Posted on: January 7th, 2009 Preview: Van Arno’s "The Boogie Disease"
Van Arno’s work is like getting a peek at what popular mythological characters would do if they were suddenly transported to a modern era.
Yep, Los Angeles artist Van Arno comes to The Shooting Gallery for his third annual solo show, The Boogie Disease. A series of 15 oil paintings on canvas and wood combines elements of Arno’s trademark ingredients: extreme composition, a surrealist premise, and popular mythology from the collective subconscious.
This time around, Arno’s paintings move in a new direction of realism. He presents multi-figure compositions of superstar icons, such as Tina Turner, Suzi Quatro and Johnny Cash, rather than the archetypical characters he normally portrays.
Arno also demonstrates a noticeable progression into a smoother painting style, including text and more gestural compositions. To push his figures in maximal proportions, they are enmeshed in dynamic narratives that heighten their physical form. He continues to deviate from the norm, with altered and extreme postures, self-proclaiming the description “uber-mannerism.”
The Boogie Disease by Van Arno opens this Saturday, January 10th and will run through the month of January until February 7th, 2009. Grab a sneak peek at Arno’s new work for The Boogie Disease in a preview online here…