Studio Visit with Augustine Kofie

Augustine Kofie (b. 1973 in Los Angeles, California) is inspired by the basic building blocks of the geometric world and has formed a retro-futuristic aesthetic, transplanting shapes and angles into an organic, yet highly mathematical form of abstraction. Merging his traditional graffiti education with his deep love of illustration and architectural renderings, he plays with form, line, balance and depth, twisting and manipulating his compositions into new and dramatic arrangements.

For his debut solo exhibiton at the gallery, Kofie created new collages and works on canvas that explore the important role inventory plays in his work. The inventory in question consists of found press- or chip-board, a heavier paper stock used in packaging and office supplies from the 1950s to the 1980s: steno notepads, file folders, envelopes, index cards, or industrial packaging designed, printed and manufactured in the USA. He begins by drawing small case studies on notepaper or note pads—loose leafed, easily discardable. These become reference for collage work, in which the discovery and collection of forsaken materials is the first step. Next, the materials enter his studio, where they are meticulously inventoried—archived by color palette, thickness, and category in vintage industrial file cabinets, “sometimes for years, sometimes for that day,” until they make their way into an assemblage. Finally, layers of pencil, ballpoint pen, silkscreen, and acrylic ink cover the assemblage, making it cohere.

Below are images and a video that document the artistic process Kofie underwent creating these new works.  INVENTORY opens on November 21, 2015.