Artist Talk | Roman de Salvo | Athenaeum Music & Arts Library

Please join us for an artist talk with Roman de Salvo. In conjunction with the opening of his show on September 15th at Two Rooms gallery in Bird Rock, de Salvo will share a special presentation on this show and how it connects to his career, process, and 2019 mural for Murals of La Jolla, McCairn. The reception will take at 6 p.m., followed by a lecture at 6:30 p.m.

Roman de Salvo is a sculptor and conceptual artist who reinvents ordinary materials through playful innovation. De Salvo was born in 1965 in San Francisco, California and grew up in Reno, Nevada. He received his BFA from California College of the Arts in Oakland, California and then went on to obtain his MFA from the University of California, San Diego. Creating sculptures and installations using everyday materials in surprising, new ways, much of his work has an interactive component through which he encourages audience participation. His site-specific works often incorporate the architecture of the space while also making poignant commentary about modernity. Through detailed craftsmanship and quirky details, he elicits thoughtful critiques about technology through subtle wit and humor.

De Salvo’s mural, McCarin, was on view from 2019 to 2023 at 5535 La Jolla Boulevard above a BMW repair shop in the Bird Rock neighborhood. Perched above the building, this two-sided site is reminiscent of a billboard surface. McCairn playfully recalls the original commercial purpose of such a sign. The iconic double arches of the McDonald’s logo are re-imagined through carefully stacked stones. The jagged edges and slow craftsmanship are in direct contrast to the guise of modern advertising. Thought to be one one the original forms of trail-marking, the stacked stones draw the comparison that perhaps cairns are the ancestors of the corporate road signs of our modern times.

De Salvo’s work has been featured at many notable institutions including the Musee d’Art Americain Giverny, France; the 2000 Whitney Biennial, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; The California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art; the Timken Museum of Art, San Diego; the Seattle Art Museum, Washington; the Public Art Fund in New York; and the Nevada Museum of Art. He lives and works in Reno, Nevada.

Mural Members and Makers attend FREE and will receive an email to RSVP for the lecture.

The lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. This event will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of the lecture.