Archived Exhibition

Aaron White: French New Wave
co-curated by Jon Joseph
May 1st- June 6, 2009
Opening for the artist: May 1st, 5:30 -8:00 pm

The exhibition, entitled “French New Wave,” is Aaron White’s first solo exhibit in San Francisco since 2006. White began his career as an anonymous underground artist on the streets of Los Angeles while earning a living as a commercial animator and graphic designer. In his work, the artist combines a gritty street aesthetic with appealing figures who are often erotic, dark and mysterious. His work is inspired by Diego Rivera, graffiti art and Mexican street murals, and is rooted into an abstract expressionistic style. White’s “French New Wave” presents work drawn directly from his dreams to create exuberant, edgy and electric characters that reappear throughout his art. While some of White’s characters will seem familiar to those who have seen his earlier shows, new spicy sexy characters emerge as well. Set against intense backdrops exploding with color and texture, White’s work for this exhibit is his most mature commentary to date on the post contemporary urban experience. The exhibit is expected to run through June 6, 2009. Cain Schulte also expects to show Aaron White’s work in Berlin when it opens its new gallery in Germany in the fall of 2009.

White was born in Southern California, but spent his early years in Woodstock, New York, where his father, abstract expressionist artist Saul White, lived and worked. In the 1970s, Aaron moved back to California where he began to hone his own artistic style. White’s most recently completed exhibit prior to “French New Wave” was a group show presented in Boston at Monserrat College of Art From November 2006 to February 2007 and entitled “Electric Wasteland Urban Art from L.A.” His work has also been featured in the LA Times, Surfer and Rolling Stone magazines. He has created advertising campaigns for Converse Sneakers, Hurley Clothing, Fox Sports Broadcasting, Nickelodeon television and MTV. His art is exhibited at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago and is in the private collection of Howard Tullman, a prominent entrepreneur and collector of contemporary urban art.