Fort Works Art will present Dario S. Bucheli’s first solo exhibition, "Not Close Enough." Bucheli is a contemporary painter based in Texas whose work confronts how we experience artwork on internet platforms.

Although he paints digital images, there is nothing remotely digital about Bucheli’s work. His paintings are treated with such importance, and it is clear with each piece how meticulous he is during his painting process. The surface texture is executed with an elegance that is a stark contrast to some of the most bothersome aspects of the digital world, such as pixelation, advertisements, and pop-ups.

As a young artist, he is grappling with issues that have increasingly taken precedence within the art world, including that of where the digital and physical art worlds intersect. Bucheli approaches the dichotomy of physical and digital art in a unique way that leads us to question our own experiences with art.

Bucheli’s paintings often portray skewed representations of internet sites, created by over-pixelation, zooming, or pop-up windows. He pays close attention to the visual distortions that are created when viewing or distributing art online. His work depicts ambiguous stretches of color, acrylic pixels, and the occasional letter or word that intrigue us to figure out the context. Using his cell phone as a tool, Bucheli paints pictures of paintings from artists he admires, focusing on specific areas that distinguish the artistic style of the painter which are then transformed into unrecognizable spans of color.

Following the opening reception, the exhibit will be on view through December 3.