Ki Smith Gallery is thrilled to be presenting our first solo show with the iconic Downtown artist James Rubio. The Ugly Paintings are an energetic reaction to "nowism" and the vibrant flooding of the present. Using bright colors and humor to explore darkness and fear, Rubio's work gives the viewer a look at the now-and-pending future through a style that references and updates the underground of the past. Rubio employs stylized cartoon motifs to present both familiar and imagined characters, allowing a space to meditate on the sensory overload that is everyday life.