ASARO, ANGELO
TECHNIQUE: Oil
GENRE: Conceptual art, symbolic surrealism, figurative, neo-pop
WEB: www.angeloasaro.com
PRICING: €1,950.00 – €5,600.00
CONTACT: angelo.asaro@outlook.com
The works of Angelo Asaro have been presented in numerous exhibitions in London, including, but not limited to, 'EXI Art Show – Existential Art Exhibition', held at the Crypt Gallery St Pancras (2024); 'ArtGemini Exhibition' at the London Lighthouse Gallery (2024); 'Zari Art Prize Exhibition' at the Zari Art Gallery (2024); 'Contemporary Painting & Landscape' at the Brick Lane Gallery (2024); and the solo exhibition 'Alchemy of the Surreal' at the Candid Arts Gallery (2023).
In addition to prestigious galleries, his canvases have also been featured in major art fairs, further consolidating his presence within the contemporary art scene. In 2024, he was selected as a finalist for the ArtGemini Prize, an international award dedicated to promoting both emerging and established artists. He was also admitted to the final stage of the Zari Art Prize, a recognition aimed at discovering and promoting artistic talent on a global scale. His works have been published in renowned magazines as well as influential industry blogs. As further confirmation of his growing recognition, he was selected to participate in the 15th Florence Biennale – International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design.
Human nature—social, but also broadly animalistic—is explored by Angelo Asaro through various aspects across different series of paintings. In one of these series, the subjects are the intricate patterns found in butterfly wings, fish scales, and flower petals. These elements are treated as if captured through a macro lens, using its optical effect to draw attention to colour and texture rather than to a realistic depiction of the whole body. Moreover, unlike photographic precision, the artist renders them in a blurred manner, a device that guides the viewer towards an abstract, almost dreamlike perception.
In exploring nature, he inevitably addresses the theme of time. This concept underpins two additional groups of works. In one, the central motif is a large hourglass occupying the entire pictorial space, even exceeding its boundaries. While this framing evokes a photographic approach, what is most significant is the use of the hourglass as a symbol, easily associated with the passage of time. Through this emblem, Asaro communicates an intention to engage a broad audience, inviting viewers into an introspective experience. In this sense, one of the guiding references of his practice is Georges Rouault, who stated: “In painting, the symbol is the language that speaks to the heart and soul.”
Books, as human artefacts, are introduced in these works to further clarify the conceptual content, namely the different ways in which human beings confront the temporality of life. If here time is expressed in terms of finitude, in another group of works it is instead the continuous cycle of creation and destruction of existence that is represented, along with its inescapable destiny, symbolised through bubbles or the idea of the labyrinth. The latter also appears in a series inspired by 1980s video games, creating parallels between recreational experience and life beyond the screen.
The work under discussion closely replicates the interface of Frogger, revealing both the artist’s academic background in Engineering and his in-depth knowledge of communication, having worked for years as a Product Manager. Scientific and artistic disciplines thus converge into a balanced synthesis. In this painting, he meticulously reconstructs the interface of one of the earliest video games, distinguishing two gameplay registers: in the lower section, cars seen from above appear to cross a busy road. In the upper section, mysterious creatures resembling turtles and frogs attempt to cross a river where logs of varying sizes float. Between the two zones, a boundary strip shows frogs holding protest signs against the crossing of other animals, a clear reference to migration phenomena and their social and political consequences.
The analytical precision characteristic of the artist also extends into another narrative dimension, where, in a manner reminiscent of René Magritte, he addresses issues of individual identity within communal existence. Within these works, everyday objects—such as a tea package whose branding recalls English production, a country in which the artist has lived—appear immersed in metaphysical contexts.
A final group of works is more expressive, though still reflective in nature. Whereas earlier paintings depicted unease within relatively restrained aesthetic settings, in this phase human emotions such as sadness, duality, and conflict with the Other are portrayed in their full intensity. Only childhood imagination, which is also that of the artist, is presented as a possible antidote to an oppressive reality.
What Angelo Asaro ultimately reveals is a multifaceted investigation of contemporary society, offering both its most painful dimensions and, at the same time, moments of happiness—an emotion bound to the freedom of finding space for the pure soul that resides within each individual.