Hanging tough

Johnny Romeo’s artwork is pretty tough in subject matter, what with all the macho comic book characters, the fast cars and motorbikes, titty girls and crossbones. But throw in splashes of vivid colour and, all of a sudden, butch becomes beautiful.

The Newtown, Sydney-born artist’s works have graced the walls of some of the finest galleries in the country, including 19 Karen on the Gold Coast, AP Bond in Adelaide, and Buratti Fine Art in Perth. And there’s plenty of international interest, with recent showings in LA, New York, London and Milan.

As for customer appeal, there’s heaps of that, too, with a client base as broad as the spectrum of hues on his canvas (Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Gossett and Blink-182 are all regular buyers, thank you very much).

What we love most about Johnny Romeo’s work is his unabashed slashing of notions of ‘cool’ and ‘camp’. Heck, even the English language gets a sharp blade put to it, with letters in familiar phrases scratched out, turning them into something altogether radical.

It’s as if Johnny was buddies with both English and Art in school, but just couldn’t help barracking for the latter as it beat up the former behind the bike-shed at recess.

Still, full marks for postmodern interpretation.  Antonino Tati

Pictured, top of story, Tissue Tone, 2009, acrylic and oil on canvas 137cm x 137c, and above, Poppy Rock, 2013, acrylic and oil on canvas 101cm x 101cm.

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

Where are you currently based?

Newtown, Sydney.

What are two of your fondest memories as a kid that made you realise you wanted to create art for a living?

(01) Picasso was my earliest influence. He was an incredible colourist who blew my young and impressionable mind. I carried a Picasso book with me for about seven years and I never put it down. I copied from it and invented pictures from it. (02) Eventually I changed it for a book on Matisse. Those guys were pure colour. They didn’t paint colour, they felt it. On seeing their works, I instantly knew that I wanted to be a painter.

Do you ever worry that a corporate brand is going to come after you for featuring its logo in your works? For example, Shell or Ford?

I’m a 21st century pop painter. Much of my work deliberately deals with elements of culture-jamming. I work with pop culture iconography; it’s always fascinated and intrigued me. But the thing about pop culture is that’s it’s easy to switch off or turn over – it intrigues us but it also bores us.

So you see yourself as a pop cultural mediator…

Yeah, kind of. As a neutral third party who attempts to assist people involved in better understanding their agreements or disagreements with it. I would hope that my works assist in resolving differences that an audience might have with pop culture. And I would hope that corporate brands would understand I’m doing them a service! Products, labeling, brand names, icons and logos are so much a part of our everyday lives. To a certain degree we all thrive off their energy, and it’s good to ask why.

To view more of the Johnny Romeo’s brilliant work visit www.johnnyromeo.net.

Dove Love, 2013, acrylic and oil on canvas 101cm x 101cm

Foreign Film Tobacco, 2008, acrylic and oil on canvas 76cm x 76cm

Aero Public, 2008, acrylic and oil on canvas 76cm x 76cm

Revo Lution Tobacco, 2011, acrylic and oil on canvas 101cm x 101cm