Cycle
February – May, 2010
Woodward Gallery Project Space
CYCLE grew up in rural Connecticut very close to nature. He remembers being young and curious about the woods and animals directly out his back window. He knew NYC was a playground full of adventure, but felt a connection with the nature he was familiar with. As a young adult, his curiosity found him climbing not on trees, but through train tunnels and high onto rooftops painting graffiti and zipping full speed through downtown NYC traffic on a skateboard. It didn’t take long before the urban landscape became his new backyard. The greens of a thick tree, spring woods was replaced by the grays of concrete and the damp rusty smell of the subways.
Recently CYCLE yearned for the easier time of his childhood, and the simple fun of the forest in his backyard. With so much of his legendary artwork based around experiences coming from urban living, he decided it was a time for a change- a conscious return to something meaningful. Cycle has begun to incorporate natural elements into his work.
I find the juxtaposition between the graffiti of the urban setting and elements of nature such as animals to be a fascinating combination. They seem diametrically opposite of each other, but both have influenced me to be the person I am today. With Forest Spirit, I try to once again to explore this contradiction.
CYCLE received a BFA from George Washington University in Washington, DC and a Masters Degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. He has been featured in galleries in NYC, Washington, DC, LA, San Francisco and Paris, as well as at the prestigious, Art Basel, Miami fair. He has done exterior murals and installations in New York, San Francisco and Miami. CYCLE has been commissioned by KidRobot, Think Skateboards, and Disney XD for projects. CYCLE’s work has also been profiled in publications: Juxtapoz, Mass Appeal, Complex, and Time Out, New York and is illustrated in numerous books on street art. CYCLE currently lives and works in New York City.
