Duke Riley: Tides and Transgressions

Duke Riley s work explores his lifelong fascination with urban waterways, their historical relationship to the transgressive culture of life at sea, and the uneasy intersections of human geography with the physical world. His signature style interweaves historical and contemporary events with elements of fiction and myth to create allegorical histories. His re-imagined narratives comment on a range of issues from the cultural impact of over development and environmental destruction of waterfront communities to contradictions within political ideologies and the role of the artist in society. This comprehensive monograph is a collection of Riley s work from his expansive twenty plus year career, encompassing drawing, sculpture, mosaics, performance, and more than one maritime adventure. Including his Fly By Night public art project of pigeons flying across the NYC skyline, illuminated by LED lights, the documentary film of bedbug heist Non-Essential Consultants, and the mayhem of the 2009 mock Roman naval battle, Those About To Die Salute You at the Queens Museum.