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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 6’ is a triumph of composition Rivans makes use of the blank space of the page to exceptional effect, letting the collage elements merge, blend, and almost bleed across the print. Using a high contrast palette, Rivans layers tangles of vines, leaves and fruits, each on top of the other, interspersing figurative elements a drawing of a pin up girl with a parrot, for example, or a 1950s photograph of smiling, topless man to create an image which is largely abstract, despite its component parts. There is a compelling beauty to the print, in its thoughtful take on pop art collage styles and in the sheer boldness of colour and composition.
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