News — Presto

Leading up to our big 2-year anniversary show, we're going to share bios on each of the participating artists with a preview of one of their works for the show.

Today we feature Presto: Presto is a dynamic artist who seeks balance in movement and expression. Born in 1976 in São Paulo, Brazil, he showed interest in art since childhood, collecting comics, building toys and imagining creatures. In the early '90s he was introduced to graffiti, which sparked his interest in murals and installations. He has painted in the streets since 1996, developing a colorful, imaginative, narrative and character-based style. He studied at the Carlos de Campos school, home to many renowned Brazilian street artists from São Paulo including Alex Hornest (Onesto), Speto, and Os Gemeos. Presto often paints on aged, weathered wood and naturally rusted metals, creating a visual contrast with the clean line quality of his stylized, animation-inspired figures.

In 2007 he had his first solo show in São Paulo and has since presented his work in New York, Tokyo, Washington, Basel, Los Angeles, London and Beijing, as well as appearing in major art collections. Having seen his work on walls in Wynwood (Miami) this past December, we immediately invited Presto to our 2-year anniversary show. This is Presto's first time showing in Chicago.