Alben’s work identifies strongly with graffiti and street art. The artist’s bold canvases are saturated with Pop iconography from the 1950s to the present day. Hollywood icons, monarchs, kitsch items, canonical artworks, vintage cars, superheroes, and images from the artist’s childhood all combine to create artwork rich in enigmatic symbolism.

Self-taught, the artist works primarily in spray paint and individually crafted stencils—each one made by hand. In a manner intentionally referential to French modernist artist Arman, Alben builds up a dizzying accumulation of images in his works. However, Alben’s use of diverse words, figures and references functions to create multiple layers of hidden symbols and meanings. The juxtapositions of such recognizable imagery in his colorful, energetic pieces create a subtle humor, establishing and intimate and witty relationship with his audience.

The October 2010 exhibition will also feature a number of Alben’s new sculptural pieces. The artist fills various molds with a variety of commonplace objects (from candy to vintage children’s toys) suspended in resin creating colorful and one-of-a-kind pieces. The use of disparate found objects, often relating to childhood, works to further explore the underlying nostalgia central to Alben’s artistic practice. The artist has exhibited widely throughout Europe, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to having created a number of site-specific installations throughout France.

Works by Alben are held in public and private collections throughout Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, Bordeaux, London, New York and Chicago.