This survey exhibition spans more than four decades of Michelangelo Russo’s evolving practice.

From Michelangelo’s early figurative and ‘political’ paintings in the 1980’s through to his distilled abstraction works in the late 1990’s until the present day, the artist has always been concerned with surface and texture.

Michelangelo’s mastery of various mediums has been demonstrated through his fascination with intricate traditional techniques such as the use of Gold Leaf creating luscious abstract paintings reminiscent of Byzantine art. He has further expanded his craft with the introduction of organic textured materials such as stitched canvas coffee bags, fabric, rope, cardboard incorporated into rich layers of pigmented wax, the ancient encaustic technique.

In 2019 Michelangelo collaborated with artist Jennifer Jabu exploring themes of sustainability with the use of all natural materials. These hung artworks are textural, jutting from the surface, their multidimensionality referencing architectural relief. The exhibition also includes examples of three-dimensional sculptural works in a rich array of pure solid colours enveloped by the encaustic technique.

-Mariella DelConte, Curator