Lefty Out There
Biography
“If anything, street art is like a pop-up ad and that’s what I love about it.” - Lefty Out There
Known for his signature mark-making, Lefty Out There is a pioneering multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. Reminiscent of interlinking cells or organic formations, his forever multiplying hooks captivate the viewer. He refers to these patterns as “squiggles”, which strike as both a result of an intuitive process and also as part of a larger, intricate cosmic design. The prolific artist made his name in the street art world before moving on to notable collaborations with brands including Facebook, Nike and Samsung, in addition to earning critical acclaim and recognition within the world of fine art.
Born as Franco Campanella in Chicago in 1991, Lefty Out There was interested in art from his teenage years. He was visiting museums, posting stickers across his hometown consistently drawing and sketching in the classroom. He soon became involved in the city’s burgeoning street art scene, starting to develop his now iconic patterns by using the urban landscape as his canvas. The interlocking “squiggles”, rendered both in colour and in monochrome, appear as hypnotic and almost spiritual as they reproduce and multiply endlessly across every surface.
Lefty Out There taps into the synergy between repetition and the divine, depicting the world as a constantly evolving network of interconnections. His public murals can now be spotted across the cities of the USA, Asia and Europe. Incorporating new technologies such as lasers, LED boxes and computers into his process of creation, his artworks have since grown into large scale installations for prestigious locations like Nobu, club E11EVEN, Chotto Matte and the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago. His growing recognition has also led him to work on major fashion campaigns for NYFW and Nike.
While the overarching leitmotif of his iconic “squiggles” remains prevalent throughout his newer works, it’s blended into experimentations with different materials and geometric abstraction. His works often reference minimalist Masters like his work Mondrian (2019), showing his interlocking hooks against a block colour backdrop, painted with acrylic onto wood. There are also nods to the psychedelic aesthetic of Op Art in his series of black and white works on wood.
Represented by Maddox Gallery, his works have been exhibited in commercial galleries and pop-ups in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Mexico City.
Marking the second solo exhibition we have hosted with the Chicago born street artist, this year Lefty is set to exhibit at Maddox Gallery in London. This monochromatic show will examine the emotive effects behind the absence of colour. Juxtaposing meticulous brushwork with dynamic mark-making, this ode to Op Art will examine the tensions betweenorganic and geometric forms.
