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The work of Maria Rivans is known for its mash up of surrealism meets pop art. Her scrapbook like collages with their 1950s pop culture references have all the playful delight of an early Paolozzi, mixed with the strange surreality of a Dali, and brought up to date with a certain sophistication and quirky aesthetic, unique to Rivans. The reference series was first released at the artrepublic Art Yard Sale on Sunday 5th June 2016, in which some of the biggest names in the contemporary art world came together in Brighton’s Jubilee Square, giving fans the chance to buy from the artists directly. ‘The Reference Series 4’ is dominated by the black and white face of a vintage Hollywood starlet, cropped in half at the edge of the print. Her head is adorned like a surrealist hula girl with exotic flowers in bright colours and even a monkey, a bird and a red watering can be spotted amongst the foliage headdress. The print resists conventional aesthetics, yet the end result has an unexpected, hyper real quality, all the more beautiful for its compelling singularity.
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