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Press Statement

Distinction Gallery Presents: "I Killed Qupid" | An epic showing by Isaac Pierro that runs June 14th - July 5th Distinction Gallery strives to continue bringing the brightest and most unique talents to the Southern California region by hosting a most inimitable showing by Isaac Pierro entitled "I Killed Qupid". The artist will be on hand for the opening reception with beer (compliments of Lightning Brewery), and dj Scottie Kaotik to be held Saturday, June 14th from 6-11 PM. The entire exhibition will be available for viewing through Saturday, July 11th. Distinction Gallery will also be featuring the "Sub 1K" Gallery featuring over 100 works from renowned artists from across the globe that price for less than $1,000. "The Alley" features an additional 50+ artists. All in addition to the 14 artist studios featuring 16 local artists. Also, please feel free browse our new collection of art books and toys we have for purchase and don't hesitate to inquire about Distinction's custom framing services. The Artist: Isaac Pierro got an early start on his artistic career in Stockton, CA through a childhood necessity. Namely the need for the GI Joe figures of his beloved cartoons. Lacking the funds to procure the pricey figurines, young Isaac fashioned his own action figures out of cardboard and an artist was born. As he emerged into his teenage years, his attention turned to the graffiti scene and his own take on the intricate murals and complex lettering typical of the style. As a young adult, he left a well-paying job sticking needles and ink into people's skin and headed out for Los Angeles to pursue a more legitimate direction in art. A few years of hard work has seen Pierro's art displayed in a number of prominent west coast galleries including Copro Nason, Gallery 1988, Thinkspace, M Modern and Distinction. Specifically, his work entitled "Luigi For Sheezy" which was featured in the annual show "I AM 8-BIT" has attainted attention world wide through publication in various magazines and was featured on the KTLA (Los Angeles) morning news. The Art: Isaac Pierro's work is very character driven. His subjects often have the air of illustrations for a dark and twisted children's book. His roots as a graffiti artist can be felt through the splatters and over-saturated drips intentionally layered into the works for a more organic discomforting chaos. Forms will twist, merge, melt and bleed to provoke movement and motion. The often utilized softer pastels clash against the brooding subject matter and make the primary colors fight for dominance creating much tension and curiosity in the work of Pierro. The Show: "I Killed Qupid" is also the name of book written by Isaac Pierro scheduled to be published in late 2009. All of the artwork for this show is based on, and will be published in this book about a boy who blames all of the world's problems on misguided love and takes it upon himself to "save the world" by killing Qupid. The Questions: What was the inspiration to tie a book into this series of artwork, or are you tying this artwork into your vision for the book? Every painting and character I come up with I always create a story for. The inspiration for my first "I killed Qupid" painting came from my frustration and hate for love in my late teens and early twenties. At that time, all of my relationships and the relationships around me were dysfunctional and destructive. In the case of the original "I killed Qupid" painting I created the painting first and then the story. After I added the bear character Michael (pronounced my-kill) the story became so elaborate I decided to create a book out of it. It is set up like a children's book with illustrations on one page and the story on the other. The show will be set up similar to the book. The story pages will be hung along side of the paintings. Your bio mentions crafting GI Joe toys out of cardboard and hitting the graf scene in your later youth. To what extent do these and other pop culture influences play into your inspirations? Like most kids growing up in the eighties I was raised on television which makes pop culture a big part of my work. The graffiti influence is what really made me want to start painting. Once I started graffiti that is when I really started to learn how to use color and design. From that came the transition into fine art. Your work seems to very narrative and character driven. Have you always invented characters and worlds to entertain yourself (and others)? Yes, I have always created stories along with my characters. I read a lot of comic books as a kid. And I love the idea of a story being behind a piece of art. As an artist, what is the most difficult emotion for you to communicate within your art? Happiness. What impression do you hope to leave with viewers of your work? I'm not trying to leave any one single impression. If I can take viewers through a range of emotions, much like a movie does and possibly bring somebody to tears, I would feel like I've accomplished the goal of my story. "I Killed Qupid" shows June 14th through July 11th. Distinction is a 7000 square foot building which houses a gallery and 14 artist studios ranging in size from 150 to 800 square feet. The Gallery features contemporary and cutting edge art work with a soft focus on Urban Surrealism. Distinction exhibits work by emerging and internationally acclaimed artists and is located at: 317 East Grand Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025. A wide variety of art books and toys are now available for purchase. Custom framing is also available.

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