Photo de profil de Kool Koor.

KOOL KOOR

(Charles Hargrove - American)

Born in 1963

Photo de profil de Kool Koor.
Charles William Hargrove Jr. known as Kool Koor, born in New York in 1963, as a true child of the Bronx, quickly developed a love for Graffiti. After a childhood of passion for drawing, Kool Koor started expressing himself on walls in 1976. At only 16 he found himself exhibited at Fashion Moda gallery, having developed a style made of futuristic landscapes, neither figurative or abstract, sprayed onto canvas with powerful and vibrant tones. He slowly broke through the East Village into the Soho art scene before moving to Europe, becoming one of the first artists of the Brussels graffiti scene. Kool Koor’s work interprets in its recurring composition present, past and future through intergalactic frescos. His iconography is populated with spaceships and energetic tags, following the outlines of Gothic Futurism initiated by his friend and mentor Rammellzee. The artist was welcomed for a residence at the Château de Forbin during the summer of 2021. His work was largely exhibited, notably at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, at the Chicago Renaissance Society at the Butler Museum as well as the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands.

« Mon premier nom d'artiste était The Arbitrator Koor. Je me suis appelé The Arbitrator Koor parce que j'avais l'impression d'être un arbitre dans mon travail artistique; L’arbitre entre une réalité que nous connaissons et une réalité qui est autre. Kool est apparu plus tard, lorsque j'ai commencé à enregistrer de la musique. Quand j'étais jeune adulte, j'étais attiré par le jeu d’échecs - I like the tower or the rook - Je voulais utiliser "Rook" comme nom d’artiste mais je l'ai abandonnée. J'ai pris le K et le R et je les ai retournés. C'est comme ça que j'ai eu mon nom d'artiste. Il reflète ma façon de penser et personnifie ma créativité : jeu de la ligne, architecture et mondes imaginaires, Si vous regardez la vie ou les choses de l'autre côté, vous pouvez souvent les comprendre. C'est ainsi qu'est né Koor »



« Rooks & Robots » - du 04 juillet au 04 août 2021 - Marseille.

    EDUCATION


    1982

    University Diploma - New York High School of Art and Design, New York, USA.



    SOLO EXHIBITIONS


    2021

    - “Rooks & Robots”, Retrospective Kool Koor, Ghost Galerie Marseille, Château de Forbin, 4 Juillet - 4 Aout.


    2017

    - KOOL KOOR: Sometime in the Future, Stradedarts curated by Alessandro Mantovani. Milan, Italy, June 6th - July 8th.


    2016

    - Past Present Past, Galerie Francis Noël. Liège, Belgium, until June 25th.


    2015

    - Tribal Movements, Galerie Martine Ehmer. Brussels, Belgium, October 1st - 4th.

    - Kool Koor: Black Gold, NK Gallery Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, December 5 th - January 22th.


    2014

    - Treasure Lost and Found, l’Hotêl Marignan. Paris, France, opening December 2nd.


    2013

    - KOOL KOOR: Transform... Evolve, Covart Gallery, under the High Patronage of the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg. Luxembourg, May 4th - 31st.

    - KOOL KOOR: Papers, Begramoff Contemporary Art. Brussels, Belgium, March 4th - April 13th.


    2011

    - Kool Koor: The Arbitrator, Covart Gallery. Luxembourg, Luxembourg, April 30th - June 25th.


    2009

    - Schilderijen en Objecten (Paintings and Objects), Galerie DZD Art. Roermond, Netherlands, January 10th - February 8th.


    2008

    - Koor - Back to the Roots, Gallery 151. New York, USA.


    2006

    - Seven Sources, Tempus Arte. Landen, Belgium.


    2005

    - Koor, Galerie Willy Schoots. Eindhoven, Netherlands.

    - Microkoorsm, Fine Arts Studio. Brussels, Belgium.


    2004

    - Koor: Recent Works, Fine Art Studio. Brussels, Belgium.

    - Reality Revisited, Sabine Watchers Gallery. Knokke, Belgium.


    2003

    - Koor, Galerie Willy Schoots. Eindhoven, Netherlands.

    - Elevations, Private Domain. Deurne, Netherlands.


    2002

    - Draftworks, Private Domain. Deurne, Netherlands.


    1998

    - Monoliths vs Pyroliths, Tour et Taxis. Brussels, Belgium.


    1995

    - KOOR, Gallerie Dis. Maastricht, Netherlands.


    1991

    - KOOR, Gallerie der Stadt Esslingen am Neckar, Esslingen, Germany.

    - KOOR, Gallery M. Bayreuth, Germany.

    - KOOR, Maurice Keitelman Gallery. Brussels, Belgium.


    1990

    - KOOR, Art Boom. Deurne, Holland 1988

    - KOOR, Gallery 69, New York, USA.



    GROUP EXHIBITIONS


    2022

    - New York Street Style : création des années 80 - Ghost Galerie, Paris, juillet - septembre 2022.

    - Accrochage saisonnier, Ghost Galerie, Paris, France, Janvier-Juin 2022


    2021

    - Writing the futura: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop generation, Museum of fine arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

    - Nos Fantômes - exposition inaugurale, Ghost galerie, Paris, France. 10 Septembre - 20 Novembre, 2021.

    - Rooks & Robots, Château de Forbin, Marseille, France. 4 Juillet - 4 Octobre, 2021.


    2019

    - La Rétrospective, Manufacture 111 Bruxelles. Brussels, Belgium, August 12th - September 15th.


    2017

    - Beyond the Wall, Art Bunker Gallery. Tourcoing, France, June 1st - 30th.


    2015

    - Emulsions Urbaines, Galerie Martine Ehmer. Brussels, Belgium, April 11th - May 17th.

    - Black Gold, NK Gallery. Antwerp, Belgium, December 5th, 2014 - January 22nd, 2015.

    - Dalí Fait le Mur, Espace Dalí Paris. Paris, France, September 11th, 2014 - March 15th, 2015


    2011

    - Art in the Streets, MOCA. Los Angeles, USA, April 17th - August 8th. (catalogue) 2010

    - Né dans la Rue - Graffiti, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain. Paris, France, July 7th, 2007 - January 10th, 2010. (catalogue)


    2007

    - East African Art Biennial. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.


    2005

    - EYE CANDY, Museum Tongerlohuys (2 man show). Roosendaal, Netherlands 2004

    - New York Graffiti: A Retrospective, Galerie Maurice Keitelman, Brussels, Belgium.


    2003

    - The Writing on the Wall


    1996

    - 21st ed. International Art and Antiquities Fair. Knokke Scharpoord, Belgium.

Past or Present