Johnny Draco is a painter whose work blends abstraction, Afrofuturism, and cultural symbolism to tell visual stories rooted in memory, identity, and imagination. Through layered compositions, stylized figures, and textured gradients, he creates scenes that exist between the spiritual and the physical—between what is remembered and what is becoming.
His paintings are often populated by masked or fragmented characters—figures that emerge from bold color fields, silhouetted spaces, or carved forms. These characters are not just subjects, but vessels. They carry the weight of ancestry, emotion, and protection. Draco’s work resists literal interpretation; instead, it invites a sensory experience. He tells stories through form, repetition, negative space, curvature, and geometry—letting shape and surface do what words cannot.
Abstraction plays a central role in this process. By breaking down the figure and reconstructing it with intention, he opens up space for feeling and interpretation. His use of color gradients evokes emotional shifts—soft transitions from one state of being to another. Earth tones are often paired with vibrant hues, symbolizing the balance between rootedness and expansion, history and future.
Cultural influence is deeply embedded in his work, particularly from African diasporic visual traditions. Symbolism, sacred patterns, and architectural references appear throughout his compositions—not as decoration, but as a coded language passed through generations. These forms connect Draco’s practice to something larger: a lineage of storytelling that transcends borders, time, and even medium.
His paintings often begin intuitively—through sketches or gestures—but are layered with intentional construction. Some pieces incorporate built-up textures or wood surfaces to add dimension, grounding the viewer in material reality while guiding them into metaphorical space.
At its core, Draco’s work is about translation—turning memory, energy, and cultural inheritance into visual language. It’s a practice of honoring what came before while imagining new possibilities for what comes next. His abstract, character-rich worlds are places of reflection, resistance, and dreaming—offering portals for viewers to step into and find their own meaning within.
Residencies
2025
Another Gallery Residency, Another Gallery, Denver, CO
2024
ADSF Artist Residency, Art District of Sante Fe, Denver, CO
2023
Pictoplasma Academy, Pictoplasma, Berlin, Germany
Redline Satellite Studios Residency, Alto Gallery, Denver, CO
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024
Zone, Flow Chiropractic, Denver, CO
Conscious with the Energy, Art District of Sante Fe, Denver CO
2023
New Works, Abstract, Denver, CO
2019
YEAR ONE, Recreative Denver, Denver, CO
2018
Due Rent, Bait, Denver, CO
2016
Homage, Studio No. 7, Atlanta, GA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
Not Another Black Art Show, Niza Knoll Gallery, Denver, CO
Another Gallery Resident Group Show, Another Gallery, Denver, CO
2024
Nexus, Mirus Gallery, Denver, CO
Anonymous One Square Foot, Redline Gallery, Denver, CO
Curious Realms, Dairy Arts Center, Boulder, CO
2023
Six by Six Group Show, ABV Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2022
Creepshow, ILA Gallery, Denver, CO
Six by Six Group Show, ABV Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Locals Only Group Show, Mirus Gallery, Denver, CO
2021
Black Vanguard Group Show, ILA Gallery, Denver , CO
Friends and Family Group Show, Mirus Gallery, Denver , CO
2019
Locals Only, Mirus Gallery, Denver, CO
2018
Anonymous One Square Foot, Redline Gallery, Denver, CO
2017
Kidrobot's Show Me The Munny Art Show, Rule Gallery, Denver, CO
2016
Kids Group Art Show, The Fridge DC, Washington,
DCBroken Board Art Show, Tri-Cities Tattoo Company, Atlanta, GA
2015
Muse Art Show, Black Owl Tattoo, Atlanta, GA
A| No Magazine Launch Event, Studio No. 7, Atlanta, GA
SNAX Magazine The Power Issue Launch Event, Glasshouse, Brooklyn, NY
Mixed Reactions, Trapevelli, Atlanta, GA
Broken Board Art Show, Tri-Cities Tattoo Company, Atlanta, GA
Mixed Reactions II, Trapevelli, Atlanta, GA
2014
New Kids On The Block, Mint Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Art Party, DooGallery, Atlanta, GA
Broken Boards, WestEnd Tattoo, Atlanta, GA
Scope Raw Artist, Terminal West, Atlanta, GA
The Way Of The Artist, Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta, GA
