INSIDE OUTSIDE

Apl315, 23-year old graffiti artist from Odessa, is head of the Fat315 writer crew, known across Ukraine for its work on walls and train-carriages. In Europe Apl315 collaborates with sprayers from Germany, France and Holland. Usually meetings are arranged over the internet and take place at train stations.
In fact, Apl315 studied entomology, with a specialisation in beetles, until he decided to jack in academic study and concentrate on art. The influence of his study of tiny creatures is writ large in his imagery.
The integration of urban- and street-art into the gallery system is controversial, and the title of the show, inside-outside, refers to this. The huge works-on-canvas of Apl315 may be understood as a continuation of the heroic tradition in contemporaray painting which began with Jackson Pollock in the mid-twentieth century and continued with artists such as Herman Nitsch in Europe and Julian Schnabel in the USA.
Inside-outside is apl315’s first show in Germany, following successful shows in Warsaw and St Petersburg. The works were made during Apl315’s stay in Berlin in September-November. His work was not made any easier after he broke his leg fleeing from the Ukrainian railway police shortly before his arrival.