BÄST, US

Using collage to create what he calls “mutated characters” and “mutated scenes,” the Brooklyn-based street artist known as Bäst has been embellishing urban environments in New York and Europe with his wheat-pasted posters for more than 15 years. Inspired by early punk flyers, Bäst appropriates iconic images from 20th- and 21st-century mass culture, creating collages that mash up classic cartoon characters, fast food branding, and sex advertisements into biting satires of consumer culture. An integral part of the international street art scene, he is among the few artists to retain one of the first things that comes with gallery recognition: anonymity. Always refusing interviews, he claims only: “I go to sleep with a pizza on my chest. It’s embarrassing.” Such self-effacement belies a successful under- and above-ground career, with both solo projects and collaborative ones with the urban collective FAILE and the designer Marc Jacobs.

Michael “Bäst” Polimeni (he/him) was born in Coney Island, New York in 1970. He lived in Brooklyn until his death in 2021, and spent many years working at nearby JFK Airport.

Solo Exhibitions

2017

• New Works by Bast, Allouche Gallery, New York City, NY, United States

2013

• Seafoam, New Works By Bast, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY, United States

2012

• Gërms Tröpicana, Opera Gallery, New York City, NY, United States

2010

• Botulism, Lazarides Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2009

• Back To The Drawing Board: A New Look At Contemporary Drawing, Arin Contemporary Art, Laguna Beach, CA 

• Beach Blanket Bingo - A Summer Mixer, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York City, NY 

• Grow Up,Lazarides Gallery, London (England) 

• Get Rich Quick, Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art, Culver City, CA

2008

• Aqua Art Miami, FL

2007

• Devilwood, New Image Art Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, United States

2006

• "Draw" Tour, Fuse Gallery, New York City, NY

Group Exhibitions

2023

• Picasso, 50 ans déjà, l’Espace Culturel Marc Jacquet, Barbizon, France

• Beyond the Streets London, The Saatchi Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2022

• UNTITLED: An Insight on US Art on Paper, Cellar contemporary, Trento, Italy

2018

• Paper Trail, Allouche Gallery, New York City, NY, United States

• Beyond the Streets, Werkartz, Los Angeles, CA, United States

2017

• Stand Still-A Still Life Show, Allouche Gallery, New York City, NY, United States