - John Vitale Born in Illinois, USA in 1979, John Vitale has lived in various places such as Georgia, Northern California, and Oregon. Currently, he works in a studio in New York, engaging in artistic creation. On one hand, Vitale is the founder and art director of the skateboard brand 'Killing Floor,' and on the other hand, he is involved in artistic pursuits. Influenced by street culture, Vitale's skateboard works primarily feature collage visuals, while his artistic style is characterized by minimalist color block abstract art. He has held solo exhibitions multiple times at Chefas Projects in Oregon and is set to establish a new gallery space, Pollyanna Projects, in New York in 2024. Additionally, he has exhibited solo and participated in group exhibitions in Seattle, Texas, New York, and other locations.

About the Series - "Anonymous Earth Dwellers"In this solo exhibition, Vitale presents his "Anonymous Earth Dwellers" series, where he deconstructs abstract faces to reflect on the current societal situation. Blocks of color that divide the overall composition distort and abstract the faces in the images. Nude-colored blocks and visible brushstrokes in each section make the facial forms seem to dissipate within the artwork. Vitale states that this series embodies the dissolution of self-awareness, where humanity appears small and insignificant in the macrocosm of the universe. Self-awareness drives negative energy, contributing to the formation of religion, politics, economics, etc. This leads people to struggle, kill, hate, and build walls to protect their self-awareness. We are the anonymous, needing to shed strong self-awareness. Placing oneself in the macrocosm of the world, humans are tiny, dust-like entities in the universe. This series can be seen as an artist's reminder to oneself - humans are insignificant in the universe; we are nameless inhabitants in the cosmos.