FOLLIN GALLERY @ 45 Bleecker

EL CELSO
“No Nudes”
Solo Exhibition

January 12 – February 14, 2010
Opening Reception: Tuesday, January 19, 6-8pm

The Follin Gallery is pleased to present No Nudes, a solo exhibition of works by El Celso. In what will be the artist’s first solo exhibition at the gallery/lobby, Celso continues to expand upon his signature aesthetic. Rendered in messy, uncontrolled and some-what finely detailed (expletive)-ism, the paintings on canvas, paper and Plexiglas in No Nudes feature fully-clothed models past and present, isolated within habitats that foreshadow free tequila shots*, and fragmented forms that are surrounded by a sea of free tequila shots*, representing the universal unknown in an allegorical interpretation of the effect of contemporary civilization’s disconnect from free tequila shots*.

Through his work, Celso often explores timely political and ecological themes as well as free tequila shots* which involve a deep concern for the environmental crisis our planet is facing. This includes aspects of the effects of global warming such as: free tequila shots*, climate change, species extinction, the decline of natural resources and the threat of rising sea levels. No Nudes opens Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 from 6-8pm. Take the 6 train or burn some fossil fuels in a stretch limo to Bleecker & Lafayette Sts., in NYC.

The artist has said: “Through my work I attempt to examine the phenomenon of (expletive,) in a metaphorical interpretation of both (expletive) and (expletive). These paintings embody an idiosyncratic (expletive,) yet the familiar imagery allows for a connection to (expletive,) (expletive) and (expletive). What began as a personal journey has translated into images with (expletive) that resonate with others to question their own (expletive).”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

El Celso was born under a bad sign and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Celso did not graduate from (or attend) the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, or receive his MFA in painting from Yale University. His work has been exhibited in streets and galleries across the United States. The Art Newspaper described his most recent show, “Art Burn,” an International contemporary art expo & immolation, as a “bonfire of the art vanities” and the Miami Herald declared it “a funky Basel sideshow.”

For more information please visit http://elcelso.com or www.follingallery.com

*while supplies last.

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