Aurora Public Art’s Third Floor Gallery will host Citizen Beige, an exhibition of paintings and sculpture by artist Steve Banks.
The exhibit will open Friday, during the Aurora Downtown group’s First Fridays event, and run through Sept. 16.
Admission is free and open to the public.
The exhibit will include paintings, paintings with relief sculptures, hand-carved frames from found wood and free-standing sculpture.
Steve Banks communicates through a shared language of comics, fast food and familiar pop culture imagery, according to Jenn Byrne, Aurora’s Public Art director and curator.
With his signature sense of humor and sincerity, he delivers a message around culture and identity within layers of pop iconography and cultural motifs, she said.
“Our community will really enjoy Steve’s work,” Byrne said. “It is accessible and funny, but also holds meaning upon closer examination.”
Banks will be available in person Friday, and there will be live music at the exhibit at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, the last day of the exhibit, Banks will return for an artist lecture. A collectible exhibit catalog will be released at this final event.
The exhibit is in the Third Floor Gallery at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place in downtown Aurora.
The regular gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
For more information, go to https://www.aurora-il.org/329/Aurora-Public-Art