The Fabien Castanier Gallery To Show Pop Artist Maximilian Wiedemann

Written by Andrew Somerset Monday, 21 May 2012 23:07

Studio City, CA.- The Fabien Castanier Gallery is proud to present "Pump up the Valium" a solo show of work by British pop-art sensation Maximilian Wiedemann. "Pump up the Valium" opens on June 4th and is on view until July 3rd. The exhibition will feature brand new works by German-born London-based Wiedemann, including collaborative pieces with mega celebrity photographer, Tyler Shields. Working together, the duo have created graffiti-splashed portraits of actresses Lindsay Lohan, Alessandra Torresani, and Elena Satine, all three of which will be on display. The exhibition will also feature a range of mixed media on canvas, silkscreens, neon sculptures, stenciled artworks and several spectacular installations.

The show exemplifies Wiedemann’s philosophy about fame, money and celebrity status - a commentary on all things Hollywood. “It’s about pills, and beauty, and vanity, and women taking blades to their faces,” says Wiedemann, who will be incorporating 25,000 pills into his new works. Focusing on status symbols, the interplay of sex and money in contemporary society and America’s obsession with “celebrity and media hungry bitches”, there is not a more appropriate location for Wiedemann’s  West Coast debut than Los Angeles. Maximilian Wiedemann has given "Street Art"  a whole new definition, instead of spraying walls in the dark and hiding from cops, Maximilian is commissioned by some of the most exclusive brands to display his art in the hottest addresses in the world. He sees himself as a ' camera lens for celebrities' and documents the habitat that surrounds us in the 21st century much as a 19th Century painter would do, but using spray cans instead of oils. His work is highly influenced by fashion and celebrity, Prada and Vogue are his main influences alongside Haring and Basquiat. Karl Lagerfeld introduced Max to the Editor of French Vogue at a restaurant in Paris, when Karl Lagerfeld bought a painting, thrusting Maximilian into the art spotlight. Maximilian is constantly evolving with new materials such as neon, found item sculpture, photography and film. What remains constant is his razor sharp wit and incisive humor - always pointed at the vanities of the rich and beautiful, but only enough to keep them on their toes, for Wiedemann himself inhabits this world that he documents.

The hottest celebrity photographer in Hollywood, Tyler Shields, has teamed up with Maximilian Wiedemann to create canvases from Tyler's photographs of Lindsay Lohan, Alessandra Torresani and Elena Satine. When in LA, Maximilian and Tyler will combine their high energy, no holds barred views on celebrity and 21st Century life with results that threaten to forever change Los Angeles. Shields is famous for being arrested for dangling celebrities o bridges in a shoot and Wiedemann is known for collecting the most beautiful women in the world from European hotspots and immortalizing them on canvasses that often then appear in magazines and on television. Tyler's wild antics of crashing cars and exploding gas tanks mixed with Maximilian's recent use of bikini-clad machine gun-shooting Iranian Princess', and with Lindsay Lohan involved, this collaboration will provide a type of entertainment that' s new for even Hollywood.

The Fabien Castanier Gallery is a contemporary art gallery with a focus on contemporary pop art, urban art, photography and fine art editions. The gallery represents both established and emerging artists from all around the world. Their mission is to also introduce artists that have not beene exhibited to a west coast audience. The gallery has an exciting series of solo and group exhibitions scheduled for 2011 and 2012. Fabien Castanier is a native of Paris, where he previously worked in the TV and film industry. After 5 years behind the camera, Castanier decided to follow his true passion into the art world, opening galleries in Paris and Corsica. During this time he began representing European artists abroad, travelling extensively to Los Angeles. In 2002 Castanier relocated to California to focus on art consulting in the States. For the past 12 years, Castanier has worked with and advised private collectors, corporate organizations, museums and designers. From 2004 to 2009 he co-owned the Ambrogi-Castanier Gallery in West Hollywood. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://castaniergallery.com/

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