It Takes A Villeglé: Virtual Exhibit
"It Takes A Villeglé," is an exploration of urban existence through a unique blend of mixed media on canvas. Produced in late 2023 and early 2024, the pieces in this collection bear witness to Cody's commitment to using materials and information directly sourced from the city walls, embodying the very essence of the urban environment and what it means to be a body in the city.
The composition of concrete, paper, spray paint, acrylic paint, pigment ink, staples, and gel medium creates a textured and dynamic cityscape on canvas.
Each piece in the collection serves as a canvas for Cody's ongoing exploration of the interplay between materials, time, place, coded identity, and impermanence. The utilization of harvested posters, marks, and scars found on city walls, construction sites, pavements, and buildings gives the artwork a visceral quality that resonates with the pulse of the city itself.
Cody's visual language, developed through the incorporation of these diverse elements, transforms the mundane into a lyrical, harsh, and raw expression of urban life. The layers and obstructions in his work serve to obfuscate language, inviting viewers to infer intent and interpret the meaning based on their own experiences rather than imposing a singular narrative.
The title, "It Takes A Villeglé," cleverly plays on the familiar phrase "It takes a village." This title serves as a trope, hinting at the collaborative nature of urban existence while also paying homage to the French artist Jacques Villeglé, known for his décollage technique involving torn posters.
A central tenet in Cody's art practice is the concept of "materials as witness." The ephemeral qualities of the materials, typically overlooked and discarded in the urban environment, gain permanence and significance in Cody's hands. The collection challenges the viewer to contemplate the transient nature of city life and the overlooked beauty found in the remnants of urban decay.
In essence, "It Takes A Villeglé" invites viewers to immerse themselves in the complexities of the urban experience, offering a visual and tactile journey through the city's textures, layers, and stories, while encouraging personal reflection on the themes of time, place, identity, and impermanence
to view individual pieces in detail
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3. All artwork for sale subject to availability.