San Antonio, Texas. ART Magazine.
Kevin Rayhons’ colorful animation is projected onto the white brick wall at Hausmann Millworks. The overload of images that intertwines to form a pattern of undecipherable yet familiar information streaming to the viewer’s brain. Another similar piece by the artist, “Clare’s Birthday”, is playing on a TV next to the projected video. The exhibition is accompanied by Louie Chavez’ (AKA Mickey Mouse) music, which he is playing on the scene in an extreme synchronization with the powerful imagery. The music and the projection slide the into the unconscious communicating a dense message, that thanks to the internet and media, somehow we all seem to understand.
Rayhons’ assemblages deal with media and information overload in our culture presenting a very interesting Psychadelic and surrealist proposition. “I pull images from popular image sharing sites such as tumblr, dump.fm, and even a few directly from some artists’ web sites. I also incorporate my own artwork and other images created in that process. I also want the imagery to be somewhat universal and showcase internet culture, because it has become the culture we share now. I’m using a lot of imagery, and I want everyone to see at least one thing they’ve seen online once before but also many things that are unfamiliar – demonstrating how vast the internet and our world is”, said Rayhons. Repetition, pattern, and rythm are elements commonly found in Rayhons’ work. “I use repetition to emphasize the repetition we experience every day but don’t always notice. Things such as logos, ads, etc. that we’ve trained ourselves to ignore. I also enjoy what happens when you repeat something enough it ceases to be what it once was and becomes something new and unique. It references the fractal-like growth we see in all things in life and in nature”, explained the artist. Exaggerating reality and stretching the visual features of those images, Rayhons creates a surreal dream-like dimension that is ironically modeled after our reality.
Event though the artist has been concentrating on video and alternative media, he is also working on a series of Photographs about his traveling through Japan. Kevin Rayhons’ work can be seen at the Cafe des Artistes at the San Antonio Museum of Art where he will be having an Artist Talk this month. He will also show his projections at Casa de Tres Colores on April 5th.
