BANKS VIOLETTE

“Standard American Standard” recalls a classic consumer brand while reflecting Violette’s interest in the underlying signs and symbols that define American culture. The print, which shares its title with the exhibition scheduled to open on March 15th at MoCA CT, is based on Violette's pencil drawing.

 

Banks Violette (b. 1973, Ithaca, New York) is a contemporary American artist whose work engages with themes of destruction, decay, and the aesthetics of urban subcultures. With a background in heavy metal music, skateboarding, and the occult, Violette’s practice spans drawing, sculpture, installation, and video. His art explores the tension between beauty and violence, creating works that evoke the sublime and the macabre.

 

Violette received his M.F.A. from Columbia University in 2000 and his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in 1998. His solo exhibitions include notable presentations at Gladstone Gallery, New York (2018), the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2005), and Maureen Paley, London (2006). His work has been shown in prominent group exhibitions at institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Gagosian Gallery, and the Royal Academy, London.

 

Known for his use of dark materials and architectural forms, Violette’s work often examines the remnants of cultural symbols and the fragility of human existence. His detailed and gestural drawings explore desolate landscapes and symbols of alienation, while his sculptural works combine raw energy with unsettling beauty.

 

Violette’s works are held in the collections of major institutions, including The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His art continues to challenge conventional aesthetics, blending visceral imagery with cultural critique.