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Broken Records
exhibition of paintings by the New York-based artist Brian Leo, which
features 28 colorful paintings. Obsessed with personal and social politics,
Leo constructs and deconstructs identity through world events, Internet
memes, reality television, and other frenzied, everyday content and
communication.
Leo’s work, while undeniably timely, trans... more >> Rì Galerie is thrilled to present, Broken Records, an online solo
exhibition of paintings by the New York-based artist Brian Leo, which
features 28 colorful paintings. Obsessed with personal and social politics,
Leo constructs and deconstructs identity through world events, Internet
memes, reality television, and other frenzied, everyday content and
communication.
Leo’s work, while undeniably timely, transcends the seductive
pigeonhole of vogue, and instead combines humor with self-references and
world events in order to spark free-association and conversation concerning
“sensitive” issues amongst viewers. Through his playful yet wholly
uncensored approach to interpreting the multitudes that comprise
experience. He communicates by exhibiting clusters of small, brightly
colored acrylic paintings, using cartoon imagery as a direct interpretation
of what he experiences, and a narrative he tries to understand, at the same
time, it is an appropriate and reliable reflection of society.
In the exhibition, his paintings appropriate and dissect contemporary
culture against bright colors. Everything is fair game when it comes to
Brian’s coy commentary, including the environment, addiction, the online
porn industry, and covid. Effortlessly blending the mundane with the
somber, Brian’s canvases reflect a mind endlessly fascinated and perplexed
by everyday life, whether that means the physical and mental consequences
of smartphones or the sluggishness of space exploration. Each piece
incorporates and capitalizes on elements of Painterly-Pop Art and
Surrealism, through vibrant quirkiness -- establishes an immediate and
endearing sense of familiarity.
About Brian Leo
Brian Leo (b. 1976) currently lives and works in New York City. Leo
established Brian Leo Projects in NYC (2020) and has been curating
exhibitions of established and underrepresented artists. Leo received a
B.F.A from Mason Gross School of Arts / Rutgers University. Recent
exhibitions include two person shows and solo shows at Megumi Ogita Gallery
in Tokyo. Leo’s work has appeared in The Osaka Art Fair, The Seattle Art
Fair, The San Diego Art Institute, and The Gwangju Biennale Hall. In New
York, his work has been shown at Sotheby’s, Ille Arts, Amy Li Projects,
Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, The National Arts Club, INVISIBLE-EXPORTS (AMC)
and Dumbo Arts Center. Leo is included in the Luciano Benetton Collection:
Imago Mundi. His work has been written about in the New York Times, Time
Out Tokyo, The Brooklyn Rail, artnet, Hyperallergic and New American
Paintings. Leo auctioned in NOW: Art of the 21st Century with Philips De
Pury (2010).
