Case Maclaim
Schmalkalden, Thüringen
Case is the alias of Andreas von Chrzanowski an artist from the German graffiti scene who was born and raised East Germany. As early as 1995, he began painting with spray cans, and he uses this medium to make photorealistic images of body forms and portraits. case is one of four members of the Maclaim Crew, founded in the year 2000. Maclaim is known for having established photorealistic works with spray cans in Germany. case’s artistry usually includes people or the human body. He removes them from their normal environments, changes them, and then displays them within a new context, one that has also been modified. This enables him to replace the traditional idea of what beauty represents by controversial, grotesque images; these create nothing less than a very unique form of fascination for the beholder.
One of the most poignant aspects common to all of case’s works is the texture of the surfaces he uses. They are painted on a background that is made from pieces of cardboard of various sizes. Most of the cardboard comes from the packaging of the spray paint cans and they are held together with glue, staples and tape. Sometimes bits and pieces of wood are also glued onto the surface, such that a bumpy, one-of-a-kind surface appears. This structure is diametrically opposed to typically overblown, perfectionist images and it gives case’s works their unique character.
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