Stellan Holm Gallery is pleased to present Larger Than Life with five large-scale paintings from our stable of international artists: Martin Borowski, Jason Brooks, Brendan Cass, Till Gerhard and Dwayne Moser.

MARTIN BOROWSKI’s still life of art and architectural institutions are not simply an homage to the architectural masterpieces that these institutions are but more an emotional reading of the interior space. One’s spatial relationship is experienced in Borowski’s large-scale paintings. Born in Hoyerswerda in 1970 Borowski studied at the Dresden academy of fine art from 1994 through 2001.

JASON BROOKS seeks to redefine the concept of painting. This leading young British artist is a technical virtuoso sophisticated in photography but well known for his hyper-realistic portraits as a highly skilled painter. While generating his visual renderings directly from his photographs of rather intimidating or confrontational personalities, Brooks engages the viewer in a complete exposure of extremely focused detail of his subject. These meticulously executed works are painted in such a manner that evades any attempt to flatter, instead he examines a much more important facet to him: the ambiguities of realism, an experience of thoughtful discourse on layers of actuality. At this level of scrutiny Brook’s portraits become a fixation of value and ultimately a moral resolution of truth. Born in Rotherham, England in 1968, Brooks studied at the Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Art & Design for his BA Fine Art from 1988 to 1991. He received his MFA in 1992 from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Jason Brooks lives and works in London.

BRENDAN CASS’s large-scale paintings evoke a landscape of fantasy and idealism. With heavy impasto and the loose application of paint, Cass crosses the line between the abstract and the figurative. His paintings are full of pulsating color, which at first glance look as if they have been quickly executed. However, upon closer inspection, one sees the meticulous and calculated application. Drawing from photographs in travel brochures, the result is an expressionistic landscape that celebrates the remote with a wisp of wistfulness. Born in New Jersey in 1974, Brendan Cass attended the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College and School of Visual Arts, New York. He currently lives and works in New York.

TILL GERHARD’s paintings lures out our collective memories of the ‘60s and ‘70s iconic imagery from movies, record covers and art of that era, and deconstructs under layers of paint, irony and dark humor. Using seemingly random paint strokes and amorphous colors superimposed over uncanny images, Gerhard creates a dark and eerie world using an unnaturally colorful and playful palette. His new work displays his ability to manipulate vibrant colors and drawing attention to his nostalgic images, while at the same time heighten the intensity of the scene, creating a disturbing perception of the seemingly familiar. Born in Hamburg in 1971 and educated at Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften/FB Gestaltung, Hamburg and Muthesius Hochschule für Kunst und Gestaltung, Kiel, Till Gerhard lives and works in Hamburg.

DWAYNE MOSER’s paintings depict sites where celebrities fall from grace. Moser revisits these sites – Nicole Richie’s DUI arrest – and photographs these sites, at the same time of the day as when the events occurred. Moser then turns the photographs over to the Warner Brothers Scenic Arts Department, who paints the large-scale backdrop paintings, which are formatted to a cinematic aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Moser’s paintings reflect today’s public’s obsession with the tabloids; celebrities’ private lives are more interesting than their films and music. The paintings, devoid of figures, are backdrops against which one can re-enact events of celebrities, who are more renowned for their activities off-screen than on-screen, especially activities that result in celebrities’ disgrace. Dwayne Moser received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2001. His works have been exhibited extensively in California and Europe. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles and is a faculty member at CalArts.