Face Guts has announced Casual Banter, an exhibition of drawings on paper by artist Darius Airo, curated by renowned photographer Joshua White.
This collection of works, drawn from the last decade and predominantly in black and white, is replete with visual and historical references. It incorporates Surrealism, Symbolism, band T-shirts and posters, poetry (both sourced and the artist’s own), Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and architecture. Airo’s works on paper delve into grotesquerie, an essential element of the Chicago Imagists’ representation of the figure, which strongly influences the artist’s practice.
Darius Airo, based in Chicago, developed his artistic practice under the influence of animation and graffiti. He drew inspiration from Martha Cooper‘s photography, Nickelodeon animation, and artist Robert Crumb. As a teenager, Airo worked as a studio assistant to Tony Fitzpatrick before obtaining his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017. Casual Banter is presented alongside a separate exhibition of his paintings at Central Server Works in Venice, California, with the opening scheduled for September 29th, 2023.
Joshua White boasts a 30-year history as a photographer documenting art and architecture internationally, including studios, galleries, and museums. His work has been featured in hundreds of books and periodicals, and he continues to engage with hundreds of artists and curators worldwide. White is renowned for his distinctive photography style and keen eye for contemporary art.
Casual Banter marks Airo and White’s first formal collaboration, and the exhibition is hosted at Face Guts, the studio and gallery of artist Tim Biskup. Airo and White first met at the artist’s debut exhibition in 2022 at Central Server Works, leading to the development of their friendship. Over time, White suggested to Airo that his works on paper should be exhibited and shared with a larger audience. White was approached by his friend and colleague Tim Biskup, an artist and founder of Face Guts, to curate an exhibition showcasing this facet of Airo’s work.
DARIUS AIRO: Casual Banter, September 25th – October 7 2023, Face Guts
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 30th, 6 – 8pm
Casual Banter will run concurrently with Airo’s two-person painting show titled DENSE, featuring new paintings by Darius Airo and Jim Mooijekind. DENSE is presented by Central Server Works and Marian Cramer Projects at Central Server Works in Venice, California, with the opening set for September 29th from 6-8 pm.
