Gallery of the Gently Grotesque

Koooooos is an artist, designer and and one half of the renowned and award winning South African design STUDIO Jana+Koos. His work ranges from illustration and painting to photography and sculpture, and can best be described as - Gently Grotesque, with  an irreverent sense of humour and playful style that translates into his works, reminding us not to take ourselves or the world too seriously.

Artist Statement

Koos is a voyeur of the human character as it evolves with the times, and what about our nature remains the same. It’s most often that this evidence can be found behind closed doors. He seeks the awkward, unresolved side of nudity, sex and self representation. His lens is curious, sometimes polite but mostly a question of what is and is not exposed, and where that exposure begins and ends. 


His work is an investigation, so to speak, into the frequently the blurred lines of privacy. In some instances, he accesses these moments through the nude-selfies, sexts, which flaunt our desire for agency in capturing ourselves naked, posed. It’s a question of representation, re-representation and then, re-re-representation. His work is to summon the psychology of privacy and the gentle grotesque nature of our bodies as we work to capture them. And as a result it becomes about the gaze, the dynamics of the body and how we use power – whether it’s nudity or not. It’s about the political identity of the ‘flesh-coloured’ panties. It’s about seeing ourselves on a screen, naked, exposed, only to arrive at the unexpected result, “oh damn, I do have a good ass”. A little less self loathing and a little more skin happens here. It’s about that toilet selfie, or the stolen glance at yourself in the cubicle mirror as you’re pulling your pants back up. It’s full frontal, it’s fetishes, it’s flesh, it’s fear. 

Commissions & Collaborations.

Helloooooo!

Let's chat for custom pieces, commissions, birthday presents, murals, portrait ideas. Always excited to work on unique pieces with individuals, companies and brands.

Latest collaboration with Cara Saven Wall Design below.

CHECK OUT THE CARA SAVEN X KOOOOOOS COLLECTION BELOW

CSWD X KOOOOOOS