Johnny Romeo - Dodge City

JOHNNY ROMEO

DODGE CITY

LARGE NEW PAINTINGS

SEP 29TH - OCT 21ST

JOHNNY ROMEO

Johnny Romeo is an Australian contemporary pop artist. His works infuse the aesthetics of print-based Warholian Pop with a street-art speed and grit, all executed through some strange on-canvas alchemy in acrylic and oil. The works heavily reference recent and current popular culture, unabashedly harvesting politicians, celebrities, pinups, and comic book heroes and villains, as protagonists. Rendered in muted pop hues, like high vibrancy paint applied thinly over stubborn grey concrete, these recognisable personalities often juxtapose witty stenciled wordplay, some letters scratched out to create unlikely double and triple entendres out of previously stale slogans and rehashed platitudes. Through that graphic style Romeo equally engages in, and simultaneously critiques consumer culture and branding in relation to the construction of personal identity. The artist exposes the childishness of our apparent ideals and elucidates what western culture has found to replace its heroes.

Australian, lives and works in Sydney and Los Angeles.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

“Throughout my art making practice, I’ve been fascinated with exploring the imagery and Pop culture of my childhood. Growing up on a steady diet of comic books and Saturday morning cartoons, my young, impressionable mind was flooded with images of courageous superheroes from the DC Comics universe and wise-cracking cartoon animals from the zany worlds of Looney Tunes and HannaBarbera.

In my latest exhibition, I wanted to use these images to evoke the sense of wonderment and creative freedom that we all experienced as children. Painting on larger canvases than usual, I strove to maximise the epic quality of my latest works by creating a Kitsch Pop dreamland that captured the excitement, the grandeur, and the sheer fun of a child’s imagination. The idea of mashing up superheroes like Batman and Wonder Woman with animals was my attempt at tapping into the memories of our collective Pop culture childhood and recreating new imaginary adventures through the medium of Pop Art.

Interestingly, Savage Garden’s 1999 single ‘The Animal Song’ was a big influence on the development of this exhibition. In particular, I gravitated towards lyrics such as ‘I want live/Like animals/Careless and free’ and ‘Animals and children tell the truth/ They never lie/ Which one is more human/ There’s a thought, now you decide’, which spoke to the ideas I was grappling with in my own works about how animals and children truly live in the moment.

Overall, my latest paintings are some of my most upbeat to date, but there is an undercurrent of sadness beneath all the vibrant colours and warm, nostalgic imagery. As much I celebrate the joys of being young, there is an implicit awareness that we all lose our innocence at some point, an idea that was inspired by Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden in John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’”.

Johnny Romeo 2023

DODGE CITY largenewpaintings

Prepare to embark on an electrifying trip through the Technicolour wonderland of Johnny Romeo’s youth with his exclusive latest series of paintings, DodgeCity . Comprising of five towering 2 metre by 2 metre works, the collection marks Romeo’s triumphant return to Perth and showcases his largest and most impressive works to date as he captures the joy and innocence of youthful curiosity in breathtaking Technicolour. Filled with classic superheroes and adventurous animals plucked straight from the early memories of Australia’s King of Pop, Dodge City is a playful celebration of childlike wonderment and the limitless possibilities of our imagination.

Johnny Romeo’s paintings have always had a flare for the cinematic, but his latest works catapult his signature Kitsch Pop style to truly blockbuster proportions. The influence of classic Hollywood can be seen in the title DodgeCity , which takes its name from Michael Curtiz’s 1939 country western movie starring Errol Flynn. In the film, Dodge City is a brutally lawless town overrun with cutthroat thieves and deceptive mavericks. Romeo ingeniously subverts the crime-ridden feel of the film to create his own Dodge City, an imaginary candy-coloured dreamscape where rules cease to exist, and anything is possible. Inspired by the line ‘won’t you come with me to a place in a little town’ from Silverchair’s 1994 grunge anthem ‘Tomorrow’, Romeo transports us to the enthralling make-believe worlds we create in our minds as kids. Striking the balance between the nostalgic and the psychedelic, Dodge City symbolizes a place where creativity and childlike curiosity are given free rein to flourish.

In his latest series, Romeo’s intoxicating blend of punchy imagery, kaleidoscopic colour explosions, and empowering word assemblages draws us directly into an action-packed fantasy land where the creatures of the wild team up with the mightiest champions of the DC Comic book universe. A cheeky homage to DC Comics is shrewdly hidden as an Easter egg in the title Dodge City , which shares its initials ‘DC’ with the groundbreaking comic book publisher. Romeo ingeniously taps into our collective childhood memories, drawing from the classic comic book imagery of his own youth to masterfully pair together larger-than-life superheroes with majestic animals. Beloved icons such as Superman and Wonder Woman leap and soar from the canvases with an exhilarating, animalistic energy that calls to mind the explosive excitement of cartoon showdowns. Meanwhile, Technicolour tigers and courageous crows mirror the athletic prowess of their superhuman companions with striking action poses that blur the line between the playful and the primal. Beaming with positivity and a zest for life, Romeo’s dynamic duos remind us of our childhood innocence, the thrill of embarking on adventures with friends and believing in our dreams.

Nostalgia strikes at the emotional core of Dodge City . There is a decidedly retro feel to Johnny Romeo’s renditions of iconic DC Comic superheroes, whose classic spandex costumes harken back to the Golden Age of comic books. The fascination with vintage imagery extends to Romeo’s depictions of animals, who evoke the spunky irreverence of Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the cosiness of bedtime story illustrations. Romeo’s latest paintings appeal to our sense of the familiar and invite us to relive the wholesome reveries of our childhood. At the same time, the artist’s adoption of mid-20th century Pop imagery anchors his characters to the past, implying that at some point we all need to grow up and ‘get outta Dodge’. Despite its boisterous energy and colourful arrangements, Dodge City bears an underlying gravitas that echoes John Milton’s lament for humanity’s loss of innocence in ‘Paradise Lost’. Romeo, however, refuses to fully give in, instead using the upbeat refrain of ‘I want to live, like animals, careless and free’ from Savage Garden’s 1999 smash single ‘The Animal Song’ as a driving philosophy to combat the cynicism of adulthood.

DodgeCitydelivers Johnny Romeo’s most epic distillation of his signature Kitsch Pop style to date, pushing the bold imagery, life-affirming energy, and vivacious Technicolour hues we expect from Australia’s King of Pop to glorious new heights. The series is a rollickingly fun trip through the imagination that invites us to rise above the limits of everyday life by rediscovering the joy and freedom of embracing our inner child.

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BLUE SKY UP

Take to the skies in a blaze of glory in Johnny Romeo’s death-defying ode to Gotham City’s greatest caped crusader, Batman. In the painting, the iconic DC anti-hero is a majestic, Technicolour tour-de-force ascending to the heavens as his cape stretches out across the top of the work like the wings of a colossal deity. Beneath Batman, a triumphant owl is seen soaring through the skies in tandem with the superhero, his enormous wingspan slicing through the air with graceful yet lethal precision. Despite the Dark Knight’s fearsome physicality and formidable pose, it is the owl who is effortlessly lifting the caped crusader up through the clouds and into the ether, earning him the title of ‘Boss Owl’. The amusing nickname is skilfully manipulated by Romeo to form the word assemblage ‘Boss Now’, a Poptimistic call to arms to be like the dynamic bat and owl duo, to lean into the winds of possibility and fly towards your hopeful future. This desire to embrace life to the fullest is cleverly captured through the delightfully upbeat title Blue Sky Up . Building on the notion of ‘blue sky thinking’, Romeo uses vibrant colours to re-envision Batman and the owl, two shadowy creatures of the night, as opalescent beacons of hope breaking through the darkness into the warm glow of dawn.

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FAST FLASH CHASE

Buckle up and prepare for a breathtaking blast through the golden fields of nostalgia with Fast Flash Chase . The painting pays homage to DC Comics’ speediest superhero, The Flash, as he darts towards the audience with maximum velocity and sheer determination. Drawing from the comic books of his childhood, Romeo faithfully recreates the frenetic athleticism and iconic red spandex of the original Flash, while giving DC’s resident Scarlet Speedster an updated Kitsch Pop flavour. The Flash’s superhuman speed and ability to bend the laws of physics means that he is usually one step ahead of the pack, but in Fast Flash Chase he finally meets his match in the form of the world’s fastest animal, the cheetah. Wrought in lively, kaleidoscopic hues, the furiously fast feline barely breaks a sweat as he keeps apace with The Flash, the two locked in a feverish race that lives up to the spirit of the title Fast Flash Chase . The artist compliments the breakneck velocity of the Flash and the cheetah with a high impact palette of fantastical, fiery tones that conjures the adrenaline rush of travelling at warp speed. For Romeo, living fast is not just about clocking up the mileage, but an attitude towards life that refuses to move slowly and amble without purpose, as captured in the text passage ‘Never Sway Fade’. While they might zoom past you in a swift warped blur, the blazing path that the Flash and the cheetah forges through their need for speed will always burn bright.

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NEW SELF MADE

Take a deep breath and rediscover the wonder of youth with Johnny Romeo’s cheerful homage to Wonder Woman, New Self Made . Brimming with energetic fun and bold bursts of bubble-gum hues, the painting depicts DC’s Lady of Justice in her element, leaping through the air with a wide smile as she wields her Lasso of Truth. In front of her, a vibrant Technicolour tiger gazes coolly at the audience as she slinks confidently to the forefront of the canvas. The connection established between the hero and her feline sidekick is driven by fascinating contrasts, at once both powerful and affectionate, playful yet determined. In doing so, the painting captures the dichotomy between the superhuman warrior and compassionate optimist that has made Wonder Woman such an enduring presence in Pop culture. As one of the comic world’s most prominent feminist icons, Wonder Woman’s strong sense of independence and can-do attitude makes her a true embodiment of the title New Self Made . With her trusty tiger by her side, the warrior princess of Themyscira is unafraid to forge her own destiny and latch onto her dreams with her magical lasso. Romeo accentuates the hero’s bright-eyed outlook through the positive affirmation of the text passage ‘Breathe Doubt Out’, encouraging us to take a moment to think about the joys of life and how we can make our dreams a reality. After all, when you’re having this much fun, who has time to ‘Breathe doubt’.

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RICH RIDER RISE

Sometimes it just feels good to be bad. In Rich Rider Rise , Johnny Romeo taps into the seductive allure of living dangerously through his rollicking rendition of DC’s finest feline felon, Catwoman. Bursting with energy, Catwoman leaps from the canvas clad in her signature black latex Catsuit with the kind of lethal elegance that has made her the ultimate vixen in the DC universe. Romeo’s thrilling use of composition draws us directly into the action as he depicts Catwoman in mid-pounce, her outstretched claws threatening to slice through the very fabric of the canvas as if she is jumping off a skyscraper straight into your living room. Despite being a world-class catburglar, even the most seasoned criminals need a trustworthy accomplice to pull off the purrrfect crime. In the painting, Romeo ingeniously teams Gotham’s classic antiheroine up with a Technicolored crow, highlighting their shared characteristics as shadowy figures with a knack for resourcefulness and a penchant for shiny, expensive objects. The unlikely flying crime duo, with their vintage comic book look, recalls the delightful camp of William Dozier’s classic 1960’s Batman action-comedy series, a point reinforced with gleeful absurdity when one considers that it is Catwoman who is keeping her crow companion airborne on her back, despite not having wings. Living up to the plucky mischievousness of the title Rich Rider Rise , the crow and Catwoman are two brassy broads riding high on a wave of crime to get the big bucks. With their eyes on the prize, these charming thieves have ‘sized up’ the riches that await them and are unafraid to ‘Rise Up’ and claim what they want by whatever means necessary.

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TEAM BLAZE SUPREME

Open yourself up to the limitless wonders of your imagination and embrace your inner child with Johnny Romeo’s cheerful tribute to friendship, TeamBlazeSupreme The painting depicts the Man of Steel in vibrant, candy-coated hues soaring upwards into the air with an upraised fist, his dynamic pose evoking a sense of adventure and excitement. Beside him, an energetic Jack Russell pounces towards the audience with the youthful exuberance of a puppy truly loving life. By pairing Superman with his boisterous puppy sidekick, Romeo has created his own ‘Team Blaze Supreme’ that recalls the giddy excitement of childhood friendships and creating imaginary worlds where anything is possible. Ingeniously drawing us into his sugary fizz-pop fantasy land, Romeo toys around with our sense of scale, portraying the Jack Russell as a gigantic mega-canine against the usually larger-than-life Man of Steel. Conversely, one could interpret Superman as a plastic figurine being brought to life to go on adventures with the family dog through the power of daydreaming. This joyful balance between the psychedelic and the playful is captured in the word assemblage ‘Get Trippy Tricky’. Romeo’s slick wordplay here appeals to the wildly imaginative child in all of us, while riffing on the dog’s love for performing tricks through its amusing nod to the 1987 Run-DMC smash single ‘It’s Tricky’.

BIOGRAPHY

Johnny Romeo is an internationally acclaimed Australian painter. Considered Australia’s leading Pop artist, Romeo is spearheading the global Neo-Expressionist Pop movement with his electrifying collision of rock’n’roll swagger, comic book aesthetics and street art. Described by GQ Magazine Australia as ‘part punk, part pop’, Romeo’s Kitsch Pop works are explosive sugar rushes of Technicolour imagery and urban grittiness that are turning heads worldwide.

Armed with tongue-in-cheek humour and razor-sharp social commentary, Johnny Romeo is today renowned as a worldleading culture jammer. His works explore the influence celebrity icons and brand-name heroes have on our contemporary identity. Romeo approaches his art-making practice like a television, broadcasting colourful Postmodern visions that re-contextualise and seek to make sense of the daily cacophony of images, ads and memes we are bombarded with in our Pop-obsessed culture.

Over the last decade, Johnny Romeo has enjoyed a successive number of critically acclaimed and sold-out exhibitions across Australia, New Zealand and the US. Romeo has continued his dominance as a worldclass Pop artist in 2021 and 2022 with acclaimed and sell-out exhibitions in Sydney, Perth, Auckland, Canberra, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast. In 2018, Romeo notably exhibited at the Australian Consulate-General in New York. He was a highly celebrated feature artist in Brisbane’s Sign of the Times group exhibition, alongside street art juggernauts Banksy, Blek le Rat and Swoon. A major force in contemporary Pop art, Romeo is represented by many top galleries both in Australia and overseas.

Romeo has graced a number of prominent

publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, Vogue, Australian Art Review, Artist Profile and No Cure Magazine. Television features include the ABC 7:30 Report, Foxtel’s STVDIO, and the ABC documentary ‘Conquest of Space: Science Fiction & Contemporary Art’, written and hosted by renowned art critic Dr. Andrew Frost.

On the international stage, Johnny Romeo is a Pop Art tour de force, with hugely celebrated exhibitions in the US, including, New York, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Williamsport, Harrisburg), Florida and New Orleans, and in Malmö, Sweden. He has participated in several high-profile group shows across the US and Europe, including Language Art, alongside childhood hero and Pop Art icon Robert Indiana. Romeo made a massive splash as a celebrated featured artist in POP AUSTIN 2017, exhibiting with contemporary art powerhouses like Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Mr. Brainwash. Over the past three years, Romeo has made many standout appearances on US national television and universities. Since 2015, he has released three books examining his paintings and art-making practice: TV Land (2015), 10year retrospective survey Plastic Fantastic (2017) and Pump Up the Jams: Culture Jamming in the Works of Johnny Romeo (2019).

As one of the biggest names in Pop art today, Romeo’s works are highly sought-after globally, and are held in prominent Australian and international public and private collections. He has collaborated on many illustrious projects with the likes of leading US snowboarding company Gilson Boards, craft beer alchemists Zeroday Brewing Company, world-famous punk band Blink 182 and Lexus Australia.