Matija Bobicic: SNEAKERHEADS

Marvin Gardens is excited to present SNEAKERHEADS, the second solo
exhibition at the gallery by Matija Bobičić.
This group of paintings is from the outset a direct nod to the show title.
Motifs that the artist has painted for years, such as the recurring clown
mask, and various cartoon heads reappear here, often sporting larger-thanlife sneakers. The compositions range from a raptor body wearing a partial
clown mask to cover a Skeletor head, all the way down to the minimal polelike signs for legs stretching directly from head to shoe. It appears as
though in this form of play, almost toy-like, the body parts can be
harmlessly plucked and interchanged with others.
Interweaving thinly painted passages with heavily layered backgrounds,
Bobičić reminds us of his own personally unique practice of layering
symbolism within his work. Having grown up during the break-up of
Yugoslavia, the artist's use of popular imagery produces a personal code
that indirectly speaks to the harsh realities of human nature. A recurring
example is the mask of happiness, a mere surface that partially reveals the
villain's face, which is also a sign of death and destruction. In this
exhibition the painter introduces sneakers into the lexicon, commodities
which have their own sordid history in global labor and trade, yet continue
to be prized collectibles connected to the body in more ways than the
obvious.