Pictorial Language

MALT
Opening Reception: May 2nd, 6 - 9 PM

In Pictorial Language, Detroit-based artist MALT presents a compelling new series that distills his signature visual vocabulary into its most elemental forms. Known for his dynamic murals and vibrant studio works that blend graffiti aesthetics with natural motifs, MALT now turns inward, exploring the power of restraint through a limited color palette and a focus on form over subject.

This exhibition marks a significant evolution in MALT's practice, bridging the gap between his large-scale public art and more intimate studio explorations. By deconstructing familiar imagery - such as his iconic birds - into abstracted shapes and movements, he invites viewers to engage with the underlying structures and rhythms that define his work.

Each piece in Pictorial Language serves as a meditation on the interplay between control and spontaneity, structure and freedom. Through bold lines and simplified forms, MALT communicates a universal visual language that resonates beyond specific subjects or narratives.

As MALT describes his process: "I always work from a basic concept or idea, but I truly enjoy the path of the unknown, working without restrictions. I start with the idea and a basic sketch, then I lay down a background. From there, I go on the adventure the brush or the can of spray paint takes me."

Pictorial Language invites audiences to experience the essence of MALT's artistic journey - a dialogue between intention and improvisation, where meaning emerges through form and color.

MALT

Growing up in Metro Detroit, Malt began his career as an artist through his passion for skateboarding, graffiti and music. Influenced by the bold lines of graffiti and skateboard graphics, Malt reimagines natural landscapes and the characters that inhabit them, building from bold backdrops to create other-worldly scenes.

More recently Malt strives to bridge the gap from his public murals to more concise studio explorations, sometimes breaking his signature birds down to their most abstract elements. These works deploy the same natural inspirations but deconstruct the imagery, focusing on form rather than subject. Malt uses bold lines and shapes to suggest the abstracted movement of his subjects through space.

With each process I always work from a basic concept or idea but I truly enjoy the path of the unknown, working without restrictions. I start with the idea and a basic sketch, then I lay down a background. From there I go on the adventure the brush or the can of spray paint takes me.

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