Kevin Lyons at Colette Gallery

Kevin Lyons exhibits his artworks at Colette store in Paris from January 31st to February 26th 2011.

Kevin's latest show for colette consists of a number of drawings, illustrations, paintings, prints, and installations that explore the vibrant, colorful language of reggae and dancehall culture. Both a student and an avid collector of early reggae and rock steady, Lyons combines his formal interests and skills in illustrated simple characters, bold typography, and the fun rolling poetry of the language itself. The sheer volume, variety and repetition of this poetry and the visual screaming monsters who repeat it al throughout the space creates its own silly but heartfelt rhythm. Dancehall style bump and grind is encouraged.

Kevin stands as the dirty cousin to Geoff McFetridge and Michael Leon. While he is embracing of their culture, he is forever pitted the opposite against their form. While Geoff has chosen success and money as well as artistic freedom, Kevin has stewed in mediocrity, retail galleries, and limited time spent on self. While Michael has chosen authenticity and hipster form making, Kevin has fallen into work so juvenile that it is never referenced nor stolen. In the end, Kevin might just well be the only ‘Beautiful Loser’ here.” - Jennifer Smith, Art Director, Art Papers International Art Magazine.

Kevin Lyons is a 1992 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design where he received a degree in film. After working for Nickelodeon/MTV as an Associate Producer, he co-founded the NYC based design firm, stereo-type which for two years was responsible for much of the graphic look of the New York City underground Hip-Hop and Acid Jazz scene. This included the logo design for the long standing NYC based club, GIANT STEP. Stereo-type’s client list also included Soul Kitchen, 555 Soul and the LA-based, Brass Recordings. After receiving his masters degree from CalArts in 1998, Lyons has gone on to work for Nike, both in and out of house, was the former Art Director of Urban Outfitters on two separate occasions, and had been the Art Director of Spike Jonze's,Girl Skateboards subsidiary, Fourstar. He was also the original US Art Director for TOKION Magazine and maintains long-standing freelance relationships with Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Stussy and Stussy Japan, Beams Japan, HUF, Nieves Books, Stones Throw Records, Commonwealth Stacks, and long-time friend and collaborator NYC artist, SSUR.

A typographer, an Art Director, a designer, a teacher, and a father, in 2001, he was named as one of “The Top Forty Designers Under Thirty” by ID Magazine. His work has been published worldwide from Thrasher to The Face to Lowdown to Anthem and Refill. He has shown worldwide including solo shows in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, and now of course, Paris. Most recently, Lyons was the Design Director of legendary Stussy, Inc. and then Creative Director for the alternative retail giant, Urban Outfitters from 2003 - 2007. In 2010, he won an Emmy Award for Best Title Sequence for his work on the PBS show, Avec Eric.

He is now the Design Director and Managing Partner of New York City based, Anomaly, a brand incubating, marketing juggernaut with plans on running the world. He also produces three clothing lines; Atlantis, We Free Kings, and the third under his personal namesake, NATURAL BORN. All are distributed globally. Currently, Lyons also maintains his own small experimental graphic project also under the namesake, Natural Born and often can be found collabing with his two daughters drawing type and bumping Twin Hype.