Pedro Pedro, Plates with Oysters, Lobsters, Fish, Sandwiches and Charcuterie, 2022, textile paint on linen, 72 x 63 inches.
For his third solo show with The Hole, LA-based artist Pedro Pedro (b. 1986) includes a variety of his signature imagery, creating indulgent and delicious paintings awaiting consumption. While the paintings are bountiful— charcuterie and cheese, stacks of seafood, soft and sugary cakes, citrus stacked to the ceiling—there is a linger- ing restraint, with just a slice or two taken from each. Where are the people to feast on the fruit, scarf the sea- food, smoke the strewn cigarettes or to paint with the plentiful pots of paint on Pedro’s tables?
With fourteen paintings and nine paintings on paper, we are treated to an abbondanza of works, the most he has shown at one time. The paintings’ muted tonality and soft focus comes from Pedro’s technique of applying tex- tile paint onto unprimed linen. Instead of the paint sitting on top of the white gessoed fabric, these works have the pigment soak into the fibers, dyeing them. The artist paints the image in multiple passes to get these gor- geous colors; from hot pink grapefruit to pea green pickles, deep red lobster or bright lemon yellow.
In Pedro’s universe, wholesomeness coexists with disquiet. This tension is underscored by the artist’s skewed perspective and fiat planes, upon which all objects are plopped as if ready to fall off the canvas. Some of the jux- tapositions give pause: sharp knives close to plump peaches, a lighter and an oily paint rag, stinky sandals pre- cariously close to a toothbrush. Most important to Pedro’s practice, however, is his intuition, drafted from a col- lage of images with scenes that come together as he goes along, allowing his inner thoughts to shine through, while also leaving space for our own.
Los Angeles–based artist Pedro Pedro (b. 1986) has exhibited with The Hole since 2018, when he was featured in his first solo exhibition with the gallery, Why Should We Steal A Cow? Several group shows followed, including Post Analog Painting, Second Smile, and Nature Morte, as well as a second solo exhibition in 2021: Cantaloupe and Ko- komo. His work has also appeared in solo exhibitions at o.o Gallery in Los Angeles and English Kills in Brooklyn, New York. Past group exhibitions include Universes 2.0 at The Garage Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Pedro’s work has been reviewed recently in Interview, Lampoon Magazine and Hyperallergic.
