IE UNIVERSITY HOSTS YES EXHIBITION AND TALK Tuesday, February 25, 5 - 7PM
Join YES founder Mario Cader-Frech, Salvadoran artist Melissa Guevara and YES Team's Patricio Majano for a panel discussion on the theme Evaluation and Trauma Management Strategies in Salvadoran Contemporary Art. The discussion follows the Madrid screening of Borders of Freedom, a traveling exhibition curated by YES Contemporary's Patricio Majano as part of the YES Contemporary Art Loan Program.
Tuesday, February 25: 5pm Screening; 6pm Talk and Cocktail V-Hub, IE University Campus, Calle Velázquez 130.
JURORS: Antonio Romero, Tami Katz-Freiman and Maya Juracán Deadline March 10, 2020
The 2020 Y.ES Curators Grant awards $1,000 to curators of Salvadoran descent based anywhere in the world. Active curators, aspiring curators, artist-curators and curatorial collectives are eligible to apply. The grant can be used for travel, exhibition and project opportunities happening between April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021. The aim of this program is to support and cultivate curatorial practice by Salvadorans.
The Y.ES Curators Grant series is made possible with the support of Solita Cohen.
The grant will be awarded by independent jurors
(from left) Antonio Romero, Tami Katz-Freiman and Maya Juracán.
Read more about Antonio Romero here.
Read more about Tami Katz-Freiman here.
Read more about Maya Juracán here.
Y.ES ONLINE STUDIO VISITS Walterio Iraheta and Andrew Utt
This February, Salvadoran artist Walterio Iraheta spoke with
Andrew Utt, the Executive Director of Lux Art Institute in Encinitas, USA.
With more than 35 solo exhibitions and 150 group exhibitions, Walterio Iraheta has participated in the Biennial Paiz Art of El Salvador 2007, the Bienal de Valencia - São Paulo, 2008; in the X Havana Biennial 2009; the first Biennial of Pontevedra in 2010 and the 54th Venice Biennale 2011, among others. In 2019, Iraheta launched the platform Habitación de Dibujo for Central American artists working in the medium of drawing, with a concurrent drawing biennial exhibition at The Museum of Art of El Salvador (MARTE).
Andrew Utt received his bachelor’s degree from California College of the Arts with a focus on wood/furniture, graphic design and visual studies, and a master’s degree in museum studies from Harvard University Extension School. As Lux Art Institute Executive Director, Utt leads the vision is to act as San Diego County’s primary source for educating the public about the creative process, from conceptual development through the act of making.
See more of Walterio Iraheta's work here.
Read more about Habitación de Dibujo here.
Read more about Lux Art Institute here.
Y.ES ONLINE STUDIO VISITS Crack Rodriguez and Daniela Leija
This February, Salvadoran Artivist Crack Rodriguez speaks with Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition's (LACE) Curator Daniela Leija.
Crack Rodriguez is a member of the collective “The Fire Theory” and the art movement “Los Siempre Suspectosos de Todo”. His practice and actions are intrinsically related to social, political and popular culture aiming to activate the public and highlight injustice and abuse of power. Rodriguez has shown in numerous national and international foundations and museums, and was a featured speaker at the 2017 Creative Time Summit 2017 “Homeland and Revolution”.
Daniela Lieja Quintanar has been LACE's curator since 2016. She works between Los Angeles and Mexico, emphasizing contemporary art and curatorial practices that explore the politics and social issues of everyday life. She was part of the curatorial team of MexiCali Biennial 2018-19, and wasawarded the Warhol Foundation Curatorial Research Fellowship. Founded in 1978 by a group of committed artists, LACE is an internationally recognized pioneer nonprofit that exhibits and advocates for innovations in art-making and public engagement.
See more of Crack Rodriguez's work here.
Read more about Daniela Leija and LACE here.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
EDDIE RODOLFO APARICIO AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM, ARKANSAS, USA
Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio is featured in State of the Art II 2020, an exhibition which opens The Momentary - a new contemporary art space part of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The exhibition includes works by 61 artists in the United States which speak to themes such as world-building: creating real and fictional spaces; sense of place: investigating ideas of home, family, immigration, and more; mapping: connections to and relationships with landscapes and power, and temporality: the concept of time and how we perceive it. Curated by Lauren Haynes with Alejo Benedetti and Allison Glenn, State of the Art II is on view from February 22 - May 24.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Read ARTFIXdaily article here.
Image: Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, De Colon a Dolar , 2019. Rubber, tree and paint residue, found leather, acrylic, string, twine, and wood. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Luis Linares.
STONE’S THROW EXHIBITION AT THE ANDERSON GALLERY - VCUARTS, VIRGINIA, USA
Salvadoran artists Melissa Guevara, Moe Penders and Abigail Reyes are participating in the group exhibition Stone’s Throw: Arte de Sanación, Arte de Resistencia at The Anderson Gallery - VCUarts. The exhibition, curated by Laura August, includes works by 10 Central American artists, and references the local discourse surrounding themes of resistance and healing. Stone’s Throw is on view until February 25.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Image: Moe Penders, "Volver", Courtesy the artist.
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA AT JEFFREY DEITCH GALLERY, LOS ANGELES, USA
Salvadoran artist Guadalupe Maravilla is featured in the group exhibition All of Them Witches at Jeffrey Deitch gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition, organized by Dan Nadel and Laurie Simmons. includes works by 78 artists using aesthetics and iconography that relate to the supernatural, occult, and witchcraft to address and questions ideas of power, the body and gender. All of Them Witches is on view until April 11, 2020.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Image: Guadalupe Maravilla, “Disease Thrower”. Courtesy the artist.
BEATRIZ CORTEZ TALKS AT PHOTO LA, LOS ANGELES, USA
Salvadoran LA-based artist Beatriz Cortez participated “Transmutations of the Clock”, a panel discussion hosted by PhotoLA that "considered various ways in which artists approach time as a site of critical engagement, particularly in relation to what Elizabeth Freeman, in her book Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Histories, has defined as “chrononormativity.” Fellow panelists included Young Joon Kwak and Dylan Mira in Dialogue with artist Carter Mull and Michael Ned Holte. Read more about the talk here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez. Courtesy the artist.
ANTONIO ROMERO AT CENTRO HURTARTE, NAVARRA, SPAIN
Salvadoran artist Antonio Romero was a resident at Hurtarte Contemporary Art Center in Navarra, Spain from January 13 - 19. During his residency, Romero worked on his project “Refugio”, an intimate portrait series through which the artist addresses memory and personal relationships through time. Hurtarte Contemporary Art Center is a space dedicated to art production and experimentation.
See more of Antonio Romero here.
Image: Antonio Romero. Courtesy the artist.
MELISSA GUEVARA AT MADRID RESIDENCY, SPAIN
Salvadoran artist Melissa Guevara is currently participating in a residency in Madrid initiated by renowned Mexican artist Teresa Margolles. During the residency, Guevara will work on her own projects, as well as group projects with The Fire Theory and Curatorial Cinema, both collectives of which she is a member. This past week, Guevara presented “UTI POSSIDETIS IURIS”, a overview of the work she has produced as part of the residency. Guevara will also be participating in a YES Talk during ARCOMadrid. See more of Melissa Guevara's work here.
Image: Melissa receives a delivery of "Grullas" at her studio. Courtesy The Fire Theory and Melissa Guevara
JOHN RIVAS AT ANDREW FREEDMAN HOME, NEW YORK, USA
Salvadoran-American artist John Rivas is participating in the group exhibition “The Living Room Kitchen” at Andrew Freedman Home gallery in New York. Curated by Kiara Cristina Ventura of ArtsyWindow, “The Living Room Kitchen” features artworks that address notions of memory as they relate to domestic spaces. The exhibition is on view until April 4.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Image: John Rivas, Courtesy the artist.
JOHN RIVAS AT SUPERPOSITION GALLERY
John Rivas was also featured in the group exhibition “Labor of Love” organized by Superposition Gallery and presented at Superposition Gallery's pop up location in Los Angeles. Curated by Storm Ascher during Frieze LA art fair week, “Labor of Love” included works by artists JC Lenochan, Tiff Massey, Eilen Itzel Mena, Ludovic Nkoth and Marcus Leslie Singleton. Read more about the exhibition here.
Image: John Rivas, “Kilo” (detail). Courtesy Superposition Gallery and the artist.
EL SALVADOR NEWS
THE DRAWING BIENNIAL ACTIVITATIONS AT MARTE
On January 22, the Museum of Art of El Salvador (MARTE) presented a series of videos and performances as part of the inaugural Drawing Biennial showing the work of Central American artists interested in the medium of drawing Participating artists included Ulises Vaquerano, Mauricio Esquivel, Sebastián Sarti, Anna Matteucci, Osvaldo Ramírez Castillo, Mario Santizo, Javier Ramírez /NadiA, and Gabriela Novoa in collaboration with Sandra Leiva, Katherine Cantón and Vicky Cortez. The Drawing Biennial, curated by Walterio Iraheta, is on view until March 1, 2020.Read an article about the exhibition in El Diario de Hoy newspaper here.
Image: Gabriela Novoa. Performance (live drawing on empiñanas-Salvadoran traditional sweets) In colaboration with Katherine Cantón, Sandra Leiva and Vicky Cortez. Courtesy the artist.
WALTERIO IRAHETA AT LA ÚNICA GALLERY
On January 16, Walterio Iraheta opened his solo exhibition “The Line” at La Única Gallery in Downtown San Salvador. The first part of a trilogy, "The Line" presents Iraheta's explorations using everyday materials to create "drawing" installations. The exhibition is on view until March 14. See more of Walterio Iraheta's work here. Read more about La Única Gallery here.
Image: Walterio Iraheta, “Tres líneas azules” Installation (hose and nails), courtesy the artist and La Única Gallery.
CALO ROSA AT ESPACIO 132
Calo Rosa opens his solo exhibition “Slice of Paradise” at Journey gallery located in Espacio 132, San Salvador. "Slice of Paradise" presents paintings addressing and celebrating ideas of revolution. The exhibition will be on view until April.
Image: Calo Rosa, “Tropicalized at popular”, 2018. Courtesy Espacio 132 and the artist.
VERÓNICA VIDES AT LA FÁBRIKA
Salvadoran artist Verónica Vides, based in Patagonia, Argentina, showed a series of her drawings, sculptures and videos as part of a solo exhibition at La Fábrika, La Libertad from February 13-15. In conjunction with the exhibition, Vides hosted a talk about her work.
See more of Verónica Vides's work here.
Image: Verónica Vides exhibition view at La Fábrika. Courtesy the artist.
SITIOS REVERSOS AT THE MUSEUM OF ART OF EL SALVADOR
On February 13, the Museum of Art of El Salvador opened the exhibition “Sitios Reversos”. The exhibition features photographs documenting interventions done by 17 artists in public spaces and buildings as part of the "Sitios Reversos" project. Hosted in both San Salvador and Brazil and organized by Kevin Baltazar "Sitios Reversos" is on view until April 8.
Image: Alejandra Paz, “Inspirar, algo que expira a la vez”, 2018. Courtesy the artist.
DANY ZAVALETA AT LUIS POMA THEATER
A solo exhibition titled “Emergency” features work by Danny Zavaleta, a Salvadoran artist now based in Canada, in the Lobby of the Luis Poma Theater in San Salvador. “Emergency” features a series of Zavaleta's works that explore Salvadoran identity in relation to the urban environment. The exhibition, curated by Antonio Romero and Mauricio Kabistán, is on view until March 6, 2020.
Image: Danny Zavaleta, Courtesy the artist and Antonio Romero.
MERKADO CENTRAL ART POP-UP, SAN SALVADOR
Merkado Central Art Advisors features a pop-up exhibition of artworks by Simón Vega, Ronald Morán, Walterio Iraheta, Albertine Stahl, San Canessa, Caroline Lacey, Patricio Majano, Rolando Monterrosa, Hugo Rivas, Efraín Caravantes, Baltazar Portillo and Nadie/NadiA. Organized by Elizabeth Wright, the show presents recent works by the artists within a domestic setting. Read more about Merkado Central here.
Image: Walterio Iraheta. Courtesy Merkado Central and the artist.
NICOLÁS F. SHI AT THE MUSEUM OF ART OF EL SALVADOR
Salvadoran artist based in Washington DC, Nicolás F. Shi opens his solo exhibition “Huéspedes Galopantes” at the Museum of Art of El Salvador (MARTE). On view through February, the exhibition features work addressing Shi's heritage, personal history and experience as a migrant as it relates to his experiences living in China, El Salvador and the USA. See more of Nicolás F Shi here.
Image: Nicolás F Shi, “Huéspedes Galopantes”. Courtesy the artist.
PRESS
JOSE ORLANDO VILLATORO FEATURED IN NEW CITY ART
Salvadoran artist Jose Orlando Villatoro is featured in New City Art as part of a review of the exhibition “In Real Life” at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. The Museum’s director Natasha Egan met Jose during a 2019 YES Art Trip to El Salvador and selected to show a series of QR codes made from coffee beans, salt, charcoal, and more, which link to hacked security cameras located around the USA> Read the New City Art article here.
Image: Jose Orlando Villatoro, “El Salvador, Antiguo Cuscatlán,” from the Código Humano series. Courtesy the artist and MoCP.
ÓSCAR PÉREZ MÉNDEZ FEATURED IN EL HERALDO
Salvadoran artist Óscar Pérez Méndez is featured in the Honduran newspaper El Heraldo. The article, written by Carlos Lanza, discusses the artist’s perspectives and juxtapositions of icons prevalent in contemporary society. Read the El Heraldo article here.
Image: Óscar Pérez Méndez, “La Dolorosa”. Courtesy El Heraldo and the artist.
BEATRIZ CORTEZ FEATURED IN HYPERALLERGIC
Salvadoran Los Angeles-based artist Beatriz Cortez was interviewed by online magazine Hyperallergic, as part of their interview series “Meet LA’s Art Community”. In the interview, Cortez talks about her present and past projects, and her personal history as a migrant. This year, Hyperallergic partners with YES Contemporary to publish th 2020 arts writers grant winning article. Read the Hyperallergic interview with Beatriz Cortez here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez at the Museo de Antropología, Mexico City. Photo by Pilar Lopez. Courtesy the artist.
CAROLINA ALVAREZ-MATHIES FEATURED IN VOGUE MÉXICO
YES Council member Carolina Alvarez-Mathies is featured in an article in Vogue Mexico Magazine. The article overviews her art career and shares her new appointment as Deputy Director of Dallas Contemporary. Read the Vogue Mexico article here.
Image: Caroline Alvarez-Mathies. Photo by Caroline Lacey.
ERICK ANTONIO BENITEZ FEATURED IN TERREMOTO
Salvadoran-American artist Erick Antonio Benitez is featured in Terremoto magazine. The article features Benitez’s solo exhibition “Esta Tierra Es Tu Tierra (This Land is Your Land)" at The Gallery at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D). The exhibition features work resulting from a research trip Benitez made to cities along the US-Mexico border. Read the Terremoto article here.
Image: Erick Antonio Benitez, Esta Tierra Es Tu Tierra, 2016 – ongoing. Multimedia Installation. Photo Credit: Kay Baier.
SAN CANESSA FEATURED IN VOYAGEMIA
Salvadoran artist San Canessa was interviewed by VoyageMIA |Miami City Guidemagazine. In the interview, Canessa talks about her career as an artist and the importance of psychology within her creative practice.
Read the VoyageMIA interview here.
Image: San Canessa. Courtesy VoyageMIA and the artist.
BEATRIZ CORTEZ FEATURED IN AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL MAGAZINE
Artist Beatriz Cortez was featured in the December/January 2020 issue of American Craft magazine. The article expands on the artist’s experience migrating to Los Angeles, her recent exhibitions and works imaging utopia futures, as well as her process of making. Read the American Craftarticle here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez, Courtesy American Craft Magazine and the artist.
EXHIBITION REVIEW
Hacking the Tracking: In Real Life BY CLAIRE BREUKEL
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY
AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
JAN 16 - MAR 29, 2020
Leo Selvaggio, URME Surveillance installation, 2014 - ongoing.
I have always been of the mind that being followed by CCTV security cameras, posting images on public platforms, and having my whereabouts tracked by the GPS on my cellphone was inconsequential, as long as I remained inconsequential to authorities. The exhibition “In Real Life” made me seriously rethink my indifference.
Jose Orlando Villatoro, Winter Park, Florida from the Código Humano series, Sand, 2019.
How secure is data? Salvadoran artist Jose Orlando Villatoro proves it is merely a hacked IP address away. Creating QR code wall murals from fruit, salt, charcoal, coffee beans, and more, these “scannable QR paintings” link to security cameras in shopping malls, universities, public parks throughout the United States that the artist has accessed from El Salvador. Viewer becomes voyeur, seeing the camera’s birds’ eye view of people in their day to day unwittingly participating in Villatoro’s reality TV artwork.
Turning the lens on being surveilled, our face, much like a fingerprint, is our identity. Natasha Egan, the exhibition’s curator and museum’s Executive Director notes that the city of Chicago boasts 13 surveillance cameras per every 1000 residents. This shocking statistic inspired artist Leo Selvaggio’s project “ URME Surveillance, 2014-ongoing”, which provides viewers with prosthetic masks under which to hide ones face when confronted with mirrors and cameras. Recalling the vigilante Joker movie character, these masks offer a moment of anonymity and independence, if only within the confines of the museum.
Leo Selvaggio, URME Surveillance installation, 2014 - ongoing.
It’s clear we cannot hide, but can we also be replaced? Emulating inter-human interaction artist Stephanie Dinkins converses with the robot protoype Bina48 developed by Hanson Robotics in 2010 as a literal talking head. Dinkins shares family stories with Bina48 inviting the robot to respond to the artist’s recounts of her family’s experiences as African Americans. Although functioning on artificial intelligence, there is something promising about programming this robot with knowledge of personal history and racial identity. It is not incongruent that the robot is emulated after Bina Aspen Rothblatt, an African American entrepreneur married to the robots developer.
Stephanie Dinkins, Stills from Conversations with Bina48, 2015-ongoing.
“In Real Life” shares individual investigations of technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and more, to blur the lines of what constitutes reality and fiction, and convey to the viewer the degree to which we are seriously implicated within these systems. What is more disturbing is that not one protagonist is pinpointed. In our increasingly consumer data hungry corporate world what does it mean for technology to be so omnipresent within daily life. “In Real Life” asks us to rethink our feelings on being tracked, replicated and having our data collected, on the one hand instilling much needed skepticism, and on the other it could further fuel paranoia. Regardless, as an A-type personality, I am hungry for action points on how to resist these technological invasions in real life.
