Marc Straus is proud to present a new series of paintings by the Mexican artist Omar Rodriguez-Graham. For its second solo exhibition with the artist, the gallery will showcase a series of works on canvas on shaped board, which reflect the richness of colors and techniques that characterize the artist's oeuvre. With a carefully planned and executed process, Rodriguez-Graham digitally modifies key Renaissance paintings from historic masters and transforms them into his dynamic abstractions. He later translates his digital sketches into actual large-format paintings. As with the calculated approach of Renaissance painters, Rodriguez- Graham methodically assigns different colors, textures, and techniques to specific areas, slowly constructing each plane. Even the shape and scale of canvases are intentional.

His work reflects on the pictorial medium and on the evocative power of colors. Drawing inspiration from the history of art, the artist creates conceptual abstractions, which often refer to philosophical or literary works in the titles. His technique combines technology and craftsmanship: by analyzing and vectorizing the masterpieces of European art, the artist establishes a close dialogue with the masters who preceded him. However, these are subsequently updated, in the wake of twentieth-century abstract painting and pushed further with contemporary tools. The result is large canvases, reminiscences of other works, which however are characterized by a strong dynamism and an incredible expressive force.

Omar Rodriguez-Graham (b. 1978, Mexico) lives and works in Mexico City. His work has been shown both individually and collectively in Mexico, the United States, Europe and South America and included in numerous museum group shows including the National Museum of Art (Mexico, 2014), the 15th Rufino Tamayo Painting Biennial at the Tamayo Museum (Mexico, 2012), the Museum of Modern Art (Mexico, 2010). Rodriguez-Graham graduated with a BA from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey in 2003 and received his MFA in Painting from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2005. His work is found in private and public collections in Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, the US, and Venezuela including La Colección Jumex and Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico. He is represented by Marc Straus in New York and by Arroniz Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City.