Art Hag

Mixed Greens presents Watch Me Slowly Death, an amazing solo exhibition featuring the work of 28-year-old, Texas-born/Bushwick-based artist Zane Lewis. In 2006, Lewis was listed as one of Wall Street Journal's "23-Year-Old Masters."

Lewis creates cultural icons and religious imagery by meticulously cutting pages and pages of fashion advertisements and layering and piecing them together collage-like. When the cut images are completed, Lewis then drips and pours rosy-hued paint on to them to "react like bodily fluids and humanize his subject again." Though it took a moment for my eyes to focus in, the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns could be seen within the paint smears, designer logos, and models' faces. It's an interesting juxtaposition of superficial, commercial, and dare I say, trivial images merging to create a larger, religious figure that is meaningful and spiritual to so many.

Lewis examines death and eternal youth with his disturbingly beautiful skulls made from cut acrylic or vinyl mounted on to mirrors or plexiglass. He addresses decay with his Chanel fragrance posters which he hangs upside-down in their frames, tatters their edges, and streaks with paint, . "Their sexy, slick images are crumbling and defaced by Lewis' hand."

Watch Me Slowly Death is Lewis' second solo show at Mixed Greens and ends on October 3rd. It's definitely worth checking out this young, talented artist's innovative interpretations of still lives and portraits. Learn more at Mixedgreens.com and read an interview with Lewis at Examiner.com.