Five years ago, late 2014, Raoul Deleo was contacted by Barclay Crenshaw (alias Claude VonStroke), the founder of Dirtybird Records. The record company would be celebrating their 10 year anniversary in 2015 and asked Deleo to be their “artist in residence” for that year.

Deleo felt honored, but had then just recently traced back the location of the forlorn continent of Terra Ultima and was preparing his first expedition to the mystic landmass. So the two, Crenshaw and Deleo, decided that the upcoming releases of Dirtybird would be the first to introduce the newly discovered species encountered during the primary expedition to Terra Ultima.

Now, five years on, Dirtybird is celebrating their fifteenth anniversary and two days ago, on February 18th, they organized an art show in Los Angeles, USA, to honor all the artists working for them the past 15 years.

Deleo was asked to ship a few prints and one original painting for the art show. Fortunately all arrived in mint condition and just in time. Although not be able to visit the show himself, reports on the internet and social media reassured Deleo the show was a success.

Last Sunday, February 9, the solo show “New Discoveries” at gallery Untitled festively ended.

Kris Berry introduced her new album with a series of beautiful songs. Her song “Perfect Storm“ coincidentally matched the weather outside the gallery. Ciara was right at that moment raging over the Netherlands.

This time Raoul Deleo was interviewed by Kees Moeliker, the director of the Museum of Natural History of Rotterdam. They’ve known each other from several previous occasions and the chemistry between the two resulted in an amusing conversation, shedding light on the controversies and dilemmas involved when discovering and exploring a new continent.

This winter, Raoul Deleo encountered an impressive new specimen in the damp misty jungles of Southern Terra Ultima. After long observations involving an immense amount of patience, Deleo was able to create a painting that lives up to the majestic appearance of this animal.

The scientific name of the animal will be Dromopterix elephoenicus. In English the Fleeing Elephoenix. The specimen and the painting of the animal will be officially introduced at gallery Untitled during Deleo’s “New Discoveries” art show .

Last Sunday Raoul Deleo’s solo show “New Discoveries” opened at gallery Untitled, at the Koningsveldestraat in Rotterdam. The exhibition shows new Terra Ultima paintings that arose from two expeditions to the mysterious continent undertaken by Deleo this year.

The opening was accompanied by the wonderful musical soundscapes by Susobriono.

To introduce the audience to the continent of Terra Ultima, Roland Vonk interviewed Deleo about the whereabouts, the wildlife and other specific details encountered by Deleo on his travels through this unknown territory.