WorkArt & Culture

First World Problems: AkaCorleone’s humorous take on the frivolous frustrations of modern life

"I can't access the Wi-Fi. The battery on my mobile is about to die. I can't find anything interesting to watch on television. I have nothing to wear. I've been relegated to the friend zone. I hate Mondays. I have zero likes…"

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Colourful illustration by AkaCorleone of a yellow-faced figure with blue hair crying blue tears, with red lips and geometric shapes, surrounded by smiley faces and text reading "Zero Likes

In First World Problems, Portuguese visual artist AkaCorleone takes the trivial, but relatable, anxieties contained in the minor dramas of modern life, turning them into eye-catching, original compositions.

The frivolous frustrations that take place in the privileged comfort of affluent, and sometimes self-absorbed, society are represented through his distinctive visual style, a blend of art deco and constructivism, with geometric cut-out shapes and motifs, typography, bright colours and stylised lines.

Of Portuguese and Swiss descent, AkaCorleone started out as a graffiti writer in the underworld of his native Lisbon. A compulsive drawer, obsessed with all things graphic and visual from an early age, he studied arts, earned a degree in Design and Visual Communication and worked as a graphic designer, before leaving to focus on his artistic practice.

First World Problems is on view until 27 October at UNderdogs Gallery, Portugal.

Colourful geometric collage artwork titled Guilty Pleasure featuring stylised faces, hands and abstract shapes in bright primary colours and art deco style
Vibrant geometric artwork in AkaCorleone's distinctive art deco and constructivist style featuring overlapping blue, coral and yellow shapes with stylised hands and figures against a yellow background
Vibrant geometric composition in yellow, blue, pink and purple featuring abstract stylised faces with patterned details and emotional expressions by AkaCorleone
Vibrant blue and red stylised face with geometric shapes and surreal imagery in art deco and constructivism style by AkaCorleone
Vibrant geometric composition by AkaCorleone featuring stylised figures and architectural elements in red, yellow, blue and purple with art deco and constructivist influences
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