Optimist comes to Mirus Gallery San Francisco for the first time with a solo exhibition titled “The World @ Large,” after the main painting for the exhibition. Much Like the work of art, the artist has created a body of work and installation based his past and present.

“The World @ Large” will feature some large work on canvas and wood from series of photorealistic work. Alongside this, he will create an installation from ephemera and drawings that give the audience a glimpse into how the artist works. A collector of things, Optimist saves almost everything. Some things are more personal than others, but they all rest in his studio to give inspiration possibly in a painting, collage or maybe an installation. A new series of work the artist has been working on the past couple of years started by his collecting of MUNI bus transfers.

Optimist will exhibit this new series of works that commemorate some of the bay area’s iconic figures. The series are paintings of muni transfers with historical figures birthdays as the date of the transfer. There will be an interesting installation based on these works at the opening and a chance for a lucky winner to win their own birthdate painted by the artist in a raffle to be held at the opening. “The World @ Large” takes a look at a world where nature and machine are merging and attempting to coexist. These icons of nature and machine are prevalent in the artists photorealistic paintings. Merging these works with the Muni transfer paintings, the artist showcases his past and present working with conceptual ideas utilizing the artists whole oeuvre.

Optimist is a San Francisco Bay Area based artist who started writing his name in the streets in the late nineties. Coming from a graffiti background and moving into the world of fine art, the artist has chosen to keep his graffiti moniker and remain anonymous. Optimist is known for his intricate hand styles and tags which have appeared throughout the world as he has travelled, exploring the cities and cultures around the world. Having attended a local city college, the artist took to painting and transitioned some of his artistic energy into his studio work. Having exhibited internationally and domestically Optimist has established himself as one of today’s top emerging artists who also is able to remain relevant in the graffiti scene.