ARTISTS
Pip Brant
Adriano Buergo
Randy Burman
Ana Albertina Delgado
Miguel Dotres
Tomas Esson*
Mary Larsen
Rafael Lopez-Ramos
Sergio Payares
Natasha Perdomo
Magin Perez Ortiz
*On loan from the Stefania Barrionuevo Collection
Opening Nov 7th, 7:00 pm
1480 NE 131 St. Unit 105
North Miami FL 33161
Ph 305 338 2968
Curated by Rafael Lopez-Ramos
cooperation with Sergio Payares Studio in support of Miami local artists
This exhibition was originally intended to include a larger number of artists and, for different reasons, it was finally reduced to 11. Then there was the coincidence that the opening will be on November, 11th month of the year, turning the coincidence into synchronicity. Thus the 11:11 numerical sequence popped-up. There is no better image / concept to found an artistic project on than these numerals, evocative of human growing and spiritual enlightening –a path especially important in times of turmoil and distress as the ones humankind is going through now.
Nonetheless, this show was and is going to be about gathering our works on a true spirit of friendship, and the fact that these works result from a similar concept of art that seeks a balance between a thoughtful narrative and a crafting that corresponds to its aesthetical and semiotics needs, but is in no way an end by itself. Art is a way of thinking with the tip of the fingers while teaching its viewers to think with their eyes.
Pip Brant, Two Girls and a Donkey, 2014
Hasenblut (rabbit blood) on Paper, 10” x 8”.
Pip Brant, Tommy and Harumi, 2014
Hasenblut (rabbit blood) on Paper, 10” x 8”.
Pip Brant, Big Head, 2014
Hasenblut (rabbit blood) on Paper, 10” x 8”.
Pip Brant, Looking Out, 2014
Hasenblut (rabbit blood) on Paper, 10” x 8”.
I have been raising rabbits for meat for three years, but
seeing the hasenblut drawings of
Joseph Beuys on my last trip to Germany,
talked to me.
So making full use of my rabbit project, I am using their
blood as pigment. I have gone from straight painting, monotyping, to silk
screening the blood and a combination of the three different options of image
making.
This works honors the lives of the rabbits in way that is
partly performative. This brings a level of immediate sacrifice to the
giving of life.
Pip Brant, artist
statement
Adriano Buergo, Palms & Roller coaster, 2012
Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 47".
“Adriano
Buergo is among those Cuban artists ambidextrous enough to integrate his
art into the dynamics and aesthetic itinerary of a collective such as Puré
[which he co-founded] and at the same time successfully create an individual
body of work, both in the context of the so-called “Prodigious Decade” or
“Cuban Renaissance”: the mythic 1980s.”
“Utopia, transformative will, disillusionment,
exodus, rootlessness, and reunion: all are experiences common to the lives of
artists from Buergo’s generation who, like him, ended up emigrating—some
without the possibility of return, an option that Roto did have. As a result,
this work and its creator became a parable about situations in which many
Cubans, artists or not, found themselves.
Buergo’s dexterousness was already apparent in previous works such as Naturaleza Muerta–Naturaleza Viva (Still Death–Still Life, 1988), a painting born of the irreverence and scatological humor flaunted by Puré—an art collective created in 1986 by Buergo and classmates Lázaro Saavedra, Ciro Quintana, Ana Albertina Delgado, and Ermy Taño. As Mosquera wrote in the previously quoted catalogue, “Buergo is the painter of Cuban filth,” and his attitude was that of a participating critic—a position perhaps symbolized by his description of “a cross composed of a loaf of bread and a turd, painted by the artist,” which corresponds to Naturaleza Muerta–Naturaleza Viva.”
Buergo’s dexterousness was already apparent in previous works such as Naturaleza Muerta–Naturaleza Viva (Still Death–Still Life, 1988), a painting born of the irreverence and scatological humor flaunted by Puré—an art collective created in 1986 by Buergo and classmates Lázaro Saavedra, Ciro Quintana, Ana Albertina Delgado, and Ermy Taño. As Mosquera wrote in the previously quoted catalogue, “Buergo is the painter of Cuban filth,” and his attitude was that of a participating critic—a position perhaps symbolized by his description of “a cross composed of a loaf of bread and a turd, painted by the artist,” which corresponds to Naturaleza Muerta–Naturaleza Viva.”
Randy Burman, Contemplation, 2008
Collage, Black marker drawing with cut paper, 20"
x 26".
Randy Burman, An Elephant Never Perplexes, 2008
Collage, Black marker drawing with cut paper, 20" x
26".
Randy Burman, Seeking Meaning in a Glass Half Full or Half
Empty, 2008
Collage, Black marker drawing with cut paper, 20" x
26".
Randy Burman, Self-realization Upon Meeting a Glass Half
Full or Half Empty, 2008
Collage, Black marker drawing with cut paper, 20" x
26".
I have a serious preoccupation
with the intuitive aspects of art making. There is an internal dichotomy that
drives my creative process on several levels: I’m compelled to make serious
statements, but find myself subverting that goal with irreverent humor. Precise
execution is integral, yet playful strategies are often a point of departure.
Though I toggle between these parts of my practice, the recurring result is
work that engages the alchemy of juxtaposed elements, meanings and scale.
Though the execution is very
exact, the starting point is often circumstantial. Placing found objects next
to each other might act as the beginning of a piece. Other times work comes out
of the leftover materials from separate projects or the appropriation of visual
material from a swathe of sources. The resulting sculptures, installations,
paintings and print media explore themes of metaphysical confrontation and
identity while often encouraging dynamic interaction with the audience.
Randy Burman,
artist statement
Ana Albertina Delgado, La noche y
su yoyo, 2008
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Ana Albertina Delgado, El
reflejo de Irma, 2008
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Ana Albertina Delgado, Danza
con fuego, 2008
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18.
Ana
Albertina Delgado, who has produced a marvelous body of paintings in oil on
canvas, in which the use of color is of fundamental significance, prefers in
her drawings the delicacy of color pencils – so closely associated to our
childhood lucubrations. The artist uses color in a precise manner,
concentrating it in details, neuralgic zones where the dramatic tension of the
narrated or suggested story is concentrated in the manner of a “chakra”, an
energetic center which will trigger the precious moment of illumination.
Ana Albertina’s peculiar universe is charged with
the most varied influences contained in Cuban popular culture, especially the
heritage linked to the peasant and Afro-Cuban imagery, the popular Mexican
culture, as well as the feminist and feminine tradition that floods all her
work.
Like a delicate thread, Ana’s stroke sews one
drawing to another to create a continued history that is born in itself, takes
the course of the sensual line and becomes definitely installed in the viewer.
Such is the magic that inhabits this series of drawings in which the artist
achieves impressive synthesis and overflowing sensuality.
Janet
Batet, Arte
al Dia International
Miguel Dotres, Transparent Melrose Ship (Undefined Space Vision), 2001
Watercolor, postcard, corners on paper, 28" x 20".
Watercolor, postcard, corners on paper, 28" x 20".
Miguel Dotres, North Side
Royal Palm, 2001
Acrylic, watercolor,
postcard, on paper, 28" x 20".
“The
dawn of
modernity and, ultimately, of phenomenology,
thought that the range of meanings of the geometry has to be changed. Interestingly, it is visible in Dotres’
work, which realigns the model with
its origins in nature and domestic surroundings. The diaphanous, billowing watercolor ribbons reminds banana leaves and waves, like light that seeps through the
horizontal blinds – called Persianas in Cuba and are a staple
of late colonial architecture
such as the
vibrantly decorated windows colorful stained
glass. Light is the oldest and
ubiquitous symbol of the divine and the
infinite, has been united for centuries in Cuba
to other models that permeates everyday living spaces.
The geometry begins to reveal its new destination everyday significance in tropical hyphens.”
The geometry begins to reveal its new destination everyday significance in tropical hyphens.”
Ricardo
Pau-Llosa, Miguel Dotres: Geometría íntima, o las paradojas del hábitat
Tomas Esson (Stefania Barrionuevo Collection)
Después de la tormenta, 2014
Oil on canvas, 24" x 24".
Después de la tormenta, 2014
Oil on canvas, 24" x 24".
Tomas Esson (Stefania Barrionuevo Collection)
Bandera de Junio, 2003, oil on canvas, 24" x 18".
Bandera de Junio, 2003, oil on canvas, 24" x 18".
Tomas Esson (Stefania Barrionuevo Collection)
Hula-Hula (sketch), 2014, charcoal on paper, 13" x 13".
Hula-Hula (sketch), 2014, charcoal on paper, 13" x 13".
“...the aesthetic category of the
grotesque retains certain transgressive capacities and political thrust, as it
renders the terms for an inversion of social hierarchies, for a confrontation
of xenophobia and racism, and asserting the identity of alternative sexual
orientations. Painter Tomás Esson
renders contemporary versions of this subversive character of the grotesque.”
“...he depicted Cuban and American flags. He
replaced the stars by phallus-like horns, whereas the stripes consist in
grotesque sequences of glans, vulvas, thick mouths, tongues, teeth, ejaculations,
and butts. Esson points both his humor and his rage against nationalistic
symbols that have been emblems not only for lofty values, but also for
intolerance and chauvinism.
Contemporary artists have used flags to subvert
patriotism and make political commentaries. For instance, David Hammons changed
the colors of the American flag, and turning it into an African-American Flag. Hammons
suggests the possibility of writing an alternative story, perhaps with different
values. Chilean Arturo Duclos made a flag of his own country, comprised of
sixty-six human femurs, in an obvious reference to a past of murder and
disappearance during Pinochet’s dictatorship.”
Ernesto Menéndez-Conde, Tomás
Esson: Flags and Other Monsters
Mary Larsen, Crossroads, 2014
Mixed media on wood panel, 16” x 20”.
Mixed media on wood panel, 16” x 20”.
Mary Larsen, Dreamscape, 2014
Mixed media on wood panel, 16” x 20”.
Mixed media on wood panel, 16” x 20”.
Mary Larsen, The respite was brief, 2014
Mixed media on a book, 14.5” x 10”.
Mixed media on a book, 14.5” x 10”.
Mary Larsen, Conscious of desire, 2014
Mixed media on a book cover, 14.5” x 10”.
Mixed media on a book cover, 14.5” x 10”.
Through a meditative process of
layering paint, ink, paper, found images, maps and silkscreen, Mary Larsen
creates dream-like landscapes that are at once disorienting yet somehow familiar.
Disparate elements work together to create an ephemeral atmosphere of violence
and beauty, filled with contrasts and contradictions; balance through
imbalance. By obscuring and revealing, each layer unfolds the narrative. The
power of nature, history and chance coalesce to form an unsettling place that
glimpses the possibility of hope. Each layer adds richness and depth, creating
intimacy. Man is overwhelmed by the sublime power of nature and the pessimistic
state of the world. The individual is depicted as a solitary figure in nature,
all of his/her energy spent, on the edge of danger. The process is a
transformative experience that informs the work. Images of violence and war and
the power of nature are transformed into beauty and hope.
Mary Larsen, artist
statement
Rafael López-Ramos, The Noise
Abatement Society Tapes, 2014
Acrylic on canvas, 26 1/8” x 37¾”.
Acrylic on canvas, 26 1/8” x 37¾”.
Rafael López-Ramos, Yawning
All The Way to Heaven, 20014
Acrylic on canvas, 11” x 14”.
Acrylic on canvas, 11” x 14”.
Rafael López-Ramos, As Above,
So Below, 20014
Acrylic on canvas, 11” x 14”.
Acrylic on canvas, 11” x 14”.
"Rafael
Lopez-Ramos’ artwork inherits the rebellious spirit and
legacy of most of the 20th century, from Rauschenberg’s Combines and
Lichtenstein’s paradoxes to Bad Painting, passing trough Malevich and Magritte,
the multi-imagery of David Salle, the disturbing messages
of Brazilian political artists Meireles and Oiticica, to the recognizable civic
pathos of the dynamic, anti-establishment 1980s Cuban art."
Joaquin Badajoz, Wonderland:
The Many Images of Misrepresentation
“In Wonderland there are no hierarchies. The most innocuous objects –icons of our everyday life- coexist with heroes, politicians, and legendary dragons, among other characters, all of them amalgamated into an exhuberant pastiche that embodies our contemporary society.” (...) “Irony and kitsch are the two main resources threading through the discourse of the series. López-Ramos’ mordant approach is deeply rooted in an extended feeling of disappointment and decay experienced daily by common people in our globalized world, where trust and a sense of the future become merely a mirage, achievable only though the fallacy of the mass media.”
Janet Batet, ArtNexus Magazine Issue
91, 2014, p. 134.
Sergio Payares
Energía traducida en rojo, 2013
Sanguine and graphite on paper, 29½” x 41½”.
The art of Sergio Payares appears
to resist interpretation. In fact, it is necessary to view it attentively
(which is doubly rewarding). Payares proposes a search for equidistant forms
constituted by connective and angular linear strokes and luminous edges, with a
doubtful tonal restriction. His composition is not geometric in the manner of
optical art, neither is it abstract in the strict sense of the term. Color is
not and end to itself, but rather a medium to provide a meaning to the artist's
signature style.
The art of Sergio Payares suggests positive encounters. His art speaks about
social co-existence. Payares' symbolism goes back from abstract to the concrete
and from the universal to the particular. He prefers to highlight balance and
fortunate coincidences. Communication - the artist tells us cannot exist by and
for itself. Human interaction is what contributes, inevitably, to the progress
of the human being.
Conceptualmente, y partiendo de
ciertos presupuestos minimalistas que no tienen otro sentido que evitar lo
superfluo, Payares dispone su propuesta a partir de configurar en sus obras
acciones ideográficas que hacen de la carencia todo un ideario estético. Este
ideario lo reordena visualmente, a través de la composición de grandes planos
sometidos a un paciente proceso de veladuras que hacen aparecer y desaparecer
ciertas manchas de colores, provocando así un efecto de densidad atmosférica
que, junto con los colores pasteles, hacen menos patética y más ilusoria la
frágil comunicación entre los despojos de seres sobrevivientes que pueblan sus
obras.
La pintura de Sergio Payares está
hecha de restos de sueños y ausencias. Acercarnos a ella es iniciar un diálogo
silencioso con nuestras propias carencias. Entonces, durante este imprevisible
diálogo, sucede algo que nos transporta del mero placer retiniano al ejercicio
mental.
Juan
Carlos Betancourt, "Al contacto... vislumbré la
ausencia"
Natasha Perdomo, The Bridge, 2014
Acrylic on canvas, 33" x 44 ½".
Natasha Perdomo chooses the
landscape to reflect on postindustrial civilization while giving a wink to
certain kitschy aesthetic traditionally associated to this painting genre,
which brings to mind Komar and Melamid's research on this
aesthetic issue. Her work however, brings together the typical backlighting
of Romanticism and a Surrealistic random juxtaposition of images freely flowing
from the unconscious mind, to create serene visions often infused with a
nightmarish atmosphere that allow us to make our own free associations and
readings. Thus, The Bridge seems to refer
to the rustic zigzagging road that disappears within the clouds into the infinity
but it really is a metaphor on information technology and its revolution on the
way we communicate, learn, and work, bringing a huge leap to human
civilization. The over scaled tablet standing on the left side of the
composition shows the logos of social networking services, as virtual doors to
other people, while the secluded landscape surrounding it rather suggest a state
of isolation and loneliness which finds a correlate in
the screen background image, a virtual representation of the sky, juxtaposed to
the real thing. It all carries a sour-sweet synecdoche of
the new cybernetic culture dominating 21st Century and its
ambivalence as bliss and anguish.
RLR
Magín Pérez Ortíz, Proyecto inútil para paraíso inconcluso,
2012
Oil on canvas, triptych, 353/8" x 71".
In visual terms my research took as initial source
of reference the designs and projects dreamed by Leonardo Da Vinci for his war
machines; in a postmodern gesture I have condiment them with the edgy spirit of
Dada and Russian Constructivism.
The system of gears, pulleys and helm of my winged
machines, always wish an impossible escape, being just portraits of the livelihood
mechanics on rudimentary means; although the structure of the idea always consciously
transgress the thin and limited walls of chauvinism.
Magín Pérez Ortíz, artist statement
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