Artist of the Week: Rue Five

Rue Five is a young Scottish fellow whose art reminds me of equal parts Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt, with a dash of renegade typography and various tribal elements mixed in to taste.

From the look of it (“it” being his website), he makes drawings and paintings mostly, his figures beautifully bruised and rough around the edges, with red stitches holding it all together. And his photography renders everyday moments quiet, whether the camera be focused on friends self-consciously flashing looks at the lens or scraps of daily life—a brick wall, a deli counter, the shingles of a roof.

An exhibition at The Changing Room in Stirling Scotland two years ago was titled How Children Learn and featured work by Rue and another artist named David Galletly. Though I’ve only seen photos of the show online, I was immediately struck by the installation of the work in the gallery space. I really loved how the drawings and photographs were hung salon-style, neatly crowded in the corner, some with old tags trailing from their frames. But the fireplace spewing forth an amazingly marked-up geometric sculpture was absolutely my favorite. Look see:

[All photos courtesy of artist’s website.]

- Cathleen