Currently at Worth Gallery

The dynamic duo of Case Mackeen and Adrian Hayles are back at it again. It's been a while since they added to their ever popular Modern Impressionism series. Previous series Parades, Protests and Pandemic were very well received and the daubs and blobs that have become signature to the style. These pieces make you question your vision and disorient you in the best ways.

Join us at Worth Gallery on May 14th from 6-10pm for the Modern Impressionism - Play Series reception. These spray paint pieces are a modern take on the classic Impressionism style, portraying blurred reflections of modern Canadian society at play. They are in themselves playful interpretations of states of play.

CASE'S BIO:

Ryan MacKeen (also known as Case), had ambitions far beyond his town of Belleville in Ontario. It was his introduction to street art and graffiti that these ambitions manifested. In 1992 he started painting graffiti in the streets and on trains under the alias Case in Ottawa before moving to Toronto. Regarded as an influential urban artist amongst his peers and within the culture, Case excelled during the 1990's graffiti boom in Toronto. He helped contribute to the legitimacy of Toronto Graffiti and also helped legalize and secure many of today's graffiti landmarks in Parkdale and Queen West.

Case's work and creativity never ceased and he developed works on canvas and moved into the gallery. However, his mind is always not far from the urban environment. His style which he calls “post-graffiti impressionism”, a nod to modern impressionism combined with graffiti, where the paint is allowed to speak on the surface itself.

Mackeen has exhibited and been published nationally and internationally with selected exhibitions including: The Royal Ontario Museum, The Art Gallery of Ontario, Cutlog New York, The Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art Hollywood and Art Basel.

Ryan is also an award-winning director, directing numerous music videos and animations since the early 2000s, best known for his Juno winning video for The Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #3”. He has also worked with other influential artists such as Eminem, Ice T and Neil Diamond.
 

ADRIAN'S BIO:

Adrian has been painting since he was nine. He has a degree from Humber College in Graphic Design. For the last nine years he has been Principal of his own company, Adrian Hayles Productions.

Adrian is a multi-talented artist and a bit of a renaissance man: he has experience in ranging from mural painting to video-game and cartoon design, ink and graphic illustration, and Graphic Design, and everything in between, as well as occasionally teaching art in the community and through social media.

His work includes numerous collaborations with the City of Toronto to create striking murals and countless portraits and illustrations for various magazines.

Adrian’s work blurs the lines between graffiti and ultra-realism and reflects the vibrant cultures and stories of the communities in which he works.