Diógenes Ballester, Luis Stephenberg & Liz Curtin Exhibition
Carter Burden Gallery
This event has ended.
The Carter Burden Gallery presents three new exhibitions: Akashic Archives by Diógenes Ballester, Prime Material by Luis Stephenberg and On the Wall by Liz Curtin.
Akashic Archives exhibition by Diógenes Ballester draws out the parallels and contrasts between the Sanskrit philosophical/mythological concepts embedded in Tattwas Indian culture and African/Taíno roots. Symbols and imagery are interposed in the paintings, telling a cross-cultural story of meaning related to the quest of these cultures to understand the basic primordial elements of life. Why use images of these ancient concepts of the fundamental elements of life? What does this imagery convey to a 21st century visual arts audience? With the impact of global warming and natural disasters, along with the pressing need to exist in a sustainable manner with the natural environment, the relationship between man/womankind and nature has become not only central but essential. Concepts left to us by these ancestors, as well as the images of balance and tranquility, can teach us vital life lessons. Akashic Archives is meant to offer a visual spiritual experience of what can be achieved, if we attend to seeking and creating balance.
Diógenes Ballester calls himself an “arteologist.” His recent artistic period demonstrates a developing maturity as a citizen of the world with roots firmly embedded in his Puerto Rican heritage. He is influenced by deep connections to New York City, Puerto Rico and Paris and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. He was Guest of Honor at the 2nd International Print Biennial in China in 2009; won the prize for the Best Exhibition of the Year in the Contemporary Media from The International Association of Art Critics (AICA) of Puerto Rico in 2007; Prize of Honor, the Tenth International Biennial of Printmaking and Drawing of Taipei of R.O.C. in Taiwan in 2001; and Gold Medal at The 3rd Biennial of Painting of the Caribbean presented at the Modern Art Museum of Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic in 1996.
Prime Material features Luis Stephenberg’s recent work that derives from his experience as a member of Las Americas Community. He explores the vital information that identifies Puerto Ricans in global participation. The figurative analogy of the landscape is the result of a process. A set of natural referral components form the physical framework of a geographical space and become territory, sharing a secular history of conquest and appropriation. Stephenberg recognizes the collective development of art as idea and, at the same time, establishes the principles of synthesis as the last-ism of the 20th century. His self-described approach to art is represented by the expression of a particular historical moment, the use of art as a form of communication of living social beings, and the concept of art as a document that reveals actions.
Luis Cesar Stephenberg Alers graduated from the Puerto Rican Culture Institute, School of Fine Arts, and earned a Master’s degree in painting from the Instituto Allende, Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico. Early on, he showed an interest in an experimental and mixed media practice, which he has maintained throughout his artistic development. In late 1970, with a focused interest in conceptual art, he became co-founder of the Movimiento Sintesista Actualizado in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and later Manifestación Internacional Sintesista for the Arts, at the Human Solidarity on Suffolk Street, New York. Other achievements include his participation in The Bronx Hispanic Festival and The Latin American Art Biennial in the Bronx.
Liz Curtin’s large-scale installation will be featured in the gallery space called On the Wall. Curtin’s installation will consist of three large canvas panels that represent how the mind deteriorates with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Curtin’s work is driven by process, since the dripping and scribble imagery emerged from her subconscious, and she understands that her paint expresses chaos. The shapes mimic how Curtin’s own mother is losing her ability to communicate clearly with language.
Liz Curtin was born in the Bronx in 1953 and raised on Long Island. Primarily self-taught, Curtin attended Montclair College in New Jersey and studied textiles and papermaking. Curtin currently works in many mediums including painting, mixed media, collage, found object sculpture, press-free printmaking, stitching, artist books and handmade paper. Curtin has had 14 one-person shows including three at Franklin 54 Gallery and two at the Carter Burden Gallery, along with numerous group shows. She had a found object sculpture juried into Transformations East, at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA, curated by Lloyd Herman, founding Director of The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum. Her work and essay was included in the show catalog. Curtin’s work was published in Fiberarts Design Book 4. Her work is in many collections in the U.S. and abroad. Curtin is also a singer songwriter and a teaching artist at several senior centers in NYC.
Media
Schedule
from September 17, 2015 to October 08, 2015
Opening Reception on 2015-09-17 from 18:00 to 20:00