Heist Gallery is pleased to present the work of Chris Rubino, a versatile artist who has created a vast array of imagery through illustration, printing, graphics and photography. The simplicity and flattened forms that dominate his visuals capture pieces of our daily language in minimal forms. For his solo exhibition at Heist titled Make Believe Maple Leaves, Rubino incorporates the written word into a complex world of iconic lexicon, drawing from process-oriented sketchbook drawings created over the course of one year. Rubino infuses his creations with color using pastel, paint, colored pencil and printmaking. Exuding a faster yet less mechanized energy, this body of work mirrors the way we process imagery and information today.

Make Believe Maple Leaves explores themes of sweetness, temptation and deception, reminding us of modern day decisions that focus on love, career, consumption, and our daily grind that overtakes our senses on a daily bases. His work requests and insists that the viewer take the time to see and appreciate the sweeter side of life rather than search mindlessly for nonexistent fragments of our own imagination while letting temptation and deceit trip us in our paths in the least and most likely places.

This exhibition consists of new works on wood panels, paper, and plexiglas. Rubino has recently exhibited his work at Chashama in New York, the Museum of Design in Zurich, the Academy of Visual Arts in Hong Kong and at Gas / Calm & Punk Gallery in Tokyo.

Heist Gallery, located in the heart of a vibrant neighborhood, is a new addition to the dynamic gallery scene of the Lower East Side. Always seeking to show work that speaks its mind in the context of its rich and unique neighborhood, Heist Gallery is thrilled to add to the mix of rampant creativity.