It’s fitting that Chris Bors is both an artist and an art critic; his most recent set of paintings display both a broad knowledge of cultural history and the rare ability to synthesize those various influences into a compelling and coherent whole. Appropriating the kind of hardcore punk band logos you might have scribbled on your notebooks back in high school, Bors adds images that range from children’s cartoon characters to dystopic, sci-fi illustrations and finishes off his posters with the colored drips of mid-century abstraction. “The juxtaposition of these elements resembles the compositions of and mimics the tactics used in political messaging,” Bors writes. “The work also plays on the confrontation of violence and solidarity as expressed in a music genre that has roots based on a struggle for social justice.” See some of our favorite Bors pieces after the jump, and then visit his website to check out more of his work.
Chris Bors, Bad Brains, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, D.O.A., 2008, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, Reagan Youth, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, All Out War, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 72″ x 56″
Chris Bors, Agnostic Front, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 72″ x 56″
Chris Bors, Necros, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, Killing Time, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, Sheer Terror, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 43 1/2″ x 34″
Chris Bors, Cop Shoot Cop, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 16″ x 14″
Chris Bors, Discharge, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 14 inches