Joe Iurato, who has been selected among the top 50 street artists in the world by French media, will have his first exhibition, The Story Goes, in Asia opening on 25 June at GIN HUANG Gallery in Taichung.

'The Story Goes' generally refers to an expression used for tales that have been told by many people over time; although mostly anecdotal, they are true because they are believed. Like Joe Iurato's creations, when the viewer resonates with his work, the story is no longer just a story, but a real connection.

The exhibition aims to capture the imagination, curiosity, and mischief of youth, that is, to collect reflections on moments and memories from childhood. Joe uses an easy-to-understand approach to create works that touch the viewer's inner childlike heart, making them smile at first sight. As Joe said, 'If I were to search for a deeper meaning, I'd only be taking away from the honesty and innocence of each piece. That's what we tend to do as adults. And I'm trying to unlearn a little bit.'

Joe Iurato has always been drawn to black and white imagery since he was young, and his work has been rendered in grayscale, which has helped to define his own style as his work has accumulated. For Joe, the black and white palette is like a moment frozen into eternity. He adds colour in particular parts only when he feels it makes sense and can contribute to the story. Some of the works in the exhibition are Joe Iurato's favourite large-scale street works from the past decade, and to conceive of them again is both a retrospective and a vision of the future. Stencilling itself is a form of replication, a hands-on printing process that allows for multiple variations of an image, and Joe reimagined them one more time. Every work from Joe's studio is created solely by himself; hand-scrolled wooden cutouts, painted and assembled.

New Jersey street artist Joe Iurato is known for his use of site-specific placement of works to create narrative windows into their surroundings, as well as manipulating the viewer's perception of scale and dimension. Joe has exhibited at Art Basel Miami for several years and has worked with a number of brands such as the NFL, NBA, GQ Magazine, Edelweiss, ESPN, and Paramount Pictures. He almost exclusively produces large-scale works for public spaces in museums, making smaller works a rarity. In addition to original works on wood and canvas, The Story Goes presents a limited edition of hand-finished prints and photographic works.

VIP Preview: 6/24
Public: 6/25 - 7/22
Venue: GIN HUANG Gallery (No. 23, Ln. 106, Siwei Rd., Wuqi Dist.,
Taichung City 435, Taiwan)
Visits are only by reservation

Press release courtesy Gin Huang Gallery.