Launched in Aalborg, Denmark by the KIRK Gallery in 2014, the recent fifth addition of the Out in the Open Mural project, brought a new roster of artists to add their designs to the city, as well as have the opportunity to show their artworks. Included in this years’ lineup was the dutch artist Joram Roukes that created a striking mural of an eagle reassembled in a collage like way.
About the Mural
Down the side of a building the artist created a truly captivating piece of an eagle that poses a fragmented yet cohesive view on today’s society and human behavior. Using interestingly bright colors and experimental juxtapositions, it is impossible not to arouse the viewers immediate intrigue. But it is more than just the stirring composition of his new mural that keeps us lingering in front of this piece, there’s a distinct quality that transforms this work from ‘glance-worthy’ to ‘fascinating,’ perhaps defined by the present detail of the work.
Roukes’ mural expertly combines high and low art into an animal portrait that feels surreal and touches on contemporary culture, confronting the viewers with their own untamed absurdity in an engaging narrative characterized by beauty, chaos and decay.
About the Artist
Joram Roukes was born in 1983 in the small city of Lelystad, The Netherlands. He earned his BFA in fine arts at the Minerva Academy of Arts in Groningen in 2006. In 2008 Roukes was awarded a stipend from National Arts Foundation ‘Fonds BKVB, which is currently known as Mondriaanfonds, which he used to set up an artist residency in Brooklyn, NYC. Joram Roukes’ work is a dark, humorous play on topics that range from popular culture, global affairs and personal experience. Creating juxtapositions of imagery to create abstract narratives and figures that evoke introspection and contemplation. His work gained attention from several international galleries like Thinkspace in Los Angeles, StolenSpace in London among others. He has since shown his work in Copenhagen, Paris, Berlin, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and London to name a few.
Since 2015 Roukes is actively painting large scale murals across the globe, applying his old love of painting graffiti on a larger and more mature scale.
After doing a 2,5 year residency in Los Angeles in close partnership with Thinkspace Gallery, Joram Roukes now lives and works in his hometown of Groningen, The Netherlands.
About KIRK Gallery
KIRK Gallery is a Danish gallery located in Aalborg with international reach and a collaborative approach, organizing projects and shows for museums and other gallery partners besides participating at art fairs in Denmark and abroad. The gallery has been in operating since 2008 and is run by Lene Kirk.
The Gallery features Danish and international contemporary art, showcasing the latest currents and developments within the new contemporary art scene, presenting powerful and visionary art by artists in a line-up that bridges the gap between fine art and the new contemporary movement.
Images by Jesper Thomasen unless indicated otherwise.
Joram Roukes: Website | Facebook | Instagram
KIRK Gallery: website | facebook | instagram
