"CONQUEST OF FLYNESS" The solo Art Show of Tony Philippou
This current series takes place in the fantasy dystopian setting of BronxZooLand, New York and introduces us to a host of some of its most decorated characters and backdrops.
Constructed and heavily influenced by the sites, music, art, fashion, people and rich culture of NY in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. A combination of moments and places from Tony’s upbringing in the South Bronx that draws inspiration from movies such as Beat Street, Wild Style, Warriors and Escape the Bronx.
B-boys and B-girls from different crews are on display in their finest urban armor ready to battle each other in fly fashion, breakdancing, graffiti writing, emceeing and DJ skills! Drawing from the energy of the extremely creative borough of The Bronx and its cultural response to a broken and fractured moment of time, in which they persevered through extreme burning and destruction throughout the city.
Hip Hop, thrash rock, fantasy art, graffiti and comic books are all visual influences that have heavily inspired this series. Abandoned tenement buildings, The Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Gardens , once landmarks of a bygone era are now conduits of a new thriving agricultural and wildlife ecosystem of BronxZooLand.
BIO
Tony Philippou was born in The Bronx, NY and attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He currently lives and works in Orlando, Florida.
Originally starting out as a freelance illustrator and designer, Tony blended his communication and design skill set with his love for Painting. Tony explores themes of urban decay, fashion, societal trends and contemporary subjects with aesthetic techniques inspired by Renaissance portraiture, Graffiti and Fantasy Illustration. As a young New Yorker with a very unique imagination he would often conjure images of warriors and heroes who would traverse his imaginative landscapes. By experimenting with different styles and art-historical genres, Philippou depicts detailed moments that focus on both individual and universal experiences. Contrast and balance are ever present in his paintings as a mechanism for impact and readability. His work has been seen in Major Galleries across the US from New York to Los Angeles, as well as the Honolulu Museum of Art School in Hawaii and having work in the permanent Collection of the Urban Nation Contemporary Art Museum in Berlin, Germany.