Tony Khawam
Its All Greek to Me
2022

About the Item

Aphrodite the Goddess of love and war inspired by South Florida vibrant color theme placed in a playful composition with modern living and motifs with emphasis on the past and present social structure with Florida flora, fauna, and fashion inhabits flat, kaleidoscopic surfaces add to the drama in a storytelling approach of the American dream. The artist’ dialogue with the traditions of the past interwoven with his participation in current global artistic discussions is apparent in this series. Characters appearing to piece themselves together from aggregated painterly gestures, these forms become figures of power and personal freedom through their abjection. A Modern female portrayed as the Statue of Liberty surrounded by modern motifs including cartoons, fashion items that suggest the chase for a material world and the American Dream with an artist inspired Florida theme where he works and lives. The work features historical and modern figures, social commentary, fashion motifs, everyday objects, pop culture ads, cartoons, film, and Florida flora and fauna that inhabit flat, kaleidoscopic surfaces. The artist’ dialogue with the traditions of the past interwoven with his participation in current global artistic discussions is apparent in this series. Characters appearing to piece themselves together from aggregated painterly gestures, these forms become figures of power and personal freedom through their abjection. (A certificate of authenticity is included with the painting) Khawam’s work stems from his interest in histories, human emotion, allusions to place, memory, and the ubiquitous fleeting moments of the conscious and unconscious. The recent work has iconic undertones with a focus on the artist’s fascination with historical imagery and abstract shapes with influences of post-war American art adopted into his daily artistic and structural practices with the current surroundings and happenings by marrying a skewed perspective with dimensional flatness, his paintings allude to the continuous development of the American culture. The past and present of “Living the Dream” make the case for the way art and its language of color, line, and shape enrich a viewer’s experience of the work and offer a delicate balance between representation and abstraction, mirroring the real and unreal ways in which he paints lived experience. Moreover, his myriad mediums including acrylic, colored pastel, and spray paint further referencing painterly collage in a more experimental and risk-taking approach. The new work features figurative and abstract elements, from social commentary, fashion motifs, everyday objects, pop culture ads, cartoons, film, and Florida flora and fauna that inhabit flat, kaleidoscopic surfaces with the artist’ dialogue in the traditions of the past interwoven with his participation in current global artistic discussions. This simultaneous engagement with the past, present, and future speaks to a singular creative presence.

Creator:

Tony Khawam (1959, American)

Creation Year:

2022

Dimensions:

Height: 52 in (132.08 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Medium:

Spray Paint,Acrylic

Movement & Style:

Street Art

Period:

2010-