Brian Leo, Pancake Ferrari, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 6” x 6”
A solo exhibition featuring new work by Brian Leo
Exhibition Dates: May 15th – June 19th
Opening Reception: May 15th | 7-9pm
Alt Space – the new combination gallery, storefront, and headquarters of music and culture blog/zine Alt Citizen – will be presenting Pancake Ferrari, the gallery’s inaugural exhibition, featuring new paintings and a floor-to-ceiling installation of works from NYC-based artist Brian Leo. Obsessed with personal and social politics, Brian constructs and deconstructs identity through world events, Internet memes, reality television, and other frenzied, everyday content and communication. Pancake Ferrari will feature over a hundred bright, compact paintings from a repertoire that has amassed high-profile collectors within the music industry, including Sia and Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). There will be an opening reception at Alt Space (41 Montrose Avenue, Brooklyn) on May 15th from 7 to 9pm, and the show will run from May 15th to June 19th.
Alt Citizen has been operational since 2012, and while the brand has grown from a blog to a print zine to a fully fledged art gallery and storefront, it has always remained committed to showcasing and celebrating art, music, and film that goes beyond chasing trends and, instead, unites people through shared passion. Brian’s work, while undeniably timely, transcends the seductive pigeonhole of vogue, and instead combines humor with personal 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, Brian embodies the bold spirit behind Alt Citizen and Alt Space, making his work the obvious choice for the gallery’s first show.
With Pancake Ferrari, Brian’s paintings appropriate and dissect contemporary culture against bright colors and geometric backdrops, patterns which also serve as a reference to the template used by countless online communities to create Internet memes. Everything is fair game when it comes to Brian’s coy commentary, including reality television star Chef Ramsey, polar bears, and American imperialism. Effortlessly blending the mundane with the somber, Brian’s small 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 Pop Art, Surrealism, and the raw authenticity of lo-fi music, and – through vibrant quirkiness – establishes an immediate and endearing sense of familiarity.
About Brian Leo
Brian Leo, a NYC-based artist whose work has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, is known for his group installations of small colorful canvases and silk screens. His brightly colored paintings address identity, current world issues and social issues in clever and humorous ways. His Garage Pop Surrealism style of exhibiting canvases in tight clusters or wall-to-floor installations are a reference to television, Internet, text messaging and tabloid culture. Leo received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rutgers University and has exhibited in galleries and art fairs such as Scope, Fountain, Bridge Chicago, Next Chicago and Pulse. Leo’s work has received critical attention in The Miami New Times, The Korea Times, The Korea Daily, The Brooklyn Rail and other publications.
Location
41 Montrose Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11206
Gallery and Store Hours
Tues – Sun, 12PM – 7PM
Contact
Nasa Hadizadeh
Editor in Chief | Alt Citizen
(p) 646-384-0196| (e) nasa@altcitizen.com
