Aurailieus:  Fairly Local

 Aurailieus was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1983. He found art at a young age was a way to escape the family business of drug addiction and incarceration. In high school his ambitions to become an artist were confirmed when his art teacher gave him a book about Jean Michel Basquiat. Aurailieus began skipping school in search of exhibition opportunities in St. Pete. His first art show was in a tattoo parlor that quickly shut its doors and skipped town, taking all of his early paintings with them. Since then, Aurailieus has been an avid participant in the local art scene.

He founded the weekly Wednesday night art meetups that have been going on for ten years. These events were a boost for St. Pete’s creative community that promoted inclusivity and a camaraderie among the artists of our city.

With artists Zulu Painter and Jason Bromley, Aurailieus founded The St. Pete Robot Exchange, also lovingly referred to as “The Robot Show” – an annual group art show and intergalactic celebration of all things robotica that has been running for nine years.

His beloved character Bob the Robot (Prince of Denmark) is an advanced cybernetic organism that you can see spray painted on various buildings downtown. Aurailieus was the 2020 recipient of an Individual Arts Grant from the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance, and the funds will go towards infusing St. Pete with more Bob the Robot murals.

Fairly Local celebrates the past 18 years of Aurailieus’ local artistic endeavors. He seeks to show the world that while fairly local, his art has what it takes to be a household name. He is going to try super hard this time, he promises.

@aurailieus_artist