ABOUT GINA
Gina Palmerin is a self-taught artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. Throughout her twenties, Gina experimented with several different influences and styles, such as early 20th century Mexican Murals, Mexicanidad, Art Nouveau, Classicism, Surrealism and Pop Art. Her work has been primarily focused on the human face and figure.
Over time, Palmerin has developed a style which combines realism, classicism, street art, low brow, pop art, expressionism and abstraction.
One of her current collections is focused on creating and modernizing iconic classic works of art. Gina says, “I strive to take the iconic and familiar and fuse it with fresh, design inspired, modern and inspirational visual ideas.”
In Gina Palmerin’s first solo exhibition at Sparks Gallery in San Diego, “Icons and Legends”, the artist brings together her two portfolios: “Picture Day, The Icons”, and “Legends”. In these paintings, each subject poses for a contemporary style portrait, bedecked with both current and historic adornments, which serve as a tribute to their lives and give an account of their fame. “Icons and Legends” specifically highlights a selection of pop culture icons and classical Greek and Roman figures.
Palmerin’s “Icons” collection is reminiscent of an elementary school yearbook photo. This collection features pop culture icons transformed into colorful surreal children’s portraits with an “attitude.”
The collection of paintings in Palmerin’s “Legends” is inspired by classical art paintings and sculptures, which are first grounded in their traditional historic poses, and then paired with bold and energetic contemporary design, merging historic and modern visual elements.
Palmerin notes, “My inspiration is to modernize the iconic and the classic by expressing myself with vibrant color and captivating and interesting compositions. My initial inspiration for ‘Picture Day, The Icons’ was to create a memory of a time, when social and political ideologies didn’t seem to exist. As this collection evolved, I realized that I had captured this moment, a snapshot, a picture of some of the biggest icons in recent history at that magical elementary school age, when we would play on the playground, just like you and me.”
Palmerin is also the artist behind the 2022 PFP generative “Picture Day NFT Project”.