Joel Rea is a highly acclaimed and multi award-winning artist known for his surreal, allegorical paintings. Rea’s oil on canvas works stand somewhere between genres of hyperrealism, photorealism and virtuosic Renaissance realism. From this amalgamation of influences, Rea has created a unique and recognisable style portraying social awareness and personal introspection through his impeccable execution of brush work detail.
Inspired by the mysteries of the animal kingdom and the Universe beyond, Rea’s meanings and narratives touch on the vast complexity of the human condition, presenting messages embracing the ageless turmoil of human inner consciousness and our species’ unwavering desire to survive. Rea combines contemporary visuals with qualities of the sublime in painting, provoking the deepest possible emotional response through technically achieved aesthetics. His imagery frequently depicts: self-portraits; tigers; dogs; sun rays coming through clouds; and destructive waves inspired by the turbulent Australian coastline where he played as a child.
In an article for the Huffington Post, Brandon Kralik writes – ‘Representational painting today is not what it used to be and cannot be dismissed as longing for the past or harkening back to the Romantics of the 19th century. Although Rea’s work shares an aesthetic with Romanticism this is not about going back at all. They take from the past and move us toward tomorrow. He calls himself a Contemporary Surrealist Painter. Wikipedia describes Contemporary art as having developed from Postmodern art and although Joel Rea is very much alive and is dealing with issues of our present time, his work is far removed from the multimedia and purely conceptual work that has come to define Postmodernism and much of what is referred to as Contemporary art. To me Rea’s work moves in separate direction, one that is reconstructive, or Post Contemporary, as it places importance on craftsmanship and empathy. One thing for certain is that Rea’s paintings speak in a language where such words are not needed at all. There need be no artspeak to accompany them, to tell the viewer what is happening. The paintings speak for themselves.’
Notable Sales
While this will be Joel Rea’s first ever NFT release, his artworks are highly coveted with high profile collectors such as Joe Rogan and Kelly Rowland actively collecting his works. Original paintings have sold for $17,000 AUD (~$14,000 USD), and more recently $75,000 AUD (~$58,000 USD) for his piece Crossroads.
In The News
- Joel Rea’s captivating surrealist paintings will make you feel tiny
- Hyperrealism Magazine #12 – September 2020
- Joe Rogan Acquires Joel Rea Artwork
- HOFA Gallery’s new virtual group exhibition launches globally tomorrow!
THE GOLD TIGER
The Tiger-man gains a golden appearance symbolising a new historic stage of artistic prosperity. The art worlds union with technology lifts humanities virtue of creative expression in this exciting crypto art renaissance as Joel Rea rides his giant golden cats into Makersplace.
Rea juxtaposes visual elements to create an attention-grasping story. His paintings, both beautiful and savage, make the viewer wonder about the story presented on canvas. They freeze in the moment before the inevitable happens, leaving the viewer captivated in front of a dramatic and tragic scene. His works centre around issues of survival, climate change and extinction. Rea’s symbolism is accessible and understandable, but at the same time deep and comforting, a painless vivid dream with endless possibilities.
Nature is both a majestic source of purity, a timeless physical element, and dark, threatening force, which can be destructive. The power of destruction contained within Rea’s animals and elements is both alluring and devastating. It is a metaphor for human experience and emotion. The dreamlike and catastrophic paintings celebrated life and deconstructed its perfection at the same time. Through all of his paintings, Joel Rea does not only demonstrate his undeniable skills with a brush, but also introduces us to his own re-invented universe and takes us on an unexpected adventure filled with action and intrigue.
High Hopes
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*Auction will close at 5/6 7 PM PT
Gold Tiger
Editions: One
Pricing: Accepting Offers Only
*Auction will close at 5/6 7 PM PT
Elevation
Editions: 10
Pricing: $999
*Final edition will be auctioned
Conquest
Editions: 10
Pricing: $999
*Final edition will be auctioned
Gold Tiger – Otherkin
Editions: Open Limited Edition
Pricing: $350
*Available for purchase for 24 hours from 5/5 3:30 PM to PT to 5/6 3:30 PM PT. If 20 editions are purchased a 15 minute timer will be initiated.
Tiger Otherkin
Editions: 10
Pricing: $1
*10 editions of this artwork will be available for purchase for $1 only. To enter the raffle to purchase this piece, you must be an existing MakersPlace collector and have purchased at least one artwork. Raffle will be open for entry from 3:30 PM PT to 4 PM PT.
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