Micro Cluster Picnic is the title of Asha Zero’s solo exhibition at Rooke Gallery in Johannesburg, running until 4 November 2011.

Zero’s work is characterised by a collage-like approach to painting that incorporates elements of pop art parody and pictorial illusionism.

Post-industrial urban life and the omnipresence of mass media are some of the themes that are apparent in Zero’s work, suggesting that ideologies are rendering agents for consumer society. As such, Zero’s work is inspired by newspaper headlines, street art, posters, album covers, fashion spreads and print ads.

What at first appears to be a paper collage turns out to be a carefully considered surface in acrylic paint, resulting in what appears, from afar, to be hyper-realistic visions pieced together from found media blips.

Ultimately Micro Cluster Picnic is about capturing the relationship between the original and the representation. For more information, visit Rooke Gallery.