Manuel Solano

Carlos/Ishikawa, London

Carlos/Ishikawa

An exhibition view of a white gallery with florescent lights and a pale gray floor. Two large paintings hang on the wall. On our left is a vertically oriented painting of a standing dinosaur figure. The figure stands on a wood floor in front of a white wall. It has cloven feet, long grey legs, two wings, a tail and short feathered arms. Its head has a beak and large yellow eyes. The painting on the right is square and in bright cobalt blue. The painting zooms in on the side of a bird or dinosaur's head. Most of the head profile, a large yellow eye, part of a black beak and layers of blue feathers are shown.

An installation view of a brightly lit gallery with white walls, ceiling and skylights and a pale, shiny floor. Four paintings are hung across the two back walls of the gallery. On our left, we can see a square painting of two pale pink dinosaurs; next, a mostly dark painting of a dinosaur with a white beak, and to the right, a pale gray standing dinosaur that resembles a human figure. The last painting is bright blue, and is a close up of the side of a dinosaur's head.

A tighter installation view of a brightly lit gallery space. The view shows the corner of the gallery. On our left, we can see a vertically oriented painting of a pale turquoise dinosaur with an orange mohawk of feathers. On the other wall, to our right, two pale pink dinosaurs sit together, their long necks entwined. The last painting is mostly dark green and black. The green of leaves melds into the dark feathers of the dinosaur. A bright white beak is centered in the painting.

An installation view of the corner of a gallery. On the left wall is a large, cobalt blue painting. A yellow eye glows out of the close up of a dinosaur's face. On the wall to our right is a small framed photograph or drawing. It's dark and too small to see, but after zooming, it appears to be the arms or wing structure of a bat or dinosaur. To it's right is a large horizontally hung painting of a yellow dinosaur. It is lying on the floor like a cat or a sphinx and behind it colorful banners have words like "Rock" and "The Strangest Thing."

An installation view of the corner of a brightly lit gallery. On our left, a large horizontal painting of a large gold dinosaur sits like a sphinx or cat. On our right, a mostly white painting of a white dinosaur with a black beak and black feathered crown. A black eye is surrounded by orange. The only area not filled in by the dinosaur is a pale pink corner of background.

An installation view of a white gallery with a doorway to our left that leads to another room in the gallery. On our right, we can see a large painting of three ostrich like birds. On our left, through the doorway and in the second room, a pale painting of entwined birds hangs on the back wall.

An installation view of the corner of a white, brightly lit gallery. On our left hangs a large, horizontally oriented picture of a group of large ostrich-like birds. They're standing on pale sand colored ground, and the sky behind is made up of layers of white, pale turquoise, cobalt and black with stars. On our right is a large horizontally oriented painting of three white birds cuddled together amongst curving green leaves. The eyes of the birds are huge and looking directly at the viewer. Each of the white birds has a long feathered tail that curves along the same line as the grasses they sit in.

An installation view of the corner of a brightly lit white gallery. Three large paintings are hung on the walls with a blurry image of a person walking through the gallery. On our right a large vertically hung picture of a dinosaur, composed like a traditional portrait from chest to head. Next to it is a small painting of two standing birds, almost mirror images of each other, with heads raised in some kind of call. The last picture on the far wall is a horizontally oriented image of three nesting white birds cuddled in greenery.

A vertically oriented unframed painting with slightly rough edges. The painting depicts a standing bird or dinosaur figure in a traditional contrapposto portrait pose, with the weight on one foot and the opposite hip raised to increase the curve of the spine. The figure stands on a dark wood floor and the wall behind it is white. A faint shadow from the figure appears on the wall at its back. The figure is light grey and softly feathered. Its feet are cloven, it has long legs, and one wing rests against a hip like a hand. The face and head are proportionate to a human body. The dinosaur has large yellow eyes and a dark grey beak.

A vertically oriented painting with slightly rough edges. The painting depicts the face and shoulders of a dinosaur among dark green leaves. The dark feathers of the body blend with the leaves and only the white face and the white highlights along the crown and one shoulder stand out. The dinosaur's shoulders are facing away from the viewer but its face has turned back to look at us. We see the side of its face and one red eye with a black pupil.

A horizontally oriented painting of a golden dinosaur in the pose of a cat or sphinx. Its back legs are tucked against its sides and it is resting on it's forearms with head and neck facing us. The dinosaur has bright blue eyes and is covered in gold and brown feathers, longer on its tail and arms. It is sitting on a dark, wooden floor but behind it, we can see colorful banners with words like "Rock" and "The Strangest Thing."

A pale, vertically oriented painting depicting two dinosaurs standing on a white, possibly snowy ground. The two dinosaurs vaguely resemble ostriches. The two figures are standing facing each other, almost like a mirror image of each other. Their long white tails curl up close to the height of their heads. They have black legs up past the knee, and their bodies are white and feathered. There is a border of black feathers along the wing and up the neck to the beak, and the back of their heads are red. The dinosaur on our right has it's neck thrown back as if calling out.

A fanciful, painted portrait of a dinosaur that looks to be both feathered and reptilian. The dinosaur is shown standing against a beige background with its back to us and its head turned so that we see it in profile. It has a long snout, similar to an alligator, and it almost appears to be smiling, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth. The dark gray, almost purplish skin of its head appears mottled and scaly, but from its neck down, it's covered in fluffy feathers. The general effect is friendly and cartoonish.

A vertically oriented portrait of a dinosaur against a pale background. Its body is in profile, coming from the bottom of the painting with the neck and head angled toward the right corner. The dinosaur is pale turquoise with a bright orange mohawk of feathers running from the top of its head down its neck. Its mouth is open, and a long red tongue sits between sets of tiny sharp teeth. The one eye visible has a bright black pupil and is looking down somewhere outside of the painting.

A large, unframed painting with slightly rough edges. A group of two legged dinosaurs, resembling ostriches, are pictured in a desert landscape. Three large birds run in the foreground of the painting with hints of other birds sitting or standing behind them. The ground plane is a warm sand color and there are distant gray mountains and a sky made from a white stripe, a turquoise stripe, cobalt and then navy blue stripe of paint. There are small stars in the navy strip of sky. The three dinosaurs have gray legs and black feathered bodies with long white and grey necks. The paint is applied roughly and thickly.

A framed, vertically oriented image of large hand or wing bones reaching down to clutch a person. The bones appear to be photographs but large red/pink nails or talons have been added at their ends. The pink nails appear cartoonish or photoshopped with a perfect smooth texture. The figure centered in the image also seems to be a photograph. The figure is a man with brown skin, wearing a hat, a long brown robe, and tall black boots. His face appears contemplative rather than afraid. The background of the picture is dark and the figure almost totally blends into the background.

A large square painting of a white dinosaur in profile that resembles a swan. Three fourths of the picture is taken up with the head and neck and back of the dinosaur, and a small corner on the upper left is pink. The dinosaur has a long white neck, a brown eye surrounded by orange that trails to outline the black beak. A black crown rises on top of its head. The back is covered with layers of white feathers. The paint is applied roughly and thickly.

A large square, unframed painting mostly in cobalt blues. The painting portrays a closeup image of a blue dinosaur covered in feathers. The image shows its neck and head curled to rest on its back. It has a large red eye surrounded by yellow. Its beak and crown are black. The dinosaur's neck and face are smooth blue, and it's back has long blue feathers. The small portions of background in the painting are turquoise.

A vertically oriented painting of two entwined pink dinosaurs. Their long necks are wrapped around each other, and their wings press close together as if in a hug. In the background, we can see a beach and an ocean and a small green island close to shore.

A horizontally oriented painting of three small, white dinosaurs that resemble seagulls or shore birds. They are small and white, with black beaks and long curved tail feathers. The three birds are cuddled together amidst curving, fernlike vegetation that resembles their tail feathers. The paint is rough and dabbed. The dinosaurs have huge, expressive black eyes.

Manuel SolanoAncestryCarlos/Ishikawa, London

Exhibition Images

Manuel SolanoAncestry
Carlos/Ishikawa, London