DUAL stands for the conflict between “street art” and “fine” art; between freeway burners and gallery exhibitions; and between mass recognition and total anonymity. His bold lines and fresh colors are a break from the everyday monotony of life in the city—a taste of urban subculture, whether you asked for it or not.
While one may not have a choice in where and when they encounter a DUAL piece, DUAL leaves it up to the observer to assign meaning to his work. By operating under a pseudonym, he lets his audience write their own narrative for who he is and the message he is trying to get across.
Perhaps best known for his work with wheat paste, particularly since his feature in the 2011 wheat pasting documentary Stick ‘Em Up!, DUAL has never been one to confine himself to a particular medium, background, or context.
He has been recognized not only for his work with silkscreen and spray paint, but also for his work with lithography and acrylics. Though his obsession with “making marks” stems from his background in graffiti, he has translated that into a passion for creating art. His “art” includes everything from large-scale murals to paintings on canvas to meticulously made tape collages and the forgotten art of sign painting. Dual’s work has evolved from gestural character studies to more hard-edge abstraction with an added exploration of color – creating quite the dichotomy between the “street” artist and the “fine” artist.