OPEN STUDIO PART OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CURATED RESIDENCIES
Image: LAndrés Paz presenting their work at the Open Studio. Photograph by Vicky Cortez.
Salvadoran artists LAndrés Paz and Rodrigo Guardado presented their work in process in an Open Studio at Yerbera, in San Salvador. The event was part of the Regional Curated Art Residencies in Visual Art and New Media. This project connects artists and curators from Central America, to collaborate in ongoing projects by the artists. Additionally, Salvadoran artist and curator Natalia Domínguez presented the project “Espacios Habitables” by Alejandra Sequeira from Costa Rica, and curated by Domínguez, and Patricio Majano from YES Contemporary presented “Aureola Mental Factory” by artist Silvia García Solís from Costa Rica, and curated by Majano.
The Regional Curated Art Residencies in Visual Art and New Media is a program created by the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica, in collaboration with YES Contemporary and other regional institutions, including Casa Caníbal (Costa Rica), Centro Cultural de España en El Salvador, La Revuelta (Guatemala), Ensayo y Error (El Salvador), espacio/C (Guatemala), Quorum Laboratorio Cultural (Panamá), and La Fábrica (El Salvador).
OPEN CALL
YES PORTFOLIO REVIEWS IN EL SALVADOR
Image: YES Art Trip. Studio visit at la Fábrik. Photo by Walterio Iraheta.
YES calls Salvadoran artists based in El Salvador who want to present their work to YES team members Omar López-Chahoud and Patricio Majano in May. To book, send us your portfolio in PDF. The number of participants for the portfolio reviews is limited.
Artist Simón Vega is part of the collective exhibition “Off Kitter”, at 601Artspace. The show reflects on the current state of the pandemic in New York, a year after the pandemic began and in a moment where vaccination seems to provide hope to people. Other participant artists include Peter Cain , Maurizio Cattelan, Luigi Ghirri, Ellen Harvey, Min Jung Kwak & Kwang Min Kim, Mernet Larsen, Gracelee Lawrence, Christian Marclay, David Opdyke, Gabriel Orozco, Charles Ray, and Andreas Rentsch. The exhibition will be on view from April 24th - May 30th, 2021.
See more about the exhibition here.
See more about Simon Vega here.
Image: Simón Vega, Courtesy the artist.
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA AT SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
Guadalupe Maravilla is presenting the exhibition “Planeta Abuelx”, which opens on May 15th at Socrates Sculpture Park, in Long Island City, NY. The exhibition presents pieces part of the “Disease Thrower series. These pieces are shrines and sculptures that are also utilized by the artist as musical instruments in healing rituals. See more of Maravilla here.
Image: Guadalupe Maravilla, “Disease Thrower # 13”. Courtesy the artist.
OSVALDO RAMIREZ CASTILLO AT VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
Vancouver-based Salvadoran artist Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo is part of the collective exhibition “Stories that Animate Us”. Curated by Zoë Chan and Diana Freundl, the show goes under the theme of Storytelling, featuring animations and works on paper presenting different histories and narratives. The exhibition opened on February 20, 2021 and will be on view until September 6, 2021. Other artists include Robert Davidson, Francisco de Goya, Jérôme Havre, David Hockney, Cindy Mochizuki, Ed Pien, Marina Roy, Royal Art Lodge, Cauleen Smith, Amanda Strong, Camille Turner, Howie Tsui and Joyce Wieland.
See more about the artist here.
See more about the exhibition here.
Image: Osvaldo Ramirez Castillo, “Santo Marero”. Courtesy the artist.
ERICK ANTONIO BENITEZ AT SINDIKIT PROJECT
Baltimore-based Salvadoran artist Erick Antonio Benitez presented his performance “Software for People: The Mind is Time & Space”, on April 16. The performance was presented online by 'sindikit project and was curaed by Jaimes Mayhew. ‘Sindikit is a project that supports experimental work, promotes practice-based research, and fosters art centered conversations.
Image: Erick Antonio Benitez. Courtesy the artist.
GABRIEL SOTO AT AEROGRAMME
Maryland-based Salvadoran artist Gabriel Soto presented his work in the online exhibition “Realms of Potentiality” at the The Aerogramme Center for Arts and Culture. The show addresses the socioeconomic situations that had exposed vulnerable populations across the United States and the world. The exhibition was on view from March 5 to April 9, 2021. Additionally, Aerogramme presented the artist in a virtual talk with the Center’s Programs Coordinator, Isabel Pardo on March 19, as part of their Behind the Studio series.
See more about the exhibition here.
Watch the talk here.
Image: Gabriel Soto, "Split Motion". Courtesy the artist.
ORLANDO VILLATORO AT ARTE LOFT GALLERY, MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA
Salvadoran artist Orlando Villatoro is presenting his work in Arte Loft Gallery in Medellin, Colombia. The gallery features works part of the series “Hiperrealidad”, where the artist creates paintings juxtaposing characters from cartoons and pop culture with screen glitches.
Los Angeles-based Salvadoran artist participated in the talk “Seeds of Resistance”, at Michigan State University. In the event, the panelists addressed the relation between humans and seeds from different disciplines. The talk was part of the Science Festival, and also featured Krista Issacs, Peter Carrington, Johannes Heldén, and Johannes Heldén.
See more about the talk here.
See more about Beatriz here.
Image: Beatriz Cortez. Courtesy the artist.
SIMON VEGA AT ERNST HILGER GALLERY
Salvadoran artist Simón Vega presents the exhibition “Past Futures / Objects and Drawings 2021-2013” at the Ernst Hilger Gallery in Vienna, Austria. The exhibition presents drawings, collages and objects executed in parallel to the process of creating the sculptures and installations on a large scale, comprising 3 different series of works executed from 2009: "Hybrid Architectures and Mental Constructions" "Tropical Space Projects" and "Past Futures". It can be visited from April 20 to May 22.
See more about the exhibition here. See more about Simón Vega here.
Image: Simón Vega, "Bocetos de la torre Panoptican I", 2012 Courtesy the artist.
EL SALVADOR NEWS
NATALIA DOMÍNGUEZ AT GLOBAL CENTER FOR ADVANCE STUDIES
Salvadoran artist Natalia Domínguez has been selected for the Diploma in Critical and Transdisciplinary Research taught by the Global Center for Advance Studies GCAS-LA online. This program seeks that people from different disciplines can develop research with a critical perspective in relation to the current socio-political context. Domínguez will develop his artistic-research project "Body, sacred territory", guided by Antonio Calibán Catrileo, writer, researcher and artist. The one year research started in March 2021, creating conditions for the transmission of knowledge, ideas and actions.
See more about the Diploma here.
See more about Natalia Domínguez here.
Image: Natalia Domínguez. Courtesy the artist.
TRANSICIONES, COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION AT SALARRUE NATIONAL EXHIBITION HALL
“Transiciones” is a collective exhibition presented at Salarrué National Exhibitions Hall. The show presents 46 artworks by 23 artists from different generations to commemorate the international day of the arts. Featured artists include Negra Álvarez, Licry Bicard, Beatriz de León, Gerardo Gómez, Marielos Imery, Luis Lazo, Rolando López, Salvador Llort, Miguel Martino, Mauricio Mejía, Miguel Mira, Rolando Monterrosa, Dagoberto Nolasco, Teyo Orellana, Herbert Polío, Hugo Rivas, Antonio Romero, Óscar Soles, Nicole Schwartz, Ana Zamora, Daniel Avidan, Francisco Zayas and Fernando Pleités. The exhibition will be on view from April 20 to August 8.
Image: Gerardo Gomez. Courtesy the artist.
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION MARTIRIO AT JON CORTINA CENTER IN CHALATENANGO, EL SALVADOR
The exhibition “Martirio” is being presented at Centro Jon Cortina, in Chalatenango, El Salvador, by the Central American University José Simeón Cañas, UCA, in collaboration with the Cultural Center of Spain in El Salvador. The exhibition was first presented in 2019 in honor of the XXX Anniversary of the murders of 6 priests and 2 women known as the UCA martyrs, and later presented at Soho, Cascadas. Curated by Mauricio Kabistán and Mauricio Esquivel of The Fire Theory, the exhibition presents part of the archive recounting the murders, as well as artworks by Rafael Ottón Solís, Vladimir Renderos, Beatriz Cortez, Norman Morales and Reynaldo Rodríguez.
La Única Galería presented CovidEO, a video art series screened at the window display of the Gallery, in Downtown San Salvador. The project featured videos by Verónica Vides and Javier Marcos, Lucy Tomasino, Marcela Araya and Patricia Belli. CovidEO featured different videos each day from April 1 to 24.
Image: Verónica Vides, "La Barrida". Courtesy the artist.
PRESS
GUADALUPE MARAVILLA FEATURED IN TERREMOTO MAGAZINE
Salvadoran artist Guadalupe Maravilla is featured in the XX issue of Terremoto magazine (May 3 - July 19, 2021). The publication is titled “How are you?”, and addresses different ways in which artists deal with trauma, sickness and death. Maravilla’s work addresses healing through his personal story of overcoming cancer. He also utilizes his sculptures/shrines to make healing rituals for the audience.
Terremoto is a quarterly online and print bilingual magazine and blog dedicated to critical thinking around contemporary art in the Americas.
See more about the article here.
See more of Maravilla here.
Image: Guadalupe Maravilla. Courtesy the artist.
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION MESOTROPICS FEATURED IN ARTISHOCK
Artishock published an article about the exhibition "Mesotropics", presented atThe Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama, which features works by 31 artists from Central America and the Caribbean, including Beatriz Cortez, Melissa Guevara and Ronald Morán. The article was written by the curator of the exhibition, Adán Vallecillos.
Image: Melissa Guevara, "Anthropometry". Courtesy the artist and The Mario Cader-Frech Collection.
MARVIN TORRES FEATURED IN LA PRENSA GRAFICA
Salvadoran artist Marvin Torres, was featured in La Prensa Gráfica. The article written by Korayma Chicas on March 22 talks about his trajectory, recurring themes and icons he utilizes in his artwork.
ALBERTO ESCOBAR FEATURED IN EL DIARIO EL SALVADOR.
Alberto Escobar, a Salvadoran artist living in Brazil, was featured in Diario El Salvador in an article written by Nancy Salguero on April 13. In the interview, he narrates his personal story, training and artistic career at an international level.
Read the complete article here. See more of Alberto Escobar here.
Image: Alberto Escobar. Courtesy the artist.
Exhibition review
Rodrigo Guardado's Open Studio
By Patricio Majano
Salvadoran artist Rodrigo Guardado presented his work in an open studio in San Salvador. The featured project has been produced in collaboration with Erika Martín Arroyo, from Costa Rica, who accompanies the curatorial process as part of the Central American Residences of Curated Production organized by the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica, in collaboration with other Central American institutions. Part of Guardado's work emulates a manual that outlines steps on how to be a president. This manual is a parody to the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, and emphasizes certain demagogic and proselytizing actions and attitudes that have been identified by the opposition. The piece can be understood as a wider reference to politicians from any country.
Guardado is an artist who works in various mediums, and made the decision to carry out this project in caricature as it was a more relaxed and informal way of approaching audiences. The clear and direct language of the piece makes visible how the character exercises power and violence.
The main intention of the artist is to make the viewer reflect on the political practices of the present. The piece stems from the dynamics of content dissemination on social media, and on the exploitation of this resource by the president to establish his power. However, it is necessary to reflect on the contexts and audiences to which the piece is presented, in order to get the best possible reach for this reflection.
Images: Rodrigo Guardado, "Cómo ser un presidente bien paloma (y cool en su defecto)" Courtesy the artist.
