Machine Overdrive
Rainer Keller

The Machine Overdrive is a solo presentation of the NYC based artist Rainer Keller, showcasing 7 works from the The Machine Overdrive series originated as a print project in 2008. The 12 multicolored silkscreen prints were created over the course of one year. The style relates to ‘60s pop art, with bright colors and bold shapes. The subject covers classic automobiles from the ‘60s through the ‘90s in contrast with repetitive mechanical and organic patterns. Under the glossy veneer also lingers a hint of critical social commentary. Most people can relate to the automobile in one way or another. Cars are everywhere. They appear omnipresent in peoples lives, their presence rarely questioned. Our environment is tailored to the machine and the automobile is visually fused together with whatever we see. These paintings evolved from a series of silkscreen prints. By loosening the registration, shuffling the layers, and covering parts of the screen, each print becomes an unique piece. Mounting them in a grid on panels, further working with paint, and sealing them with high gloss varnish transform these individual motifs into vibrant compositions.

About the artist

Rainer Keller is a NYC-based artist originally from Switzerland. Rainer creates art, often in series, with inspiration from the world at-hand. The work is often conceptualized from both his head and heart and expressed across divers genres in a variety of media such as drawing, painting, photography and print. Born, raised and educated in his native Switzerland, he has made New York City his home for the last 18 years. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the United States and Central America and has lived for extended periods in the Southern California desert, New Orleans, Santa Fe (NM) and in Kathmandu, Nepal. The ability to absorb cultural differences and gain artistic insight from the richness of each location and the depth of his experiences, colors all of his work. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Switzerland and his works hang in private collections in the U.S., Europe and Central America.