"We've entered a new age of global crisis," Cleon Peterson recently said in conjunction with his solo show, Under the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars at Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki Gallery. "Modern dread, hopelessness, and existential anxiety have become common and relegated to the subconscious. The individual walks the streets feeling a sense of alienation and that society, co-opted by media technology, politics, and an undercurrent of hate and confusion, is unraveling." The show features 27 new paintings, including a large new painting created to suit the the Kaikai Kiki Gallery space. 

"Peterson's style is that of monotone narrative paintings reminiscent of ancient Greek paintings," Takashi Murakami said of the show, "and the initial impression I had upon seeing his work was that they are Ashley Bickerton-esque, in that they seek to construct context with the aim to achieve eternity by over-explaining contemporary society. I learned about him through a magazine, but this is the first time I am seeing his works in person, so I am very much looking forward to the occasion." Let's hope it was Juxtapoz he saw Cleon in!