Chelsea's Agora Gallery will feature the original work of Collages of Taranto-born artist Rocco Cardinale in The Manifestation of Milieu. The exhibition opens on December 1st and will run until December 22nd, 2015. The opening reception will take place Thursday, December 3rd, from 6-8 PM. Any art lover who enjoys thought-provoking artworks and meeting talented and interesting artists is encouraged to attend.

About the Artist

Italian artist Rocco Cardinale utilizes painting and writing in his collages to create emotive, gritty, and honest portraits of mankind. By using simple geometries, rough scribblings, and an almost monochromatic color palette, Cardinale evokes a sense of primitivism that speaks to the universality of the human experience. It is no surprise, then, to learn that Cardinale has taken courses in both classical studies and archaeological studies in school, pulling from human history to enhance his intimate and evocative compositions.

The handwritten words, occasionally scratched out, yet still legible, add not only a sense of personality and aesthetic experimentation, but they also add a strong thematic element to each of Cardinale's collages: sentiments, descriptions, and directives replace figurative features to lend a deeper meaning and a literary element to each piece.

A skateboarder and surfer, Cardinale draws from street art and contemporary nomadism to combine "the fine and perverse Piccasian charm to the street culture of skaters and the writers and ... contemporary nomadism." Cardinale also draws inspiration from the influential writer Franz Kafka, which can easily be inferred from his bleak scapes, contorted and deformed bodies, and his commentary on industry, work, and human uniformity.

Exhibition Dates: December 1, 2015 – December 22, 2015
Reception: Thursday December 3, 2015, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11-6
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, Chelsea, New York
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Rocco_Cardinale.aspx