Johnny Romeo
DODGE CITY
Large New Paintings
Prepare to embark on an electrifying trip through the Technicolour wonderland of Johnny Romeo’s youth with his exclusive latest series of paintings, Dodge City. Comprising of five towering 2 metre by 2 metre works, the collection marks Romeo’s triumphant return to Perth and showcases his largest and most impressive works to date as he captures the joy and innocence of youthful curiosity in breathtaking Technicolour. Filled with classic superheroes and adventurous animals plucked straight from the early memories of Australia’s King of Pop, Dodge City is a playful celebration of childlike wonderment and the limitless possibilities of our imagination.
Johnny Romeo’s paintings have always had a flare for the cinematic, but his latest works catapult his signature Kitsch Pop style to truly blockbuster proportions. The influence of classic Hollywood can be seen in the title Dodge City, which takes its name from Michael Curtiz’s 1939 country western movie starring Errol Flynn. In the film, Dodge City is a brutally lawless town overrun with cutthroat thieves and deceptive mavericks. Romeo ingeniously subverts the crime-ridden feel of the film to create his own Dodge City, an imaginary candy-coloured dreamscape where rules cease to exist, and anything is possible. Inspired by the line ‘won’t you come with me to a place in a little town’ from Silverchair’s 1994 grunge anthem ‘Tomorrow’, Romeo transports us to the enthralling make-believe worlds we create in our minds as kids. Striking the balance between the nostalgic and the psychedelic, Dodge City symbolizes a place where creativity and childlike curiosity are given free rein to flourish.
In his latest series, Romeo’s intoxicating blend of punchy imagery, kaleidoscopic colour explosions, and empowering word assemblages draws us directly into an action-packed fantasy land where the creatures of the wild team up with the mightiest champions of the DC Comic book universe. A cheeky homage to DC Comics is shrewdly hidden as an Easter egg in the title Dodge City, which shares its initials ‘DC’ with the groundbreaking comic book publisher. Romeo ingeniously taps into our collective childhood memories, drawing from the classic comic book imagery of his own youth to masterfully pair together larger-than-life superheroes with majestic animals. Beloved icons such as Superman and Wonder Woman leap and soar from the canvases with an exhilarating, animalistic energy that calls to mind the explosive excitement of cartoon showdowns. Meanwhile, Technicolour tigers and courageous crows mirror the athletic prowess of their superhuman companions with striking action poses that blur the line between the playful and the primal. Beaming with positivity and a zest for life, Romeo’s dynamic duos remind us of our childhood innocence, the thrill of embarking on adventures with friends and believing in our dreams.
Nostalgia strikes at the emotional core of Dodge City. There is a decidedly retro feel to Johnny Romeo’s renditions of iconic DC Comic superheroes, whose classic spandex costumes harken back to the Golden Age of comic books. The fascination with vintage imagery extends to Romeo’s depictions of animals, who evoke the spunky irreverence of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the cosiness of bedtime story illustrations. Romeo’s latest paintings appeal to our sense of the familiar and invite us to relive the wholesome reveries of our childhood. At the same time, the artist’s adoption of mid-20th century Pop imagery anchors his characters to the past, implying that at some point we all need to grow up and ‘get out Dodge’. Despite its boisterous energy and colourful arrangements, Dodge City bears an underlying gravitas that echoes John Milton’s lament for humanity’s loss of innocence in ‘Paradise Lost’. Romeo, however, refuses to fully give in, instead using the upbeat refrain of ‘I want to live, like animals, careless and free’ from Savage Garden’s 1999 smash single ‘The Animal Song’ as a driving philosophy to combat the cynicism of adulthood.
Dodge City delivers Johnny Romeo’s most epic distillation of his signature Kitsch Pop style to date, pushing the bold imagery, life-affirming energy, and vivacious Technicolour hues we expect from Australia’s King of Pop to glorious new heights. The series is a rollickingly fun trip through the imagination that invites us to rise above the limits of everyday life by rediscovering the joy and freedom of embracing our inner child.
Opening reception with Artist: Thursday 5th October, 2023 @ 6:00-8:00pm
Linton & Kay Galleries, 11 Old Aberdeen Place, West Perth, 6005, WA, Australia Ph: +61 8 9388 3300.
RSVP to attend the opening of Johnny Romeo’s DODGE CITY is essential.
RSVP to: perth@lintonandkay.com.au
Previewing from Friday 29th September, 2023.
Any inquiries regarding Johnny Romeo’s DODGE CITY can be made directly through Linton & Kay Galleries (perth@lintonandkay.com.au) or by calling the gallery on +61 8 9388 3300.
Exhibition Dates: 2nd October – 21st October 2022.
September 26, 2023