Art

Royse Contemporary is excited to announce Touch of Pop, the joint exhibition of artists Nigel Clouse and Benjamin Goens. This exhibition will showcase the latest work of these talented artists, highlighting a dynamic selection of pop surrealistic digital composites and multi layered mixed media stencil paintings infused with Pop Art. “Popular Art was dominant movement in early 1960s American art, widely recognized and is easily accessible with diverse audiences around the world,” states Curator, Nicole Royse. Elaborating further stating “its use of common household objects, consumer products, and forms of media, creates mass appeal not to mention greatly inspired both artists and the overall direction of their work.”

Nigel Clouse is a Phoenix based artist known for his pop surrealistic digital composites incorporating femme fatales, pop culture references, and dystopian themes. He combines graphic elements to form alternate realities where the fabled American Dream exists only in myth. His work is based upon a childhood spent in a section of the American Midwest commonly referred to as the Rust Belt. The rural landscape of his youth is juxtaposed with the urban environments he currently inhabits working for corporate America. “My work is influenced by classic film, literature, television, science, technology, and social commentary, who goes on to elaborate further stating “I create art to share my misanthropic perspective with the world and to provide social commentary on personal experiences.” Clouse received his Bachelors of Art in Digital Design from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and he has worked as a creative for over a decade in the American Southwest.

Benjamin Goens, known as Benjam is a stencil artist based in Gilbert Arizona. He creates mixed media original artwork utilizing hand cut stencils, oil, and aerosol paints on canvas. His process includes up to 20 hand-cut stencil layers in a single image, used to apply vast colors of aerosol paints as well as various other mediums to create photorealistic tonal gradations in his imagery. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Art History and traveled extensively across Europe to study the art of classical antiquity and European masters. “I have always held a fascination for hip-hop culture, graffiti, and the evolution of street art which inspired him to begin cutting his first stencils in 2008.” Goens goes on to say “it wasn’t until 2014 that he began further experimenting with stencils and ultimately production of his own multilayered artwork, learning to cut intricate stencils to create detailed depictions of his subjects.” In 2018, he was a recipient of the inaugural Carmody Foundation Grant Project and recently participated in the inaugural Phoenix Mural Festival. Benjam has shown his work extensively in both solo and group exhibitions in the Phoenix metropolitan area and his work can be found in galleries and private collections around the world.

The opening reception for Touch of Pop will take place this Thursday, June 7, 2018 from 6:00-9:00pm coinciding with the weekly Thursday Scottsdale ArtWalk with an opportunity to meet the artist. Touch of Pop will be on view from Thursday, June 7 through Thursday, June 28, 2018. Royse Contemporary is located in the Marshall Square complex at 7077 E. Main Street, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (located on the south side of Main Street just west of Marshall Way).