Opening Reception: Detour by Aaron Steffer
Advertisement
Opening Reception: August 28
On View: August 28 - September 19, 2026
First Friday: September 4
Detour, a new solo exhibition by Aaron Steffer, focuses his long-standing exploration of urban materials and graffiti language in a mesmerizing series of artworks. Rooted in a childhood shaped by skateboarding, painting street art, and navigating Rochester’s industrial and abandoned spaces, the exhibition is built upon the city itself.
The show features wall-based, mixed-media paintings constructed from salvaged materials such as: construction signs, found wood, and reflective sheeting. These objects, marked by time and human impact, are then reconfigured through precise repetition and playful geometry. Detour centers on movement through a city: the literal pathways directed by signs and the personal journeys that shape identity, creativity, and survival.
Aaron’s artwork is also on display concurrently in a collaborative exhibition at Lumiere Photo.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aaron Steffer is an emerging contemporary artist whose mixed-media painting, assemblage, portraiture, and installation sculpture draw their energy directly from the urban spaces where his practice began. His work is rooted in skateboarding, graffiti, and the creative potential of city infrastructure, especially abandoned buildings, cut-through tunnels, and construction zones that become both playground and classroom. From these places, he gathers reclaimed materials such as discarded signs, broken panels, street debris, and found wood and metal, weaving them into environments that carry the marks of disruption and reinvention.
Steffer has exhibited with group shows including THAWWW at The Yards in Rochester, New York; “SKETCHY!” at RIT City Art Space in Rochester, New York; Tunnel Vision at Green Door Studio in Burlington, Vermont; a group mural project at SUNY Brockport; and numerous Members Exhibitions at Rochester Contemporary Art Center. He was also one of the first artists to participate in RoCo’s C.O.M.P. Studios Residency Program.
Read more: https://www.rochestercontemporary.org/exhibitions/detour/
On View: August 28 - September 19, 2026
First Friday: September 4
Detour, a new solo exhibition by Aaron Steffer, focuses his long-standing exploration of urban materials and graffiti language in a mesmerizing series of artworks. Rooted in a childhood shaped by skateboarding, painting street art, and navigating Rochester’s industrial and abandoned spaces, the exhibition is built upon the city itself.
The show features wall-based, mixed-media paintings constructed from salvaged materials such as: construction signs, found wood, and reflective sheeting. These objects, marked by time and human impact, are then reconfigured through precise repetition and playful geometry. Detour centers on movement through a city: the literal pathways directed by signs and the personal journeys that shape identity, creativity, and survival.
Aaron’s artwork is also on display concurrently in a collaborative exhibition at Lumiere Photo.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Aaron Steffer is an emerging contemporary artist whose mixed-media painting, assemblage, portraiture, and installation sculpture draw their energy directly from the urban spaces where his practice began. His work is rooted in skateboarding, graffiti, and the creative potential of city infrastructure, especially abandoned buildings, cut-through tunnels, and construction zones that become both playground and classroom. From these places, he gathers reclaimed materials such as discarded signs, broken panels, street debris, and found wood and metal, weaving them into environments that carry the marks of disruption and reinvention.
Steffer has exhibited with group shows including THAWWW at The Yards in Rochester, New York; “SKETCHY!” at RIT City Art Space in Rochester, New York; Tunnel Vision at Green Door Studio in Burlington, Vermont; a group mural project at SUNY Brockport; and numerous Members Exhibitions at Rochester Contemporary Art Center. He was also one of the first artists to participate in RoCo’s C.O.M.P. Studios Residency Program.
Read more: https://www.rochestercontemporary.org/exhibitions/detour/
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
137 East Ave, Rochester, NY, United States, New York 14604
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherRochester Contemporary Art Center
