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5x5 New York - Acarigua
Gerardo Mosquera has observed that the age of globalization is also the
age of movement, if so, the "5x5" exhibition is a product of its age.
The exhibition "5x5" brought together artists from Venezuela and the
US allowing for each group to travel to Venezuela and the U.S. to
explore, create and converse. These artists first came together for an
exhibition at the Museo de Arte Acarigua Araure, Venezuela in February
of 2004. Now in December of 2006 the second half of this cultural
exchange opened with an exhibition at the CSV Cultural Center in New
York, NY.
Within the arts, globalization has led to the development of new spaces
for creative exchange. Such is the case with "5X5," an example of how
these new forms of working can evolve. The confluence of Internet
communication and digital technology has altered the conventions of
artistic communication, creating an environment where what once seemed
impossible is now an artistic project. This group of artists are
challenging ideas in contemporary art, exploring the boundaries of
painting, and bringing together different cultures and aesthetics.
Artists have long used new means of communication and technology to
share their work and exchange ideas. While we are still separated by
borders, language, and ideology, the aspiration to somehow create and
share by passing over (or traveling over) these elusive markers of
place and difference persists. For most artists, the initial method of
making art is a personal experience but the final objective is one of
interaction with the public and dialogue with each other. What this
exhibition reaffirms as it develops and changes is that location no
longer holds sway over the conceptual framework of the artist; while
he/she may maintain certain visual characteristics as an expression of
place, these differences are not so great as to prohibit discussion and
exchange.
In the artwork of Gregson Zambrano, the materiality of paint and
landscape are used metaphorically and spontaneously to reference
"place," in this case seen as a subjective location. The paintings of
Victor Azuaje and Robert Gray use line and color to suggest and
underline the meaning of what is being represented. The line and its
contours become as important as the color it represses and contains.
Anja Brogan's new installation combines fabric and industrial materials
to create a sense of nostalgia and place through the meaning of the
word as seen through a veil. Tulio Diaz's cut-out images reverse the
sensation of place through rough lines and familiar objects which he
takes from drawing into installation and back to the idea of home. New
works by Jessica Hankey use the TV/Video format to consider
recollections of the past and how the present is being lived; they
examine from a distance - at a glance- the passing of time and human
experience. In the work of Benjamin Arenas the references to the media
and the popularize culture of entertainment are masked behind a
tradition of artisan word carving, engraving and sgraffito technique.
Austin Shull's video work takes a look at the political and social
dynamics within sustainability and the affects of globalization. The
artwork of YaQin Betty Chou and Engelbert Peña cannot be viewed without
first knowing the amount of labor and time that each work required to
be made; it is within the process of making that the artist reveals
his/her intention. Using personal and local vocabulary to address
broader social themes, Chou and Peña create small worlds where detail
is everything.
1.Mosquera, Gerardo "Journeys" in Remota: pinturas aeropostales/Airmail
Paintings of Eugenio Dittborn New York: The New Museum of Contemporary
Art, 1997, 156.
Contact Information:
Valeria Cordero
The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts
email: valeriacordero@vaearts.org
Credits:
This exhibition has been possible thanks to the generous contribution
of the Venezuelan American for Endowment the Arts with sponsorship of
Cultural CSV Center and ACC Insurance Brokers. Other institutions like COPOSA, DIPRECA, DELTA AIRLINES and the Embassy of the USA in Venezuela and the Embassy of Venezuela
in the USA supported for their accomplishment.
Artists: Victor Asuaje, Benjamin Arenas, Anja Brogan, Betty YaQin Chou, Túlio Díaz, Robert Gray, Jessica Hankey, Engelbert Peña, Austin Shull, Gregson Zambranon
Curator: Juana Valdes
Venue: CSV Cultural Center
Co-organized: The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts, Inc.
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