RAWS - Art of Today

RAWS - Art of Today

 After six years, there is again a solo exhibition of Raws in Berlin. The artist, born in Königs Wusterhausen in 1990, has his roots in urban art culture, which he combines in an abstract style with graffiti, geometric patterns and shapes. With #artoftoday, Raws focuses on the changed perception of social Media.Er uses his characteristic "chaos" style, reducing the visual energy of graffiti to line, shape and color. The result is extremely precise works with intense and bright color worlds that are full of energy. To quote his collector, Tim Raue: "I collect his works because they shine and are structural and they inspire me." 

In addition to the experience gained through the use of typical tools such as the spray can, the examination of form and colour or the numerous international journeys, Raws has been influenced by the exchange with other artists, the thrill of actions in public space or the hip-hop idea. The use of the spray can will do justice to his emotions and gives space to the urge for freedom. Over time, he has reduced graffiti to the essentials, and in the meantime social and socially relevant topics have been added and play a major role. With the chaos style, he conveys a moment of hope and positivity, for Raws, chaos always means potential and beauty. Contrasts arise from the procedure. He contrasts „ aesthetic with destruction. A line with a surface. Decoration with seriousness. Physical space with digitality. I also try to express these contrasts through materiality and technique. I work with acrylic paints, spray cans, raw canvas, wood and plastic and bring my art on and in various media. Whether it's a Porsche 911, digital art on the blockchain or products – it's precisely this contrast between the media themselves and art in a commercial context and free art on canvas that interests me." 

Raws has been working with the gallery for several years and has developed a friendly relationship with us. When he suggests a solo show to gallery owner Julia Raab, he supports her while she gives him the freedom he wants. Julia Raab offers feedback and stimulates the creation of the exhibition with her ideas. He appreciates the location and the rooms of the gallery, the network of collectors and business partners. The collaboration is important to him because, according to his own statement, it is extremely difficult for him to put himself in the foreground as a person in order to present his art. In our #artoftoday exhibition, Raws shows artworks from the past four years as well as recent, unpublished works. He deals with the topic of art and social media, where he is concerned with the question of the quality of art in the age of hype algorithms and whether artists are dependent on it. 

The  special focus of the exhibition opening will be on a performance by Raws, the textual classification of his artist colleague Max Golenz and the unveiling of the unpublished works.

 At the same time, Raws enjoys the opportunity to see his art in focus and to step back behind it himself. 

In the exhibition at the RAAB Gallery, Raws presents his first book "Intentions". He has worked on all the content himself and attaches great importance to emphasizing that the book is his most beautiful business card, as his girlfriend puts it. In his opinion, it surpasses any digital representation by far, because one can deal with art in peace and comprehensively. Anyone who, like him, has savoured all the depths of the virtual worlds will find the highest satisfaction, inspiration and artistic dreams of the future in the book. Now it's all about syntheses. If exhibitions, collaborations with major brands such as adidas, Marvel or Cupra, contact with collectors, collaborations with the gallery owner can take place at the same time, while new possibilities for the works of art can be discovered in the exchange of ideas, this is a great enrichment.