Dan Witz

Dan Witz’s artwork spans the realms of public art, graffiti, and fine-art painting. He estimates that 60 to 70 percent of his work is given away for free—he creates masterful trompe l’oeil paintings and installs them in unexpected places on the streets of metropolises around the world, waiting for passers-by to notice them. In Vision of Disorder (Frieze Triptych), numerous male bodies bend, stretch, and collide, forming seemingly random groups within a shallow, garishly lit space. In its careful execution, the painting recalls the work of old masters like Rubens and Vermeer, but Witz depicts contemporary men in mosh pits at hardcore punk and metal concerts, capturing them in moments of violent motion. In the absence of the strident music and sweaty atmosphere of the concert, images of surprising intimacy and vulnerability emerge. With both his studio and street work, Witz presents viewers with a wake-up call. By suspending animation and finding surprising beauty in unlikely places, the paintings ask you to consider what else you might be missing.