Hasta La Ideas

New absurdly allegorical paintings by Edward del Rosario

Set against monochrome backgrounds, painter Edward del Rosario‘s fairytale-like scenes depict people counterposed with nature in charmingly unsettling ways. The Brooklyn-based artist has been exploring the subject for the past eight years, each piece adding to a larger meta-narrative that explores the “aftermath of a post-colonial world.” His latest installment of curious paintings will show at L.A.’s Richard Heller gallery in the upcoming exhibition simply titled “Fable.”

An active performance artist while earning his MFA at RISD, del Rosario’s theatrical roots are evidenced by the comedically tense or absurd situations in which he carefully depicts his characters. The melodramatic situations often depict his characters’ misunderstandings of each other and their conflicts over the balance of power. As explained in a 2009 interview with Lowdown Magazine, del Rosario’s performances, influenced by absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco, still inform his painterly study of social interaction and group mentality.

“Fable” is on view at the Richard Heller Gallery from 26 March 2011 through 30 April 2011.