Johnny Romeo’s work will feature in the upcoming SIGNS OF THE TIME exhibition at the Gold Coast City Gallery / The Arts Centre Gold Coast, Australia.
Official Opening Night – Friday 17th February, 2017 @ 6-8pm.
The exhibition runs from 18th February – 9th April, 2017.
Johnny Romeo featured in the latest issue of NO CURE Magazine (Issue 13 – Almost Famous). Pages 58 – 63.
Johnny Romeo
GHETTO SUPERSTAR$
New Paintings
GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ is the glorious new exhibition from critically acclaimed Australian Pop painter Johnny Romeo. Australia’s King of Pop returns to Sydney with his most dazzling and accomplished collection of works to date, following a stellar year selling out major shows across Australia and the US, and a celebrated collaboration with leading American snowboard company Gilson Boards. Dripping with immense swagger, the series sees Romeo gleefully capture the energy and bravado of old school hip-hop and ‘the hustle’ in his undeniably unique Neo Expressionist Pop style. A kaleidoscopic sugar rush of explosive colours and powerful Pop imagery, GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ is a potent statement of intent from Australia’s leading Pop artist.
The series cleverly explores the notion of ‘the hustle’, of ordinary individuals elevating themselves into the realm of the extraordinary by striving to make their mark in a hostile world. Romeo’s robust renditions of iconic legends such as Muhammed Ali, Prince and Frida Kahlo smoulder with an uncompromising resilience and unwavering intensity that evokes the spirit of hardened rappers staring death in the face. Cowboys and comic book antiheroes such as Deadpool dominate the visual plain, tearing through the canvas with the unbridled ferocity of embattled mavericks fighting to forge their destinies in an unforgiving concrete jungle. There is an irrepressible vitality and confidence that courses through Johnny Romeo’s latest series, as his highly stylised, graphic line-work strikes the perfect balance between Pop sheen and urban grittiness.
The frenetic commotion and liveliness of the hustle plays a major role in Johnny Romeo’s approach to colour in GHETTO SUPERSTAR$. Romeo’s latest paintings masterfully display his life-long fascination with colour as a living, breathing force, as he conjures hyper-saturated neon hues that simmer with a vibrant, intoxicating POP exuberance. Inspired by Baz Luhrmann and Nas’ smash hit Netflix series, ‘The Get Down’, Romeo’s brazen Technicolour explosions encapsulate both the frenzied struggle and vivid nightlife of the late 1970’s Bronx in which the show is set. Expressive swathes of pastel hues splash across the canvas, reflecting the restless potential of New York, while concentrated bursts of bubblegum pinks and candy-coated blues recall the dangerous allure of seedy discotheques and freshly graffitied alleyway walls.
Influenced by the self-assured street swag of classic hip-hop, the series sees Romeo at his most punchy and visually immediate. Johnny Romeo’s masterful fusion of graffiti art and text hits hard, as pithy word assemblages skitter across iconic Pop imagery with the rhythmic assault of seasoned verbal assassins. Taking its title from the 1998 Pras Mitchell/Mya/ODB rap hit of the same name, GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ re-appropriates the lingua franca of rap to create psychedelic Pop visions where even the brightest stars first find their feet on the mean streets.
Renowned for his pitch black humour, the series sees Johnny Romeo’s signature wit honed to a razor-sharp edge. Romeo gleefully reconfigures our perceptions of beloved childhood icons, juxtaposing imagery with cheeky wordplay to transform characters such as Peter Rabbit into wise-cracking street swindlers. This is taken to uproarious heights in the work ‘Silver Starry’. Through pairing the innocence of Disney’s Alice with the words ‘Steady Flow’, Romeo invites the audience to reconsider Alice as an urban MC inhabiting a tough world where the fantastical imaginings of Lewis Carol are eschewed for the rough rhyme-slinging of the Bronx in the late 1970’s.
GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ is a truly knockout exhibition that sees Australia’s King of Pop take his hip-hop inflected, Neo-Expressionist Pop stylings to epic new heights. An electrifying collision of acid drenched Technicolour hues, unapologetic Pop sleekness and B-boy cool, the series is a bombastic homage to the dreamers, the fighters, the pioneers of this world – those who stayed true to themselves and went on to become true ghetto superstars.
Opening reception with Artist: Friday 2nd December 2016 @ 7:00-8:30pm
Harvey Galleries, 842 Military Road, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia.
Ph: +61 2 9968 2153
www.harveygalleries.com.au
RSVP to attend the opening of GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ is essential.
RSVP to: admin@harveygalleries.com.au
Any enquires regarding Johnny Romeo’s GHETTO SUPERSTAR$ can be made directly through Harvey Galleries (admin@harveygalleries.com.au) or by calling the gallery on +61 2 9968 2153
Exhibition Dates: 2nd December – 16th December 2016.
Johnny Romeo
LINCOLN : THE FREEDOM SERIES
New Paintings & Snowboards
LINCOLN : THE FREEDOM SERIES is the thrilling new collaborative exhibition between internationally acclaimed Australian pop artist Johnny Romeo and leading US-based snowboard company Gilson Boards. Drawing on the iconic imagery of America’s most beloved president, Abraham Lincoln, the exhibition brings together original Romeo paintings and four custom-made boards that seek to connect the worlds of fine art and snowboarding culture. Bursting at the seams with Romeo’s exhilarating Neo-Expressionist Pop stylings, the series is a gloriously colourful reimagining of both Lincoln and the traditional snowboard from Australia’s King of Pop.
Inspired by the legacy and symbolism of Abraham Lincoln, LINCOLN : THE FREEDOM SERIES is an electrifying celebration of freedom in all its forms. The freedom to innovate and create lies at the heart of the Gilson x Romeo collaborative exhibition, showcasing boards that fuse Gilson’s cutting edge design with rambunctious, Technicolour renditions of Old Abe. Exhibited as artworks, the Gilson x Romeo Freedom boards capture Romeo and Gilson’s ambition to break down the barriers between the gallery space and the snow slopes. The drive to push snowboarding culture into new and exciting terrain pays homage to the very pioneering spirit that has made Abraham Lincoln the immortalised icon of freedom that he is today.
In true Johnny Romeo fashion, vivacious bursts of bubblegum hues meld seamlessly with slick, graphic line-work and an energetic street-art aesthetic to create refreshingly fun renditions of Old Abe. Uncompromisingly Pop and boldly playful, Romeo’s Abraham Lincoln reflects the influence of the classic skateboard designs of his youth, while channeling the adrenaline-rush of carving down snow-slopes at warp speed. This same commitment to thrill seeking and the joys of facing the unknown informs Gilson’s intrepid approach to snowboard design, and their perpetual pursuit of the perfect ride.
Johnny Romeo tempers the playfulness of his Pop-inflected Abraham Lincoln with a subtle stoicism. There is a piercing quality to Lincoln’s gaze as it meets the onlooker head-on. The paintings and board designs are imbued with an emotional gravitas that balances austerity with triumph, and bridges the gap between Lincoln the legendary icon and Lincoln the all-too-human individual.
Romeo’s expressive and lively take on Abraham Lincoln also touches on the universal resonance that the revered president has taken within the world of Pop culture. As a leading Australian Pop artist painting iconic American imagery on American boards, Johnny Romeo’s status as an ‘outsider looking in’ speaks to our broader understanding of the president as a symbol of freedom within the fabric of the global Pop lexicon. Both the paintings and snowboards on show cleverly reflect Abraham Lincoln’s metamorphosis from American historical figure to universal Pop icon.
LINCOLN : THE FREEDOM SERIES is a fresh, vibrant and bombastic reinterpretation of classic Abraham Lincoln iconography from two of the most exciting forces in global Pop art and snowboards. A perfect alchemy between Gilson’s innovative approach to design and Romeo’s inimitable Neo-Expressionist Pop imagery, the series sees Australia’s leading Pop artist take his work in an exhilarating new direction.
Opening reception with Artist: Friday 4th November 2016 | 6-9pm @ Converge Gallery, Williamsport.
140 West 4th St, Williamsport, Pennsylvania 17701, USA.
Any enquires regarding Johnny Romeo’s LINCOLN : THE FREEDOM SERIES can be made directly through Converge Gallery (john@convergegallery.com) or by calling the gallery on +1 570-435-7080.
Exhibition Dates: 4th November – 26th November 2016.
Johnny Romeo | AMERICAN WOMAN | Paintings
Aanala Art Advisory, Melbourne, Australia.
AMERICAN WOMAN is the exciting new exhibition from internationally acclaimed Pop painter Johnny Romeo. The exciting ten piece series brings together thrilling Johnny Romeo works from American galleries and museums that have never before been seen by Australian audiences.
This exciting body of work will be exhibited for one night only, at the exclusive premises of the AUSIN GROUP in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, Friday the 14th of October, 6-8pm.
RSVP to Michael Powe (Director, Anala Art Advisory) for this exclusive one night only event.
M: 0452 586 448
E : info@analaartadvisory.com.au
JOHNNY ROMEO X GILSON BOARDS COLLABORATION
Internationally acclaimed Australian Pop painter Johnny Romeo is proud to announce his exciting collaboration with leading US-based snowboard company Gilson Boards. The GILSON X ROMEO boards promise to shake-up the snowboarding world, fusing Romeo’s electrifying Neo-Expressionist Pop imagery with Gilson’s cutting edge approach to innovative snowboard design. With thrilling Abraham Lincoln and skull-board designs set for the US and New Zealand markets, the GILSON X ROMEO collaboration is a forward-thinking endeavour that seeks to bring the world of fine art into snowboarding culture.
Gilson Boards is a snowboarding company with a simple mission – to build boards that are ‘more fun to ride.’ The pursuit of the perfect ride lies at the heart of what Gilson does, driving the company to use the latest advancements in modern technology to create boards that are truly state of the art. Based in the Appalachian foothills of rural Pennsylvania, Gilson works closely with the local community, using locally-grown and sustainably harvested materials to honour the woodworking heritage of their region. The combination of artistry and innovation, groundbreaking design and communal craftsmanship is what sets Gilson apart as a force to be reckoned with in contemporary snowboarding.
The GILSON X ROMEO limited edition skull boards represent a perfect alchemy between Johnny Romeo’s bombastic Neo-Expressionist Pop visions and Gilson’s inspired approach to smart snowboarding design. With its sleek engineering and intoxicating blend of Grindhouse imagery, Technicolour explosions and tongue-in-cheek black humour, the skull boards capture the exhilarating thrill of hurtling down a snow-capped mountain at breakneck speeds. Laughing in the face of fear and the unknown, Romeo’s acid-drenched neon skull designs reflect Gilson’s intrepid and pioneering commitment to ‘the ride.’
Drawing on the iconic imagery of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln, the GILSON X ROMEO Freedom snowboard series embodies the very essence of its namesake. Bold bubblegum colours and rollicking Pop renditions of Old Abe meld seamlessly with pioneering board design to create a multi-sensory celebration of freedom in all its forms – the freedom to conquer terrain, the freedom to live life to its fullest, the freedom to innovate, the freedom to create. The Freedom boards will be exhibited as a series of artworks, capturing Romeo and Gilson’s bold vision of connecting the snow slopes to the gallery space.
Motivated by a mutual desire to push the envelope of their respective crafts, the GILSON X ROMEO collaboration ventures into exciting new terrain through bridging the worlds of fine art and snowboarding. Romeo and Gilson hope to change the way we perceive snowboarding culture by developing boards for the purpose of being both ridden and displayed in a gallery setting, thereby opening up our understanding of snowboarding as not just a sport, but also as art. This approach cleverly compliments Johnny Romeo’s own desire to transform art into the everyday and insert his works into the very world of Pop culture that he confronts in his paintings.
The GILSON X ROMEO collaboration is an exhilarating and refreshing take on snowboards that is a truly inspired meeting of kindred spirits. A unique blend of Romeo’s vibrant Neo-Expressionist punchiness and Gilson’s dynamic approach to design, the collaborative boards take snowboarding culture into fascinating new directions, while showcasing the work of Australia’s leading Pop artist in a gloriously new light.
To order this board:
Use the code JR2016 for the limited edition purchase.
Email: info@gilsonboards.com
US Phone: +1 (570) 798-9102
gilsonboards.com
Johnny Romeo
WASTELAND
New Paintings
Following celebrated and sold-out shows in Australia and the US, internationally acclaimed Australian Pop painter Johnny Romeo returns with his most ambitious and electrifying series yet, WASTELAND. An intoxicating brew of country Western mayhem and gaudy Grindhouse intensity, the series offers audiences an exhilarating romp through Romeo’s twisted Neo-Expressionist Pop visions of the Wild West. WASTELAND sees Australia’s King of Pop take his explosive unique style into exciting new frontiers, incorporating elements of sculpture and strip-mall signage to create a dazzlingly psychedelic assault on the senses.
Death, lust and urban decay abound in Romeo’s anarchic Western sugar-rush, as vintage muscle cars, vicious vixens and long-horned skulls wreak havoc across the canvas in Johnny Romeo’s inimitable graphic style. Old worlds collapse as former friends like Batman and Superman turn against each other in fierce battle, symbols of a bleak Pop dystopia where all sense and meaning has been lost to greed and excess.
The series bursts at the seams with Johnny Romeo’s most expressive colour arrangements to date, confronting the onlooker with a devilishly manic energy. Transforming the brutal, sun-scorched desert of the Western frontier into a neon wasteland of ferocious, acid-drenched hues, Romeo depicts a lawless world where punk rock rogues and sharpshooters run the town. Cowboys and lone rangers share the spotlight with vagrants and barroom bards, each revelling in the ensuing chaos as they build a new world upon the ashes of the old.
Amidst the gleeful mayhem of Johnny Romeo’s Pop wasteland, there is a sense of youthful nostalgia that courses through the series. Comic book icons such as Iron Man and Captain America spring to life on the canvas, bringing to mind the superhero toy figurines of Romeo’s childhood. By re-appropriating nostalgic elements into a contemporary Pop context, Romeo examines our collective loss of innocence, as the heroes of our youth and the captors of our imagination become subsumed into the realm of crass commercialism.
In WASTELAND, nostalgia also ingeniously works its way into Johnny Romeo’s renowned approach to textual arrangements. Drawing inspiration from his own adolescent memories of visiting newsagent comic book stands, the artist’s paintings evoke the larger-than-life covers of classic Golden Age comics. Romeo’s bold word assemblages and bombastic hip hop slogans act like high-impact comic book titles, demanding the audiences’ attention with pithy Pop observations that are as much Run DMC as Stan Lee.
An avid fan of rap music, Johnny Romeo cleverly subverts our associations with comic books and country Western imagery by juxtaposing them with the grittiness of graffiti art and hip-hop. The influence of classic rap can be seen through Romeo’s Pop savvy use of phrases such ‘Dolla Holla’ and ‘Big Poppa’, lending his works a rhythmic punchiness and urban edginess. Johnny Romeo’s series masterfully eschews the earnestness of cartoon heroes for the street-smart swagger of seasoned rappers, creating a spaghetti Western Pop dystopia where the hardened kick-snare of hip hop beats soundtracks the unforgiving wilderness of the new frontier.
Romeo’s thrilling foray into the Wild West also sees the highly celebrated artist venturing into fresh new territory. Wall sculptures of melting celebrity portraits provide a tangible and nightmarishly surreal dimension to the series. Resembling the withering edifices of billboards left to rot in a barren landscape, the sculptures ruminate on the dark recesses of celebrity worship. The addition of Romeo’s strip mall signs reinforce Romeo’s art practice as an active Pop participant as he seeks to further obscure the lines between art and advertising. Inspired by the concrete jungles of LA, the Postmodern mall signs combine celebrity portraiture, household brand names and cheeky word play to offer a bleakly comedic reflection on rampant commercialism and its eroding effects on identity.
WASTELAND is a raucous and rollicking journey through the wild frontiers of Pop culture. Brimming with fiery fields of colour, bare-knuckled urgency and an undeniable punk attitude, Johnny Romeo has a crafted a Neo-Expressionist Pop dystopia where there are no heroes – just pistol-toting desperadoes and has-beens keen to forge a new life as they hurtle towards oblivion. The series sees Australia’s leading Pop artist kick down the bar door of the Pop establishment with the garish swagger of a maverick hell-bent on setting the world ablaze.
Opening reception with Artist: Friday 23rd September 2016 | 6-8pm @ Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane.
86 Arthur Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006.
www.mitchellfineartgallery.com
Any enquires regarding Johnny Romeo’s WASTELAND can be made directly through Mitchell Fine Art (admin@mitchellfineartgallery.com) or by calling the gallery on +61 7 3254-2297
Exhibition Dates: 21st September – 15th October 2016.
Johnny Romeo
27
New Paintings
Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse. The tale of the tragic celebrity, gone too soon from this earth, has long been a fascination in Pop culture. In his thrilling latest series, 27, internationally acclaimed Australian Pop painter Johnny Romeo explores the notorious 27 Club, a group of legendary musicians and artists who truly lived fast and died too young. After bursting through 2016 with a rapturously received exhibition in Perth which sold out prior to opening, and celebrated features in Artist Profile and Channel 9 program ‘Postcards’, Australia’s King of Pop returns with a knockout collection of paintings that sees him take his inimitable Neo-Expressionist Pop stylings to electrifying new heights.
27 features Johnny Romeo’s most visually arresting paintings to date. Romeo’s rollicking renditions of fallen Pop icons burn with an insatiable energy and charisma, bursting through the canvas with rich, stencil-like silhouettes and robust line-work. Bold, unapologetic and in your face, the artist has crafted a series of portraits that adeptly capture the life and essence of artistic luminaries who became martyrs to fame and excess. This can be seen in the work ‘Fire Sky’. Romeo’s Jim Morrison, with his signature pout and amphetamine-addled glare, oozes with smouldering sensuality, recalling the hedonistic mystique of the Lizard King as he prowled the stages of LA’s Sunset Strip.
Teetering between Pop sheen and riveting rawness, there is a gripping gravitas to Romeo’s tragic icons that renders them both larger-than-life and heartrendingly human. The ecstatic, Technicolour bursts of Romeo’s Pop icons enlivens them with an irrepressible energy that reflects Romeo’s philosophy of using colour as a living, vital force. In contrast, the frenzied, turgid hues that characterise Romeo’s backgrounds reflect the chaos of lives lived at a whirlwind pace, pushing the limits of pleasure and nihilism as they spin out of control.
Growing up on a steady diet of raucous rock’n’roll and the morose swamp-stomp of the blues, Romeo’s clever use of text reflects the indelible influence of music in his work. Commanding, stencilled words combine with smaller scrawled text bubbles to form catchy rhyming couplets, toying with our sense of word association while paying homage to the iconic works of the 27 Club. Much like the fuzzed out refrain of a snarling grunge anthem, word combinations such as ‘gas gray’, ‘dove dash’ and ‘swirl pearl’ reflect a preoccupation with youthful escapism and self-destruction.
Tapping into the juncture between extinguished youth and immortality, Johnny Romeo’s take on the notorious 27 Club masterfully straddles the line between triumph and tragedy, between young recklessness and the gravity of loss. Romeo has imbued his icons with a morose, haunting quality, as the sullen stares of rockstars like Jimi Hendrix look on in quiet acceptance of their untimely passing. At the same time, there is a smouldering obstinance to Romeo’s fallen heroes, a resolute refusal to be forgotten as they meet the gaze of the audience with unwavering intensity.
27 is an elegy to tragic stars gone before their time, a celebration of uncompromising Pop icons who took a walk on the wild side and never lived to tell the tale. Amping up Johnny Romeo’s signature Neo-Expressionist bombast and neon-drenched colour explosions to maximum volume, the series sees Australia’s leading Pop artist deliver gloriously iconic Pop works loud enough to wake the dead.
Johnny Romeo | 27 | New Paintings @ Penny Contemporary, Hobart, Australia.
June 10th, 2016 – July 5th, 2016.
Opening reception with Artist: Friday June 10th, 2016 | 5:30 -7:30pm @ Penny Contemporary, Hobart.
187 Liverpool Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000.
Any enquiries regarding Johnny Romeo’s 27 can be made directly through Penny Contemporary (info@pennycontemporary.com.au) or by calling the gallery on +61 3 6231 5655.
Johnny Romeo’s work Go Lucky will be part of the HAPPY – GROUP SHOW @ 19Karen, Gold Coast, Australia
Johnny Romeo’s work Go Lucky will be part of the HAPPY – GROUP SHOW @ 19Karen, Gold Coast, Australia.
Opening Night – Friday 13th May – 6-8pm @ The Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach.
To see more of Johnny Romeo’s works go to – 19Karen
Any enquires regarding Johnny Romeo’s works can be made directly through 19Karen (info@19karen.com.au) or by calling the gallery on +61 7 5554 5019.
Johnny Romeo and Linton & Kay Galleries, Perth featured on Channel 9’s POSTCARDS with Scherri-Lee Biggs.
To view the full episode & segment go to – Postcards 2016 Episode 10 | Channel 9