ABOUT
Charles Compo is an internationally recognized composer, multi-instrumentalist, and painter whose work captures the emotional and psychological intricacies of contemporary life. His art, characterized by surreal and abstract imagery, invites viewers to confront the complexities of modern existence, navigating themes of uncertainty and personal introspection. Compo’s distinctive approach blends visual and thematic elements that resonate on a profound level, offering a narrative that transcends traditional artistic boundaries.
Compo's formative years in the vibrant East Village art scene of the 1980s, where he was immersed in the creative energy of the Rivington School artists and the avant-garde jazz scene with figures like William Hooker, were pivotal to shaping his multidisciplinary approach. During this time, he gained invaluable experience working as an assistant to prominent artists, including Andy Warhol, and collaborating with visionary filmmaker and artist Harry Smith. Compo contributed musical compositions to Smith’s animated works, and through Smith’s introduction to Moses Ashe at Folkways Records, these compositions were later published by Smithsonian Folkways. His deep integration into this influential art community, paired with his rich musical background, infuses a rhythmic and narrative complexity into his visual practice. Though music has been a lifelong passion, Compo made a significant shift to focus on painting at age 60, developing a distinctive and compelling presence in contemporary art.
In the past five years, Compo’s paintings have been featured in over fifty juried exhibitions across the globe. He has represented the United States in prestigious international Biennales, including the London Biennale (2022, 2024) and the Chianciano Biennale in Italy. His work is now part of the permanent collection at the Museo d’Arte di Chianciano Terme. Other notable acquisitions include institutions such as The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, The Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center.
In 2022, is painting “Down At The Rally” received a special award from MoMA curator Paulina Pobocha and was acquired by The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center.
In 2023, Compo’s painting Swan Lake was selected by Brinda Kumar, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to be exhibited at the Greenwich Art Society’s 105th Annual Juried Exhibition. At the opening reception, Kumar praised Compo’s work for its “psychological complexity” and said that the artist “ takes you somewhere quite surreal and unexpected”
Currently based in Midtown Manhattan, Charles Compo remains dedicated to his painting practice, continuously exploring new dimensions of artistic expression through his unique lens as both a visual artist and a musician.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I find myself deliberately arranging items with or without so-called symbolic significance in a way that may or may not be affecting emotions and intellect. If I sit and stare at a painting that I am working on in my studio long enough or from enough different angles, forms begin to emerge.
I play with the brush and the paint on the canvas. With each stroke, thoughts emerge and find their place in the collective hallucination known as reality. I’m engaged in the ritual of exploring the boundaries of my imagination and passing the hours dedicated to an activity that has no practical use in the world other than the elevation of life.”
