I AM YOU
The Figure In Latin American Art
May 3 – June 30, 2012
Artist reception March 3 from 6 – 9 pm
Featuring artists: Moises Barrios, Lucio Kansuet, Jose Rodriguez and Rafael Varela

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Laguna Beach) saltfineart presents I AM YOU, The Figure In Latin American Art, an exhibition that seeks to illuminate the power of the human figure through the work of Moises Barrios (Guatamala), Lucio Kansuet (Panama), Jose Rogriguez (El Salvador) and Rafael Varela (El Salvador). These artists, all considered master painters in their own right, use the human figure as a “tap root” of emotion in compositions that vary from the hyper-realistic to the surreal. The result is a feeling of deep connection to the work steaming from the collective experience of being human.

Image above: Jose Rodriguez, Untitled, 45 x 55 inches, charcoal pencil and acrylic paint

Moises Barrios creates large canvases that have the simplicity of photography, casual in subject matter; a closer inspection reveals the artist’s mastery of graphic deconstruction with the purposeful simplification of form. Named by Exit Madrid as One of 100 Most Influential Latin Contemporary Artists of our time, Moises Barrios has been exploring his insatiable talent since the early 60’s. With exhibitions in 25 different countries, including shows at both the MoCHA New York and the MOMA Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Chile, Spain, France, Italy, England, and Taiwan, Barrios is recognized as one of the most distinguished and prolific talents of present day Guatemala.

Rafael Varela creates the illusion of skin and fabric in a way that rivals reality and yet avoids any allusion to traditional forms of painting with compositions that are starkly contemporary. He uses his superb rendering skills to create dramatic tension in the subject matter, often times a figure of a child looking forward into a future that is unknown and undefined by the artist. Recognized as one of the master realists of Latin America, Varela has celebrated solo exhibitions in Costa Rica, El Salvador and the United States. Additionally, he has participated in collective group shows in Central America, the Dominican Republic, the United States and Spain. His work forms part of several permanent collections such as the Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), the Vatican (Rome), the White House Collection in Washington D.C as well as private collections in Central America, the United States, Europe and Japan.

Where Varela begins to touch the surreal with his undefined environments, Lucio Kansuet casts off any reference to the material world in favor of the purely organic. His paintings convey the deep connection to nature inherent in the culture of his native Kuna Tribe of Panama. Children appear protected within cocoons or pods, seeds, fallen leaves, spawns or fruit, natural enclosures that represent man’s interdependence with the environment. In the last decade he has had several exhibitions throughout Panama, including a solo show at the National Institute of Culture as well as repeated collaborations with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Panama. He won third prize in the Robert Lewis National Art Awards (2009) and also a commission for a portrait of President Martín Torrijos (Palacio de las Garzas). saltfineart is the first gallery to show his work in the United States.

Jose Rodriguez makes a radical departure from reality by creating environments that appear as foreign as they are beautiful, employing his skill in drawing and painting and utilizing hyper-realism and the surreal. His figures often mesmerize viewers with a fixed gaze, imploring them to participate in a scene that defies all logic. The quietly intense power of Rodriguez’s surreal world has earned him a following recognized by critics and collectors alike, and during the past fifteen years he has won top awards in both national and international museum competitions. His work has been acquired by the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan, the Museum of Art and Design in Costa Rica, as well as by private collectors in Spain, New York, Miami, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Italy and Morocco.

saltfineart is located at: 1492 south coast highway / laguna beach, ca 92651 / 949.715.5554

saltfineart.com

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