Live art exhibition with Rogue Citizen of the Twin Cities

Live Paint by Rogue Citizen
Voices Gallery opening reception
Saturday Sept. 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy the collaborative live painting of Rogue Citizen, to be showcased at the Voices from the Warehouse District opening reception on Sept. 10, starting at 7:00 p.m. A crew of four artists from the Twin Cities, Rogue Citizen will generate a work from inception to finish during the event. “The work we’re creating at Voices will be on a large surface with acrylics, ink, collage, and whatever else makes its way on. The goal is to be finished by the end of opening night.”

Consisting of midwesterners Shawn Dalsen, Eric Mattheis, Matt McGorry, and Matt Wells, Rogue Citizen’s visual art has evolved under the influence of video games and urban street graffiti, tossed with raw social commentary. A collaborative exhibition held this spring in Minneapolis, Execute Rogue Citizen, focused on themes of imprisonment and the American justice system, and ended with the planned destruction of unsold works.

An art collective since 2009, Rogue Citizen creates live art that springs from the group vibe and hinges on observer feedback. “Usually the audience does not directly participate, but conversation and interaction is really valuable, and there have been a few occasions where folks are invited to tag and paint on a surface we’re working on.”

With three formal art degrees amongst the four-man crew, the merging of their individual efforts results in a dynamic group style.  “One artist is usually designated to be the lead and prepare ideas and imagery before the event.  During these projects all of us bring our technical strengths, keeping communication as open as possible to get a final product we’re all satisfied with.” Their joint work reveals an affinity for science fiction, with bold robotic images, superhero-esque humans, and otherworldly dreamscapes of action.

Emerging as collaborative artists when offered the opportunity to create live paintings during concerts, Rogue Citizen has gained acclaim for urban murals. “The first outdoor mural we all worked on as Rogue Citizen was 60ft long on the side of Shuga Records in northeast Minneapolis over a three-day festival, and with minimal preparation.  It was a pretty spontaneous collaboration made more interesting with free beer and heat stroke.  Since then our outdoor walls have been more calculated, although there’s always plenty of room for improvisation.”

In addition to sharing the collaborative live work to be generated during the Voices Gallery opening reception, each of the four artists will also display a 4ft x 8ft interpretive self portrait. “Rogue Citizen is excited to get out of the Cities for the first time as a crew, and show everyone there how we do it in the 612 [the Minneapolis telephone area code].  It should be a lot of fun, and we look forward to visiting other cities in the midwest soon.” Look for more information about Rogue Citizen at Lizardman Art or on their Facebook page. You can also watch a time lapse video of their live art here.

About the author: A writer and social media specialist, Pamela can be found at creativedubuque.com

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