Ended
Ross Caliendo
Tanning the Hides
Aug 20 – Sep 4, 2022
Ross + Kramer is pleased to present Tanning the Hides, a solo exhibition of new works by Ross Caliendo, at the gallery’s East Hampton location.
Tanning the Hides features a selection of new small-scale paintings that reveal an amplified vision of the artist’s exploration of, and interest in, color and color theory. The title of the exhibition serves as a metaphor, each piece representing the spoils of a successful hunt, the exhibition signifying the display of the hides from the catch. Landscape, the primary subject of Caliendo’s work, functions as a vessel through which he investigates color and texture, crafting a precise symbiotic energy between the two. Caliendo paints with a thick impasto over a monochromatic underpainting in a contrasting color before using the back of a brush or palette knife to carve into the surface, revealing that contrasting color. The tension between the impasto surface and the underpainting creates a glimmering chromatic vibration.
In recent years, Caliendo has predominantly created work in a large scale format. Working within the bounds of a smaller scale has allowed the artist to intensify his focus on color, resulting in meticulous, complex, and intimate pieces which invite viewers to reexamine their perception of the natural world. Caliendo saw the exhibition space as reminiscent of a cave, and kept this in mind when creating these works—each piece acting as a brilliant gem within a cavern, a dense morsel that continues to unveil itself as more time is spent with the work.
Ross Caliendo (b. 1988, Pittsburgh, PA) graduated with a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Caliendo has exhibited at Grifter Space (New York, NY), No Place Gallery (Columbus, OH), Penske Projects (Montecito, CA), Phil Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Fisher Parrish Gallery (New York, NY), Blum & Poe (Los Angeles, CA), and Night Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), among others. Recent press includes a2b2 Magazine, Columbus Alive!, Arazi Club Magazine, and New American Paintings. Ross Caliendo lives and works in Los Angeles.
