Today we’d like to introduce you to Lex Barberio.
Hi Lex, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story began in the city of Miami Beach where I was born and raised. Growing up in a place with beautiful nature, beautiful architecture, and beautiful people influenced my eye as I started developing my perspective as a photographer and artist.
My work has evolved over the years but there are a few things that have remained constant. Some of them being self-exploration, my curiosity of people, and my affinity for the surreal. All of these things have contributed to my work centering around people and places with interesting stories or features and always including some sort of aspect that is whimsical in message, style, or composition.
Growing up, I was always working on some sort of art project but I really honed in on photography around the age of 18 when I decided to take it seriously. I attended the Miami Ad School, a creative portfolio school, and became the youngest student ever admitted. During my time there, I studied photography under Ginny Dixon and received the Daryl Strawser Award granted by ASMP South Florida to a student who is identified as highly talented, at the top of their peer groups, and holding promise as future leaders and influencers in the photographic industry.
Since graduating, I moved out to NYC and currently work as a lead creative at an advertising agency where I’ve worked on big brands like Pepsi, Cheetos, Mountain Dew, and Miracle Gro while simultaneously working on my photography which is starting to take off and has now been exhibited in a few places including MoCA L.I. and the Art & Culture Center/Hollywood.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have a relatively smooth road to where I am today. I have a family that loves and supports me, a beyond incredible partner who is so patient with me and has elevated the level of work that I do, and a mentor I can always count on. I am also grateful to be coming up in a time where an LGBTQ+ artist can thrive and offer new perspectives to the rest of the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in photography and visually, I’m known for adding an extra layer of life to the people and places I photograph by adding surreal components to my work. I like to turn my subjects into larger than life versions of themselves and give landscapes and cityscapes a dream-like twist to set it out of reality.
When it comes to my exhibition work, I like to tie a message to it. Since I primarily photograph the LGBTQ+ community, my conceptual work often acts as a bridge between my community and people who are allies to us. I create safe spaces for people to learn about what it means to be queer whether they identify as queer or not.
I’m best known for my series about gender fluidity — The Ambisextrous. In this series, I created nine portraits by taking three photos of the same person, one masculine photo, one androgynous photo, and one feminine photo, and blended them together using lenticular paper (kind of like holographic paper) to create a visual representation of gender fluidity that changes as the viewer moves. This series was exhibited in a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Long island this past summer.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m very excited for the future — the things I’m working towards are starting to make their way into my atmosphere and I’m moving upward. I have a few projects in the works with a few brands that I can’t talk about at present moment but keep an eye out early next year!
Contact Info:
- Email: lex@lexbarberio.com
- Website: www.lexbarberio.com
- Instagram: @lexbarberio
