The Big Oil Splash

This summer, Lazarides will host a new series of works by the notorious French artist Zevs, with his solo exhibition: The Big Oil Splash. The artist, otherwise known as Aguirre Schwarz, will present a series of paintings, monochromes and sculpture based on the oil spill thematic.

The paintings presented in The Big Oil Splash are richly imbued with the artist’s critical and anti-authoritarian spirit and are reflective of his graphic vocabulary, love of film noir, misappropriations and his attachment to Pop Art and comics. Full of borrowings, namely from Hockney’s iconic 1967 A Bigger Splash and emblems from major international oil corporations, the artist tells the captivating story of how the oil industry has spilled over into banking, finance, shipping, foreign policy, tourism, arts and leisure since the time of J. D. Rockefeller.

A single sunbed not only exposes the series of monochromes to UV radiation, but also unfolds Zevs’ meditation on serenity and the intricate dynamics of people, power, possessions and pleasures. All of these elements have facilitated the artist’s social ascent and his ultimate seclusion from the mundane world of art, culture, politics and anything that impedes the peace of mind he for so long has sought for.