VIVID. COLORFUL. MOVEMENT. These are words that came to mind when I first experienced Known/Unknown, a show by Dan Handskillz in the Harrison Center’s City Gallery. Handskillz’s use of bright colors and shapes in pieces like Roughly From The North pulls us into a captivating tale about the city of Indianapolis. The clouds, the sunsets, and the downtown silhouette against the sky all leave me wanting to see more of the paintings and the city itself.

*Roughly From The North*
Spray Paint, Latex and Oil Pastel on canvas
12”x 36”

Handskillz’s use of spray paint is very impressive. When I take a step closer, the details in the bright colors remind me of the excitement of childhood—as if I’m experiencing life in an exciting new way for the first time. The vibrant colors of the portraits, paired with the monochromatic pieces of industrial Indianapolis, pop in the gallery.

*Portrait of Saxophonist Rob Dixon*
Spray Paint, Latex and Oil Pastel on canvas
24”x 36”

*Trains Before Graffiti*
Spray paint and latex on canvas
10”x 10”

A graduate of IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design, Handskillz’s pieces present perspectives that are full of life and energy. Handskillz’s stylistic choice is ingenious in that every piece feels almost like a photograph that was taken right at the scene of the action. Especially in pieces like Portrait of Drummer Devon Ashley, where our perspective is as if we are looking over the subject—a portrait that is very awe-inspiring and almost feels like you’re standing right in the room where it happened.

*Portrait of Drummer Devon Ashley*
Spray Paint, Latex and Oil Pastel on canvas
24”x 36”

The piece Bridge Before Graffiti speaks to me, with the use of black and white and the clean slate of the bridge. Pulling off this show was imaginably no easy feat. But, the excitement and vibrancy that comes from stepping into this exhibit will leave you seeing Indianapolis in beautiful graphic lights you may have never appreciated before.

*Bridge Before Graffiti*
Spray paint and latex on canvas
10”x 10”

See Known/Unknown in the City Gallery throughout the month of June.