Site-specific artworks by Ruben Sanchez and Alyson Khan at Oak Park in Des Moines.
RUBEN SANCHEZ | Born and raised in Madrid, and adopted by Barcelona and Dubai in past years, Ruben Sánchez is a self-taught artist with a strong, colorful graphic style that resonates through all of his projects. Coming from the cultural worlds of graffiti and skateboarding, Sánchez learned graphic design and illustration. In the mid 2000’s, he mixed the techniques and influences from each field, adding new skills on wood, resins, etc, with continued self-education in the arts, where he started translating his own vision onto canvases, murals, reclaimed wood, sculptures or installations. His artwork can be found as part of art festivals, humanitarian projects or international exhibitions (including: Denmark, France, Turkey, Spain, Bulgaria, Canada, the US, Greece, Hungary, and Jordan), but can also be found as ‘uncommissioned’ works in all kind of places.
View artworks and exhibits by Ruben Sanchez
ALYSON KHAN | I am inspired by the decadence of Art Deco; the hope and efficiency of Mid-Century Modern aesthetics; the joining of texture, light and comfort in interior design; the riotous maximalism in haute couture; the rawness of tribal mark making; and the implied doorway to the unseen in esoteric symbology. I am also conducting deep investigations into color–its complexities as a visual phenomenon as well as its role as catalyst for sparking feeling and narrative. My early forays into making included sewing, assemblage, and collage—essentially simplified joining of hard edges of color, shape and texture. Math minded with a degree in writing, my self-taught approach to painting includes a formulaic method for containing aery expressions with an underlying grid structure and many layers of “drafts” to be edited, re-edited and fine-tuned. – Alyson Khan