Jesús Benítez, Mexican street artist and illustrator, will be having his first North American show opening at Fifty24SF gallery this Friday, July 11th.
Starting at 7pm, you can bring your own drinks to the free show at the Fillmore Street gallery and see Benítez’s variety of mixed media pieces, which he’s been working on for the past four months.
The title of his collection, ‘Thésis,’ is based on a school thesis, or dissertation. "The show is about my life inspired by sci-fi books," explained the artist, who has been painting since he was 13 years old.
Friday’s show will be the first time Benítez uses his full name instead of his street moniker, Dhear. In fact, he’s so secretive about his identity, he wouldn't allow us to take any photos of him – only of his artwork.
The pieces we saw were mostly acrylic paintings with inspiration ranging from a personified version of his cat, to a tribute to War of the Worlds, to a variety of microscopic creatures. The full show will feature about 27 pieces and a large mural taking up an entire wall of the gallery.
As for his thoughts on San Francisco, the Mexico City-based artist had this to say: “It’s my first time, I love it... love the houses and the people."
If you can't make it on Friday, the show runs until August 31, and you can find more information on Fifty24SF's event page. In the meantime, check out more of Benitez's work here.
