KUHL & LEYTON

“Busted!”

Showing at NEXT, Chicago, April 25-28, 2008

Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art is proud to announce its participation in NEXT, Chicago’s new invitational art fair.

Focused primarily on contemporary works originating from Miami, Carol Jazzar deals an eclectic group of emerging artists. For the fairs debut, the gallery is pleased to present collaborative artists KUHL & LEYTON, and their works of acrylic tape, in an installation titled: Busted!

Featuring the most prominent cases of celebrity infamy of the last decade the show highlights a series of celebrity “mugshots”. Executed in bi-colored acrylic tape these notorious 60” x 80” portraits include the likes of Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, and O.J. Staring back at us they question our obsession with their fall from grace and portray America’s lust for gossip, violence and fame.

These new works that at once court and reject ‘celebrity’ follow a distinctive thread of KUHL & LEYTON, who have collaborated directly for the past four years. Initially inspired by the TV show “Cops”, their work often depicts crime scenes and crisis situations - seeking to unearth that which fosters America’s lust for justice. By working exclusively in acrylic tape they have developed a highly graphic style; this combined with affection for the use of vibrant color gives their dark subject matter a veneer of a fantasy.

Busted! exposes not only the vulnerability and immorality of our beloved icons, but also of ourselves. In an instant these few shamed men and women cause us to reflect upon a social consciousness that is increasingly at the mercy of the media. Using the publicity surrounding the downfall of our idols as an example of how fickle a mob we have become, KUHL & LEYTON illuminate an inherent sickness in the psyche of the modern world: How much we love raise our stars, yet how much more we love to watch them fall.

For more information, Carol Jazzar 305 490 6906 www.cjazzart.com