South Florida based artist, Anthony Di Stefano, has been exploring his passion for the art’s from a young age. His mantra is “life imitates art,” and has always been intrigued by the influence art, fashion, and pop culture has on society. He began to emulate these influences in his early work, and later refined his technical drawing skills at Ringling College of Art & Design on scholarship. He also attended the Miami International University of Art & Design to study fashion design and garment construction to better his understanding of fashion illustration. Prior to his studies there, he illustrated for names in fashion such as Serena Williams; and started his own fashion label, Expensive Garbage, at the age of 23.
“I am a cultivation of everything I’ve observed in the world around me, my art is simply just my reaction to it all.”
While producing for his clothing brand, and dealing with the aftermath of a global pandemic, Di Stefano’s work began to take a turn into abstraction. He describes this transition away from realism as “relinquishing control… painting what I feel, versus what I see.” In isolation, he created a body of colorful fine art inspired by the chaos and unpredictability of life; and through the art of expressionism, he has found beauty in all of the ugly. Di Stefano’s high concept collage works tell a story through layers and layers of vintage materials, paint, and illustrations. He is Inspired by the unkept time capsules walls in major cities become after being graffitied and plastered over-and-over again. Throughout this collection, you will see recurring themes such as challenging perfectionism, battling mental health, and exploring the human connection.
