Here’s a look at artist Ryan Heshka’s latest exhibition, which opened in Milan on March 7.
“Teenage Machine Age”, Ryan Heshka’s second solo show at Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea (Milan, Italy), picks up where last year’s show (”OURS”) left off.
Expanding both the size of the pieces and mediums used, Heshka continues his exploration of dreamy scenes and hazy fictional memories, mixing in vague hints of universal themes. The use and abuse of technology; humankind’s mad race to outdistance boredom; the interweaving of the designed versus natural environment; commercialism gone mad… all find their way into primary-colored paintings.
Works are expressed in a style inspired by the naïve visual language of comics, pulp magazines, trading cards, B-movie and advertising posters… past throwaway culture mirroring our own modern day throwaway culture. The overall impression is that of a technologically advanced world living a reckless teenage dream, blanketed under soothing colors and smooth textures.
This is Heshka’s most comprehensive solo show to date.
Ryan Heshka lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He has a bachelor degree in interior design and worked in that field for many years, in addition to animation, before making art and illustration his career.
Heshka has appeared in all of the major illustration annuals, including American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, 3 x 3, and Applied Arts. Clients include Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Playboy, Esquire, Forbes, Topps, and DreamWorks SKG.
He has appeared in galleries across North America (including Roq La Rue, Seattle, WA; Richard Heller, LA; Copro Nason, LA; Orbit Gallery, New Jersey; Rotofugi, Chicago)) and in Europe (Feinkunst Kruger, Germany; Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea, Italy; Atomica Gallery, London, England), and has been published several times in BLAB! and books about the new underground art movement, including THE UPSET.
His second children’s book is set for release in Spring 2013, and his first book (Welcome to Monster Town) was optioned by DreamWorks SKG.
