Novos Desenhos

Paintings | Mixed Media on Wood & Paper | Various Dimensions

Novos Desenhos is a series of paintings & drawings by Robby Reis, which were previously exhibited in Montreal at Galerie du Viaduc from April 29th to May 5th 2019. The exhibition featured large scale drawings on paper and mixed media works on wood.

More Weight (left) | Unarmed (right)
18” x 24” | Mixed Media on Paper | 2019

With over a decade of experience as a filmmaker, photographer and graffiti artist, Reis now merges his love for storytelling with the spontaneity of his street art to create a series of works that explore the subconscious mind and the oneiric symbols that live there.

Thorn Drops (left) | Carried Away (right)
18” x 24” | Mixed Media on Paper | 2019

Drawing inspiration from the Tarot, astrology, Catholic iconography and Jung‘s theories on dream symbolism, these new works present a world full of metaphors and peculiar characters which express the artist’s thoughts and anxieties on life, death and whatever lies beyond.

Black Reignbow 01 (left) | Black Reignbow 02 (right)
18” x 24” | Mixed Media on Paper | 2019

Reis’ drawings feature traces of his Portuguese heritage via references to textures, colours, fonts, and actual objects that he photographed during a recent trip to Portugal. There is a discernible link between his art and the Portuguese culture; both are rich with foreboding metaphors and a great sense of longing or impending doom, which lends itself quite easily to the scenarios in which he places his characters.

Please Take These Hands (left) | Twice Pierced (right)
12″ x 18″ | Mixed Media on Wood | 2019

High Priestess
36” x 48” | Mixed Media on Wood | 2019

“In her book The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life, Jessa Crispin states that “The High Priestess cues us to when we need to feed our minds, our souls, our senses.”. I thought a lot about this quote while tracing the iconic figure’s silhouette, but it didn’t make much sense until a friend saw my finished painting and exclaimed “it looks like a feast”. Upon hearing this, the Priestess came to represent creativity, memory and loss for me. Each object inside her silhouette started to look like the physical manifestation of an emotion or an experience that once marked me and somehow made its way into my subconscious. I too now see this painting as a feast. A feast laid out for the viewer to feed their subconscious mind and to pick from when ever they need a taste of creativity.”

– Robby Reis

*Note: The image of the Priestess which was used as a reference for the piece High Priestess (2019) was originally illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith for the Rider-Waite deck of Tarot cards.

Upward Climb
36” x 48” | Mixed Media on Wood | 2019

Ascend, Attain, Grow and Repeat.

In the piece Upward Climb (2019), two figures climb toward a common destination. Each takes a different path and will thus reach his or her goal at a different time. Upon arrival their craniums will separate from their bodies and rise into the atmosphere where they will grow and mature. By the end of this metamorphosis, each character must repeat the journey until he or she is ready to confront what awaits them on the other side.

“I decided to strip the figures down to their bare bones in an effort to render their journey more universal. We need not concern ourselves with the character’s age, gender or race as they represent humanity as a whole. This piece is about a universal journey rather than a single person belonging to specific time or place.”

-Robby Reis