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Bio
Statement
ALVARO NADDEO
Los Angeles, USA
Mad as Hell
20 × 20 inches
Painting
2020
20 × 20 inches
Painting
2020
"Mad as Hell is a visual critique of consumer society and contemporary alienation. The title refers directly to the famous phrase from the film Network, connecting the film’s premise to the present: in today’s social context, a lack of indignation can be a sign of a lack of attention to reality. The piece acts as a reminder that the tension between the individual and structures of power remains as relevant today as it was in the 1970s." A.N.
" I started painting while living in New York, and watercolor was simply the most practical choice given the limited physical space of my tiny apartment. (...) At that stage in my process, there was no pressure and no specific objective; I was simply having fun and enjoying the practice of making art. Digital composition and 3D modeling did not even exist in my workflow back then. This entire process of digital and 3D construction is the result of that same journey, where my only goal was to have fun and explore. As I explored watercolor, I discovered what I liked about it and realized I could achieve a level of control that eventually became 'my style'. I managed to incorporate that precision into my work while still embracing the organic quality, texture, and washes that define watercolor. "
Alvaro Naddeo
The Taste of Success
1
8 × 24 inches
Painting
2020
"Nostalgia is triggered instantly by the recognition of an era's icons: the Sega arcade, the Walkman, the vibrant graphics of the 80s and 90s. Yet this refuge of memory is built on scrap metal, rust, and corrugated sheeting, turning the memory into something precarious. That's where the irony of success resides: the phrase 'THE TASTE OF SUCCESS,' on the old outdoor sign, crowns a decaying structure, revealing that the promise of status through consumption is a façade. The piece exposes advertised luxury as nothing more than obsolescence turned into material residue. " A.N.
Death From Above
33 × 25 inches
Painting
2024
33 × 25 inches
Painting
2024
"This piece uses the war imagery of Apocalypse Now to dissect a different form of invasion. The military helicopter, marked with the words DEATH FROM ABOVE, no longer carries soldiers, but a shopping cart and a television bombarding the word NEW. " A.N.
Cold War
14 × 20 inches
Painting
2020
"Cold War is a visual metaphor for the crossfire that trapped Latin America. In this structure, the eagle represents the United States and the red star the Soviet Union. Under the weight of this conflict between superpowers, the region suffered the imposition of military dictatorships instead of legitimately elected democracies. It is an image of fragile sovereignty, barely supported by a shopping cart carrying the remains of someone else’s history." A.N.
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"Why do I have to translate this stuff into painting? Why can’t these photographs just exist as art?"
John Baldessari
in conversation with Aaron Schuman.
2009