A retrospective of Elzo Durt's work since 2017.
This book offers on more than 200 pages the latest productions of this Stakhanovist of visual Cut-Up. His unique style remains universally recognizable with his flamboyant scenes highighted by his trademark supercharged colors.
In this 6 year-retrospective, the common thread is still music with posters featuring names reflecting the eclectic tastes of the artist: Osees, The Hives, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, L7, The Queen Of The Stone Age, Laurent Garnier and many others.
Elzo's flagship collaborations have continued over the years with some new ones appearing here including Volcom, the Born Bad record label, but also the Rockerill Festival or the Brasserie Surréaliste de Bruxelles.
The book is not composed in a strict monographic style, as the artist and the publisher preferred to opt for a full page layout and Elzo Durt has removed the names from some of his designs so that they become pure illustrations. Furthermore, regarding printing, the publisher chose to significantly enhance the quality of reproductions and in particular of the colors, thanks to brand new printing techniques using an exceptional high-volume CMYK+ production device.
Elzo Durt was born in Brussels in 1980. After a skateboard and punk-fuelled adolescence, he graduated in 2003 from the ERG – École de Recherche Graphique, in Brussels – with a degree in graphic design and began to flood Belgium with psychedelic and punkoid images.
In 2004 he opened his gallery – Plin Tub' – in Brussels, as well as his publishing house. Two opportunities to present his works and those of his favourite artists. It was also at this time that he managed the graphic communication of Recyclart, a high point of Brussels' underground culture. He then became artistic director of the magazine Voxer, until 2006.
Little by little, he made his way, designing record covers and posters for numerous bands and labels: Thee Oh Sees, Frustration, La Femme, Le Prince Harry, Magnetix, Jack of Heart, Killekill records, Fred Pallem, The Horrorist, Francis Bebey, to name a few. He has also collaborated with musicians such as Laurent Garnier or Stephan Eicher.
He has developed numerous visuals for skateboard and snowboard brands such as Carhartt, Volcom, Mojito, Rome or Flip, but also for clothing brands such as Lacoste or Step Art.
Elzo's joyfully morbid universe is now used on magazine covers, festival posters, record sleeves, but also in newspapers such as Le Monde, Libération, Die Zeit, etc.
He also creates several frescoes for restaurants and shops, in which his works are printed in gigantic size on wallpaper.
With his silk-screened images, he has travelled all over Europe, even crossing the Atlantic to exhibit in the United States. More recently, he had a retrospective exhibition at the
Galerie du Jour – Agnès B, on the occasion of the release of his book: "Elzo Durt Complete Works 2003-2016" published by Born Bad.
A jack of all trades, Elzo and his Parisian friend Froos launched the label Teenage Menopause Records in 2011. They have released records by JC Satan, Scorpion Violente and Prince Harry, among others. In 2020, he is doing it again, together with his friend Valentino. Together they set up a new label, Drink&Drive Records, an uncompromising punk label for which Elzo designs all the covers.
