Alfonse Pagano

I was born in 1951 in Paterson, New Jersey, into a third-generation Italian family. Paterson was gritty and vibrant, and that rough beauty left a lasting impression on how I see the world. Raised by a single mother who recognized my creative spark early, I was given the most important thing a young artist can have: space and freedom to explore. By the time I was fourteen, I knew art wasn’t a hobby—it was my path.

Though I took a few classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York, I’m largely self-taught. I learned by making, by reading voraciously, and by immersing myself in the work of others. One of my formative experiences was working alongside Len Lye in the early ’70s. I wasn’t his assistant, more like his helper—but his energy, rigor, and belief in the artist’s integrity left a deep impression on me.

My creative life has been anything but linear. I’ve sailed the Caribbean, worked on freighters, held four studios in New York City, and taken every opportunity to follow where the work leads. In 1989, I received a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) grant, which helped support my move to Los Angeles. While there, I began work on Dreads, a photographic exploration of the history and symbolism of dreadlocks. The book was pu...

2019

“All Politics are Local”
Jackson Junge Gallery ,Chicago Il

2018

“Rush to Relics”
Mana Contemporary

“In the Age Of Trump”
The Center for contemporary Polical Art
Washington DC

“Rituals and Identity” Anne Street Gallery, Newburg, NY

“One Year of Resistance” Untitled Space Gallery New York, NY

2008

“We Cover the Waterfront”
Seaport District Cultural Association, New York, NY

2005 “Dreads” WBGO Gallery, Newark,

2004 “Dreads” Paterson Museum, Paterson, NJ

2003 “Dreads” Stevens Institute, Hoboken, NJ

2002 “Dreads” Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford CT

2001 “Dreads” University of Maryland, College Park, MD

1990 Henri Gallery, Washington, D.C.

1989

“New American Talent”
Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TX

Henri Gallery Washington, DC

1988

“Ten Americans”
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburg, PA

Concept Gallery, Pittsburg, PA

Henri Gallery, Washington, DC

1987 “PAPER PAPER PAPER”
Helios Gallery, New York, NY

1980 Paterson Arts Council, Paterson, NJ

One Man Show

1978 Synecia Arts, Middletown, NY

1989 “HARDTACK SUITE”
Wenger Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

1989 RUMORS OF YOUTH
Concept Art Gallery
Pittsburg, PA

1982 “WORKS ON PAPER”
Zoma Gallery, New York, NY

1978 Synecia Arts Center, Middletown, NY

A...