“Get in Where You Fit In” is Manuel Fernando Rios’ first solo exhibition at Axis Gallery. The works included in the show are based on the idea of acceptance. The imagery often includes figurative subjects juxtaposed next to colorful geometric shapes. The interaction between the figures results in pleasant or conflicting narratives. “Coming from a politically charged didactic screen-printing background and then experimenting with total abstraction in grad school, I felt like mixing the two ideologies in order to create the experience of trying to fit in. Weather you’re a child attending a new school or you’re an immigrant getting use to your new surroundings, everyone has felt that unease of trying to mix in so you don’t feel isolated.”

Manuel Fernando Rios earned his MA in Studio Art from CSU Sacramento and his MFA from UC Davis. Rios is also a Headlands Center for the Arts graduate fellow alumni. Manuel is a practicing artist living in West Sacramento, CA