REAL GOLD

Real gold here symbolizes power and the infinite desire to possess perpetuated by consumerism. (In other words, greed, one of the seven deadly sins.) The darkness is tangible: the paintings’ backgrounds are very dark, the figures ghostlike. But this also represents the metaphysical darkness of the world we live in. The “dark” series demonstrates the world as Yaro now encounters it: as a manipulated actuality, where violence permeates the ever-present reality. He does not shrink from portraying the brutality of everyday life, manifested here in themes of gun violence, terrorism, sexual violence, and xenophobia. He also directs the viewer’s attention to the contemporary dangers, whereby consumerism and perpetual online access allow our choices to be manipulated.

 

“Real Gold” also refers to the use of gold paint in his newest works. On a biographical level Yaro’s recent visit to Vienna, in particular seeing Klimt’s paintings in person, prompted him to use gold, not simply for aesthetic effect, but rather ironically and critically. In most of these paintings gold appears in one or two elements that indicate control or force, whether this is a coin or medal, glasses, moon, or a cellphone. Only one artwork is entirely golden: “Time Clock” a provocative reading of contemporary geopolitics and social transformations, in which Yaro posits femininity as an ultimate power.

 

The real gold is above all his daughter. Becoming a father for a second time allowed him to look at a child from a different perspective. Capturing and successfully rendering a joyful smile of a child is his ultimate goal. Catching fleeting moments of his daughter’s life, he hones in on the innocence and sensitivity that the majority of the adults seem to lack. Only this new generation can save the endangered world. However, as he says, “Children are the future. They are the beginning and the end. They can go in any direction: either save the world or continue its destruction.” Gold paint is used here to symbolize innocence and new young energy, and the unique impact it can have on reality.