in conversation WITH KEVIN SABO

ON THE OCCASION OF THE CURRENT GROUP SHOW 'bEATING lONELINESS', WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE A CONVERSATION WITH THE aMERICAN ARTIST KEVIN SABO.
Kevin sabo was born in 1992, he lives and works in Richmond (VA). Among his recent exhibitions, the solo shows: 'Louche' at Rhodes Contemporary in london and 'upper curst' edji gallery in Brussel.

– I am curious to know more about the figures that inhabit your paintings. Who are they? Do they come from your imagination or are they real people?
 
My figures are completely imagined. They are mostly derived from my own perception of how my own body moves energetically and all of the larger-than-life styles and expressions of possibility there are to slide into as humans. Right now I’m making really over the top fgurative forms doing really normal or mundane things. There’s a tension there that I find to be gorgeous. 
 

Beating Loneliness, group show 2025. MONTI8, Installation view. Photo Credit Giorgio Benni. Courtesy MONTI8 

– American culture is your biggest source of inspiration. How and when have you developed this interest? 
 
American culture is extremely complex. Sometimes I wonder if certain paintings of mine are simply just American satire – but it’s really not always the case. Sometimes it’s from the persepctive of something really troubling and sinister, and other times it’s just about a moment of daily task. There’s also the added layer of queerness that is peppered into the imagery. Recently, I’ve been embracing moments of joyfulness in that way as well. 
 
– Ballerinas are among your favorite subjects, would you like to tell me something about them? 
 
Ha- My love for dance as somebody who doesn’t naturally have a super fluid or aethetic ability has manifested into some really charmingly awkward ballerinas. For somebody who doesn’t always feel super comfortable in my own skin, I have found a lot of confidence over time. I hope that shows in my work. 

Kevin Sabo. Swan Lake or Something, 2025. Acrylic and graphyte on canvas. Cm 40×50