Mirus Gallery is excited to present a solo exhibition by Mario Mankey.

"Using the Mario Mankey name, I manifest the underlying contradictions between human and primate. I work on human behaviors I find disturbing. I focus mainly on the eternal contradictions of the modern individual as a result of their ambitions and limitations."

"The aesthetic game is brought in as a way to introduce fun but also sarcasm. Thus, the works are addressed at a diverse, but also intimate audience, seeking to establish an artistic dialogue, be it arisen from a canvas, a street mural, a comic book or whichever new challenge brought in by this relationship." - Mario Mankey

Power has been at the center of our society for centuries. The rulers of the past have mostly been dominated by males. Many of our problems today are the aftermath of a male dominated world. With paradigms surrounding the imposition of force, the alpha male over the rest, opulence, muscle and power; we find ourselves constantly competing for someone or something. Society has nurtured a culture of winners by use of force. Could we imagine a world created by the oppressed minorities? Would they focus on care, respect and balance, instead of money and fame? Would we be looking at the same future for our planet?

For this exhibition, Mario has focused his work around the enormous problems the human race will have to face. Yes, they can be frightening glimpses into the future, but he hopes to balance these emotions with his own optimistic desires. Mario is an inspiring artist with a unique, positive, and bright world view that hopes to push humanity in the right direction.

Geologists coincide in titling this last and current layer of the earth, “Anthropocene”, which is precisely characterized by the "significant global impact that human activities have had on terrestrial ecosystems.” This layer is the final footprint of our society and its faults. Mario uses these images and confident abstraction techniques to create a picture that is balanced in time and in feeling.