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A new collaborative art exhibit will open Sunday, May 11, at ARTISANworks . “Rochester (& Other) Landmarks” features the work of local photographer, Jonathan White, and graffiti artist, Antonio “Chico” Garcia.

To the average viewer the work may come across as a bit of a train wreck; seemingly random doodles, awkwardly juxtaposed against a familiar urban landscape. But like any good wreck, once it catches your eye, you’ll find it impossible to look away…

Chico is a well known graffiti artist with work appearing in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and Alphabet City since the 1980’s.

Chico’s hallmark style (strong colors and a variety of whimsical characters) shows off his great sense of humor, as well as an incredible talent. His murals add vibrancy to urban neighborhoods that might otherwise be considered gray and dull.

Jonathan White is originally from Long Island. He studied photography at R.I.T. and moved to Rochester in 1997. Prior to that, in 1992 he completed a series of photos taken in NYC’s Lower East Side and inadvertently captured many of Chico’s murals.

After spotting an article about Chico in one of New York City’s free newspapers, Jon decided he needed to meet him. So he contacted the publication, and asked the reporter who wrote the article for Chico’s phone number.

After meeting up at one of Jon’s gallery exhibits, the two artists kept in touch and eventually combined their talents.

In 1995 Chico began painting on Jon’s Cibachrome prints. Those original NYC landscapes eventually made their way into the collection of ARTISANworks.

In 2012, Louis Perticone offered both artists the opportunity of a featured exhibition at ARTISANworks, this time emphasizing Rochester Landmarks.

Jonathan has made sure to go all around Rochester, photographing various sites – some historic, and some popular destinations.

Since Chico was less familiar with Rochester, Jon had to explain the significance of each place. Then, in true Chico style, he’d make each one come alive.

The exhibit is called “Rochester (& Other) Landmarks” because there are some images of NYC as well as Rochester.

And if you’ve ever been to ARTISANworks you’ll understand immediately why this is the perfect place to showcase this artwork.

While Chico is in Rochester he will paint one of his trademark murals on the outer wall of ARTISANworks – his first in Rochester.

The exhibit will run through the end of August, but Jonathan and Chico say they’ll continue their collaboration long after that.

Find out more about both of these artists by visiting their websites: www.chicoartnyc.com and www.jwgalleries.com

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Tags: abandoned subway tunnel, Alphabet City, Antonio ‘Chico’ Garcia, art, ARTISANworks, Donuts Delite, Eastman Theater, Genesee Brewery, Genesee Valley Trust, Graffiti, Jonathan White, Louis Perticone, Lower East Side, New York City, photography, rochester photos, Rundel Library, Sea Breeze, St. Michael’s Church, Strong National Museum of Play, The Bug Jar, Times Square Building, Village Gate

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2014 at 7:55 am and is filed under Art + Culture, Rochester Destinations, Rochester Images, Rochester News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.