CZR PRZ: Colors From the Spectrum

LOCATION: Alto Gallery - 3773 Walnut St

CATEGORIES: Art Events | First Fridays

PAST DATE AND TIME:

• Fri, Nov 1, 2024 - Sat, Nov 30, 2024  

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Join us at Alto Gallery on First Friday, November 1, 6–10pm for the opening reception of Colors From the Spectrum, a body of work by Chicago-based artist CZR PRZ. Artist in attendance. Free event and refreshments, open to the public.

Artist Talk with CZR PRZ: Saturday, November 2, 12–1pm

ABOUT
Czr Prz (a.k.a. Caesar Perez) is an urban contemporary artist working in sculptural fabrication, large-scale aerosol murals, and all manner of design. Born and raised in working class Chicago, Prz’s 20 year creative career has spanned America all the way to Europe. Across their multifaceted media, Prz’s artworks tell stories in the folklorico tradition instilled by his Latino-Caribbean upbringing.

ARTIST STATEMENT
My work captures the dreamlike nature of reality with a colorful clarity that still feels surreal. This artwork explores and harnesses the language of symbolism, culled from traditional and pop culture sources alike. Birds are a favorite subject matter of mine—they’re popular symbols across cultural divides, universally admired for their intelligence, agility, and mysticism. Ancient, natural elements like these find fresh voices in harmony with the futuristic, otherworldly undertones innate to my style.

I came up in Chicago during the 80’s and 90’s, and we had a lot of resources at our disposal. First and foremost, my artwork practices a great reverence for the folklorico storytelling tradition I’ve inherited from my family. Art history also factors in, inspired by Renaissance artists and the Impressionists. Modern influences like graphic novels and graffiti inevitably permeate my practice, bridging the gap between past and present in these enigmatic scenes—a place beyond time, like a half-remembered dream.

Even the media I work in hails from a significant place in my heart. Public artwork proves a natural fit—like most kids, I used to tag. If you didn’t, then you definitely knew someone who did where I lived. Art on the streets has altered my life, definitely. Canvases call out to the storied Masters who took up this pursuit before me. And sculptural fabrication harkens back to the working class roots that raised me, proving heavy machinery can still produce delicately detailed results.