December 9, 2023 – January 13, 2024
Pas De Deux
Ben Reyer & Sebi Schager
VIENNA
Spiegelgasse 13, 1010 Vienna
Artists
BEN REYER
Ben Reyer was born in 1985 and grew up in Los Angeles, California, where he studied Cultural Geography at UCLA. Since 2012, he has been living and working in Vienna. Similar to a DJ, Reyer blends, mixes, and combines existing elements in his work, creating something new. He crafts „cut and paste“ collages from old magazines and posters, resulting in loud and powerful pieces. Driven by a strong rhythm and a distinct main motif, his works also reveal many remarkable nuances.
Incorporating a strong sense of design, Reyer draws on his initial interest in cultural geography. This led him to study ideologies and their dissemination, with a desire to comprehend connections and, now in his role as an artist, to achieve a heightened awareness. With a focus on current concepts and conditions such as power,
sexuality, society, and politics, his visual compilations address
these themes.
His works have been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Vienna, Stockholm, Dublin, London, Miami, and Los Angeles. They are represented in collections including Lenikus, Sanziany (Palais Rasumofsky), Sackler, Tom Ford, M. Dichand, James Newton-Howard, and Mario Testino, showcasing the broad recognition and presence of his art.
SEBASTIAN SCHAGER
Born in Vienna, Sebastian Schager graduated in graphics and communications in 2007 and completed his art history degree at the University of Vienna in 2020. He is a founding member of PERFEKT WORLD (2009-2016), Jan Arnold Gallery (MQ Showroom 2012-2023), and LEAP – Limited Edition Art Prints. Additionally, he works under the name ARTIS.LOVE in Vienna.
Sebastian Schager‘s figurative art invites a dynamic exploration, avoiding straightforward answers and intentionally creates a provocative blend of symbols and imagery, leaving room for the viewer‘s subjective engagement. The syntax of visual content, urges viewers to construct their own grammar within a global language of symbols and icons.
His artistic medium spans from classic canvases and large walls to purely digital NFTs and animations. Schager‘s work, characterized by halftones and the extensive use of stencil techniques, reflects the era of heavy reproduction and appropriation in art. Each piece serves as a source, dissected, suspended, composted, and shared, emphasizing the need for intellectualization in a world that often lacks processing time.