Santiago Rubino
Inspired as much by dreams as by chance encounters with complete strangers, his beautiful creatures with their pensive and melancholy expressions, evoke feelings of love, sadness and longing. Dark-haired figures dominate sparse backgrounds giving the impression of characters alone in the desert or even outer space. Spanning time as well as space, Rubino draws on sepia toned paper and attires his subjects in anything from Victorian dresses to S&M spiked heel black leather boots. These juxtapositions give his works a timeless quality that adds to the eeriness and universality of their appeal.
No matter their attire, the figures are stoically composed; whether they look ahead at the viewer or off into the distance their gaze is of such intensity the viewer can only begin to imagine what memory or daydream consumes them. The black graphite and the restraint Rubino employs to make the drawings reveal a dark undertone to the work that addresses the human capacity for evil and destruction in the face of beauty.
With his artwork, Rubino creates an elaborate cosmology that encapsulates his views on the interconnectivity of individuals throughout history and his belief in karma and an ever-flowing energy through which everything is bound.
Rubino, the 29 year-old, self-taught Argentinean, first known by local police and the admiring public for his exquisite graffiti paintings, is successfully channeling his energies and gaining attention in the art world.
Posted in