5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY | 2023

November 10, 2023

Taglialatella Galleries Toronto celebrated 5 years in business with an unforgettable artistic evening featuring special artworks by Mr. Brainwash and new exhibition “Bloom” by Sage Barnes. Thank you to everyone who joined us in commemorating this exciting milestone in Taglialatella Gallery’s history. It was an evening unlike any other; the gallery was transformed by immersive exhibition elements and a crowd that was vibrating with the energy of the accomplishment of 5 years in Yorkville!

Since the early aughts Mr. Brainwash has been making a name for himself at the crossroads of Pop and Street Art. Catapulted onto the scene by way of the European graffiti underground, the artist quickly became enamored with American pop culture and settled into a uniquely synthesized contemporary style. Instantly recognizable for its positive messages, bold imagery, and iconic references, the work of Mr. Brainwash is larger than life. The artist is recognized for hybridizing pop and street aesthetics with references to Americana, steeping his amalgamized creations in enthusiasm, love, inspiration, and a kaleidoscopic palette.

The subject of academy-nominated documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Mr. Brainwash has had great influence in popularizing street art. The artist’s career thus far has been propelled by notable collaborations with celebrated cultural figures such as Pope Francis, Michelle Obama, Madonna, and Dj Khaled. His work is collected by influential tastemakers including the Kardashians, the Obamas, Elon Musk, and Jennifer Anniston to name a few.

In his second solo show with Taglialatella Galleries – Toronto, Sage Barnes presents his much- anticipated body of work, Blooms. This latest series from the young Kansas-City native is the artist’s unique take on the time-honored subject matter of the floral still life. Tactile, dynamic, and experimental in his approach, Barnes puts forth a balanced hybridization of modern and traditional. Emerging from Barnes’s personal background in fashion, design, and street art is a graphic and heavily layered mixed media technique that renders floral compositions into explosive, gestural representations. Bright colors hover on rich backgrounds with high contrast outlines electrifying the details of the works. This is the artist’s first major departure from figurative painting and the result is a luscious botanical series that Taglialatella Gallery is thrilled to present.

Sage Barnes is a contemporary American painter now based out of Kansas City. His self-taught urban style lands somewhere between pop art, street art, abstraction, and figuration. Barnes briefly attended the Fashion Institute in LA before deciding to pursue his arts practice full-time. He felt the institutional confines too constricting on his self-expression. He takes a satirical approach to his exploration of themes of self-identity, self-expression, and individualism. Barnes has exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.