Jeff Bailey Gallery is pleased to present Paolo Arao: Make Them Love You. This is his first solo exhibition.
In a series of drawings and paintings, Arao's subject matter is the microphone. The use of microphones implies the desire for an audience, a way to be heard by many, a chance to communicate and the opportunity to perform.
Different types of microphones suggest certain time periods and usages (for politics or entertainment). Arao has eliminated the speakers, performers and audience, leaving the microphones to inhabit their own quiet and pristine space. As a result, the microphones appear to interact with themselves. As objects, they become characters: they stand, bow down, hover, get tangled or yearningly reach towards the person before them.
Paolo Arao received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the AIM program at The Bronx Museum of the Arts. His work has been included in recent exhibitions at The Drawing Center and Socrates Sculpture Park. He lives and works in New York.
For further information or images, please contact Jeff Bailey at 212.989.0156 or jeff@baileygallery.com.