Will be on view Friday, May 18, 5-10pm; Saturday, May 19, noon-8pm; Sunday, May 20, noon-5pm on the first floor of the California Building, 2205 California St. NE, Studio 99, across from Mojo Coffee.
Remo Campopiano will be exhibiting a series of experimental paintings dealing with beauty, truth and lies. In these paintings he explores how great minds in history understand the difference between what is real and what is fake.
Campopiano’s background as a sculptor and experimentalist is evident in his unconventional approach to painting. He begins by allowing acrylic colors to interact over large wooden disks. This process allows color to blend naturally, much like nature forms marble.
The next layer of paint is applied to 3D printed animal imagery, based on the ancient Chinese and Inuit art of paper cutting. Once the imagery is matched with the appropriate painted disk, another layer of 3D printed text is painted and applied.
This melding of layers creates an iconic foreground over an ephemeral background, all tied together with a lacing of majestic words. The quotes from luminaries like, Epictetus, Lao Tzu, Churchill, Picasso, and Buddha, bring clarity to our times in the face of conflicting perceptions of what is true and what is fake.
“I used to start from the idea and work towards art. In this series I’m starting with paint, watching the ideas emerge into art.”
Whether you see his art as relief sculptures or thick paintings, the results are undeniable; Campopiano’s new work is both beautiful and thought provoking.
Below: Two works by the artist. (Provided photos)