Untitled, 2023

In this Untitled composition, triangles and circles mingle with rectangular shapes in an uneven grid pattern. Bright, primary color reds, blues, and yellows interact with black and white areas all surrounding a tan, textured parallelogram in the center. Focusing on the visual vocabulary of abstraction, Antonio Puleo uses various media and different paints to express his experiences. He tends to use a large quantity of paint including flashe, a multi-purpose paint with a matte finish and high pigment that can be diluted with water. According to the artist, his artwork is a response to “the space in which it is exhibited reflecting themes of time, space, and place.”

Growing up in a bilingual household, Puleo became interested in the translation of language and what can be lost or gained in the process. He explains his relationship with language and cultural differences as responsible for his relationship with his inner self and abstraction. Due to his knowledge of art history, Puleo draws inspiration from a wide variety of artists’ work including Robert Motherwell’s surrealist colleges and Henri Matisse’s gouache paintings. Antonio Puleo lives in Los Angeles and is a part-time teacher of Two-Dimensional Design at Long Beach City College.

Artwork label written by Matt Mageno, 2026

Biography:
Antonio Adriano Puleo was born in Boston, MA and now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Drawing inspiration and paying homage to various artistic sources including poetry, literature, architecture, and art history, Puleo’s abstract geometric arrangements of form and color favor interconnectedness. Through the systemic application of a personal index of abstract forms, structures are created that act as a through line from project to project so as they can communicate and also act as a gateway to the next idea. Puleo received his M.F.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has exhibited at galleries and institutions including LAXART, Los Angeles, CA; Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY; Kantor Feuer Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, CA; China Art Objects, Los Angeles CA; and The East Gallery at Claremont Graduate University. His works are included in numerous private and public collections including most recently the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His work has been reviewed and featured in many publications including Artforum, The New Yorker, LA Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, and Flash Art.