Recently I attended the opening of Dreams
& Divinities, an international travelling group show now showing at
LuminArte Gallery in Dallas, Texas and which I am proud to be participating in
with one of my pieces. The show has travelled from Toledo, Spain to San
Cristobal de las Casas to Monterey, Mexico with its finale in Dallas, Texas. It has been presented during four equinoxes which happens to give the project the conceptual framework from where it springs forth. Curated by Liba Waring Stambollion and presented by Matt Anzak at Luminarte, the
show features visionary, magic realism and surrealist artists from around the
globe. As soon as you enter the gallery you'll be in for a treat for the mind
and soul.
Partial view of the exhibition
For the highly skeptical viewer, the works may at first seem to be flighty colorful
renditions of New Age doctrines, an escapist attempt, oblivious to the current
state of affairs of our world and perhaps of the 'art world' as well . On a closer
inspection the works reveal a profound sense of being and understanding of how
the world operates at an subconscious level. Not only subject matter is represented
from an unconventional holistic approach, which makes the work so interesting,
it also unpacks a whole load of visual information that responds to our own
age. In a high speed internet age, these silent images allure us to slow down a bit and take our time to look closer, to comtemplate and experience that which cannot be expressed with words.
Work by Miguel Tio
Work by Android Jones
What I found fascinating about the show was not only the intricate complexity
and individual language of each piece but also the incredible unity and level
of cohesion of the whole. The mastery and imaginative use of color in the works
of Cody Seekins, Roku Sasaki, Zeljko Djurovic and Android Jones are spectacular.
The attention to fine drawing details in the work Joe MacGown, Carrie Ann
Baade, Miguel Tio and Raul Casillas is mind blowing. From dots, stars, little
leaves, microcosmic strange looking creatures, to myterious signs, symbols and fiery dragons,
the pieces in this exhibition not only speak eloquently of the unseen, they are
also well grounded in a solid tradition of representational techniques in
painting and sculpture.
Work by Patrick Mcgrath Muñiz
Perhaps what's most interesting about this exhibition is the fact that it
gathers highly talented artists from a wide range of backgrounds and cultural upbringings. We may
all speak different languages but it all interestingly comes together in our
shared vision and the creative process. From the ethereal portraits of A. Andrew
Gonzalez to the focused attention to detail of the painted objects in Erich J.
Mofitt's work, every piece in this exhibition invites us into the surrealist
realm of dreams and divinities but without losing a keen eye for the small, overlooked
things from our Earthbound world.
Works by Joe MacGown
Artists: Patrick McGrath Muñiz, Andrew Gonzalez and Joe McGown
I'm well aware that I haven't mentioned every artist participating in this
exhibition and I only had the chance to meet two of the artists in person, Joe MacGown and Andrew Gonzalez, both extraordinarily talented. But
there is so much to grasp in this exhibition it would take a whole book to cover it and there would still be more left out to talk about.
As a matter of fact as Liba mentions, this is how the Dreams and Divinities project got started in the first place,
with a book. If you are interested in learning more about all the artists participating, and of the Dreams and
Divinities current and future projects and publications visit:
Dreams and Divinities
The exhibition will be up until May 2nd, 2015 and I highly recommend seeing
it in person. Believe me, cameras do not capture as much as the real experience
of being in front of many of these works of art. For more information on
LuminArte gallery hours and location visit:
LuminArte Fine Art Gallery
Detail of Raul Casillas work
