Paolo Arao (b. 1977) received a BFA in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia (1999) and has studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine (2000); Loughborough College of Art and Design, and the Lorenzo de Medici Art Institute, Florence, Italy (1999). Selected solo exhibitions include Between the Lights, Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis, MN; and Fornever, Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York, NY (2008); Selected group exhibitions include: Observant, ISE Cultural Foundation, New York (2010); Wall-to-Wall, Daniel Weinberg Gallery, Los Angeles; Monsters, Rental, curated by Robert Longo, New York, NY (2008); Hard Times, Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York, NY (2007); Introspective Men, curated by David Kefford, Madder Gallery, London, England (2005); Playpen, collaboration with Austin Thomas, The Drawing Center, New York, NY (2004); and SNAPSHOT, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT (2002). Selected Awards and Honors include New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, (2005); Artist Fellowship, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL (2002); Artist in the Marketplace, Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, NY (2001); Skowhegan Fellowship, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME (2000); Artist Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT (1999), and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship, Richmond, VA (1998). Paolo Arao lives and works in Brooklyn.
Through dramatic black and white charcoal and graphite drawings, Paolo Arao creates an album of enigmatic images. There is a wistful searching quality in Arao’s drawings and the varied images seem to come from an inventory of personal memories or experiences.
In his 2010 solo show “Between the Lights,” Arao displayed his
charcoal drawings depicting crowds at a concert. Part of his “Mass”
series, these works capture the fleeting moments of mass
celebration. Highly influenced by music and his role as the
keyboardist of the band Zerobridge, Arao confines a moment to paper
that would otherwise be lost to the night while commenting on the
ephemeral quality of music. “Make Them Love You (for E.S)” depicts
a group of microphones. The stark contrast of black and white makes
the microphones glow, a quality that runs throughout his works. The
glowing white deprives the concertgoers of an identity, giving the
works a universal feel. From identity to experience, Arao’s work is
both individual and universal.
For additional information about this artist, visit Mutual Art
