PAST EXHIBITIONS

LES Gallery

Jack Laughner and Carlos Delgado

Through August 17, 2008

Jack Laughner was born in 1980 in Butler, Pennsylvania. He received his BFA from the College of Art and Design at Syracuse University. He lives in Jackson Heights, Queens with his girlfriend Megan. This is his first show in New York City.

Carlos Delgado has been creating works for the past 10 years, from printmaking to oil paintings and mixed media. His preferred and specialized medium is printmaking, and has worked with lithographs, etchings and aquatints. His prints and paintings have been displayed in-group shows and have also been sold in fundraisers and auctions in Long Island. He has now chosen to develop more in oil paintings and mixed media with a subject matter different than the common landscapes and abstract works. Carlos Delgado was born in Elmhurst New York and was raised part in his parent’s native Ecuador and part in New York, where then he decided to live and attend college. He later then obtained a B.A. in Studio Art at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and where also his lithograph series called "The Arrival" won the Presidents Purchase award at the 2002 senior show.

Paintings by Michael Slatky

Prints: http://MichaelSlatky.imagekind.com/SlatkyArt

Website: www.michaelslatky.com

Michael J. Slatky's paintings have been displayed in group exhibitions, both in galleries, and through internet-based virtual collections.  In addition, his illustrations have appeared in various publications including PC Magazine, Westchester County Weekly, POPsmear Magazine and Ziff Davis Media.  Michael was born in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1972.  He received a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he studied illustration.

Artist's Statement

"My ideas spring from a visceral reaction to the materialistic and superficial mindset which permeates modern culture.  Most of my images start off as sketches on post-it notes and scraps of paper.  After a period of gestation they are enlarged, transferred to illustration board, and fleshed out in watercolor, pencil and ballpoint pen.  They often consist of landscapes of hallucinatory menace populated by beings engaged in peculiar behavior and rituals - performed to transcend the rational mind and corporeal existence.  A recurring motif is the number sixteen.  It appears in my work in various incarnations because I view sixteen as a symbol of wholeness and inner balance, something I am often trying to achieve in my own life."

Abrazo Gallery

Bolivian Textiles

April 11 through May 3

Opening Night Reception 7:30pm. 

Curated by Nina Cancel.

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The Metastases of Allegiance

Paintings by Tommy Mishima

March 10 - April 1, 2008

Monday through Saturday 3:30 pm to 11:30 pm,
Sundays by appointment

Opening Night Reception March 10 6:30 pm until 7:30 pm

Tommy Mishima was born in Lima, Peru, and moved to the U.S. when he was 17. He holds a degree in Fine Arts from Parsons.

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Urban Space 2007: URBAN COMMUNITIES February 28 to March 22 Abrazo Gallery

URBANSPACE is a photographic project distributed in the agile form of a multimedia projection. Focusing on the aesthetics of large urban centers as a theme, URBANSPACE unites internationally selected works
and is hosted in the virtual galleries of WOOLOO.ORG.

The first edition (2007)--a projection of 530 images from over 23 countries-- premiered in Rio de Janeiro at the media arts foundation, Oi Futuro. Simultaneous projections were also made in New Life Shop, the Berlin headquarters of WOOLOO.ORG. These projections have since been screened in ECCO during Brasilia's FotoArte, Sao Paulo's Galeria Vermelho, as well as showings during Fotopub07 in Slovenia.

The 2007 edition of URBANSPACE is curated around the theme of “URBAN COMMUNITIES” and examines the diverse formation of local communities, informal situations and other site-specific representations of contemporary urban existence. Anonymity. Survival. Decadence. Defiance.

Works may include photographic documentation of performances and site specific actions, digital interventions as well as traditional film photography.

Artist Urban Space 07 - Abby Goodman . AC Junior . Alex Hill . Bernardo Leitão Gaeiras . Cait Mitchell . Cia de Foto . Claudia Jaguaribe . Coletivo Rolê . Davide Quagliola . Douglas Fogelson . Felipe Varanda . Francis Ginza . Frederico NS . Ilana Bessler . Joao Couto . Leonardo Ramadinha . Margarida Correia . Mark Brown .
Martinka Edoga e Yves Schaum . Maslen e Mehra . Michael Fleming . Natalie Conn . Patricia Gouvêa . Petra Ruzickova . Sergio Zevallos . Tamara Rafkin Belgica . Timo Gaessner . Ubirajara Dettmar

Project by: Ilana Bessler
Curators: Sixten Kai Nielsen, Martin Rosengaard and Randolph Albright

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"Lo Nuevo" Paintings by Jeannette Sura Sababa January 17 through February 23, 2008 Curated by Luis R. Cancel

The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center is pleased to announce the opening of "Lo Nuevo," an exhibition of recent paintings by Jeannette Sura Sababa.  

The Chilean artist lives in New York City; her work consists of large color-field paintings.

The exhibition is on view at the the Abrazo Interno Gallery (CSV Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street, 2nd floor, between Delancey & Rivington Streets) from January 17 through February 23, 2008.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday 4:30-9:30 PM and Saturday from 2:00-9:30 PM Closed on Mondays and Sundays

Artist's Statement

My artistic work is an extension of my life. My paintings embrace movement, form and
color that at first glance seem effortless. But intertwined they express with gracefulness
my feelings, particularly my passion for art and  life.

My creative process usually starts with a primary color idea, and then evolve into
compositions in which colors open up into different shades until they become highlighted in their different ramifications.  The juxtaposition of shades of colors and textures progress toward a hidden personality that the casual observer may discover according to his or her imagination.

More than anything, my art is about vitality, energy, and optimism. From a subjective point of view, art is a synthesis of my inner emotions. Colors, materials and techniques which inspire me to achieve my prime goal: to project simplicity, movement and life throughout my work. Jeannette Sura Sababa

The exhibition was curated by Luis R. Cancel.

Exhibition Sponsor: Support for this exhibition was provided by the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Council Member Domenic M. Recchia.

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PORTRAIT OF LOISAIDA Photographs by Clayton Patterson and Marisol Díaz November 8, 2007 – January 12, 2008 Curated by Luis R. Cancel

The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center is pleased to present the work of two photographers, Clayton Patterson and Marisol Díaz, whose attention (and cameras) have been trained on the people, organizations and landmarks of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The Latino community, one of many that have called the area home, adopted the term “Loisaida” that was originally coined by poet/activist, Bittman "Bimbo" Rivas in his 1974 poem of the same name.

For the purposes of this exhibition, CSV defined the boundaries of Loisaida as: 14th Street on the north, the East River on the east, the Bowery on the west and the Manhattan Bridge on the south.

Of the two artists selected, Patterson has the deepest roots and longest history with the Lower East Side as both a chronicler and protagonist. A multi-talented visual artist who creates assemblages as well as utilizes the camera, Patterson is the quintessential resident of the neighborhood, deeply engaged with local and national issues, an advocate for progressive social agendas, distrustful of the government at all levels, and able to use his creative talents to give voice to these diverse threads.

Díaz brings her well-honed documentary style to the neighborhood, having completed now several long-term projects where she immersed herself in a subject and produced photographs that convey to the viewer a degree of intimacy with the subjects that is rarely attained. Díaz spent more than a year-and-a-half in the Loisaida community, visiting nightspots, participating in cultural events, joining the participants of adult education classes or “hanging out” with the youth – all the while various cameras clicking away unobtrusively. Díaz blends into whatever environment she places herself into and more importantly, she is accepted by diverse groups as a “member” giving her, and the viewers of her work, the opportunity to see life from the perspective of an insider.

The Lower East Side is experiencing wrenching change brought on by the unmitigated force of gentrification. There is serious displacement of long-time residents taking place, the closure of neighborhood stores, the exodus of long-time moderate-income residents due to escalating rents and sky-high property values. Taking their place are high-rise condos selling for millions of dollars, fancy boutiques and high-end clothing stores, pricy restaurants and lots of night clubs – the Lower East Side is becoming a textbook example of gentrification.

How this latest iteration of the Loisaida story will end is still being written and it is the hope of the CSV Cultural Center that this “Portrait” exhibition, with its associated rich imagery will serve as a rallying call to preserve the neighborhood in all of its diversity.
Luis R. Cancel, Curator 

Support for this exhibition was also provided in part by the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Council Member Domenic M. Recchia

Image Gallery (Click for larger image)

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FROM MANHATTAN TO OAXACA:
RECENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Exhibition Dates: September 27 - November 1, 2007

A 3-D photography Installation by:

Francisco Alvarado-Juárez

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 4:30 - 9:30 PM; Saturday, 2:00 - 9:30 PM;
Closed: Sunday & Monday

The exhibition consists of selections from two distinct series produced by Francisco Alvarado-Juárez over the past two years. "By the Shore of the Hudson: Manhattan" explores the Manhattan shoreline of the Hudson River between 96 Street and 125 Street. The artist selected small and distorted elements of driftwood that spontaneously appears, disappears and blends with the water and the New Jersey skyline leaving a monumental presence of figures resembling flora and fauna. The ephemeral nature of the artwork that inspired this series has been repeatedly photographed from different angles during different times of the day and seasons of the year.

The second series of works are inspired by events in Oaxaca, Mexico where the artists primarily resided for twenty months during 2005-2007, while on a scholarship by the Fulbright Foundation. This period coincided with several difficult and historic events in Mexico, including the controversial Presidential elections. Mr. Alvarado-Juárez undertook extensive video and photographic documentation of these events. It includes many aspects of daily life in Oaxaca, as well as the social and political conflicts of "El Movimiento", Day of the Dead celebrations, public concerts and the life of local artisans, among other activities.

In the year 2005-2006, Alvarado-Juárez was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship by the U.S. government to live in Oaxaca and conduct research on its highly varied and creative artisan community. While there, he mounted six highly successful individual exhibits of painting, photography, installation, video and sound in important museums and galleries throughout Mexico. His stay in Oaxaca, the first time he has lived in Latin America since his childhood, has had an enormous influence on his perception of life.

Born in Honduras, Alvarado-Juárez moved to New York City in 1965 as a young adolescent. He has received many fellowships throughout his career, including: the National Endowment for the Arts (1985, 1989), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (1993, 1998), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (1990, 2000), the New York Foundation for the Arts (2000), the Gottlieb Foundation (2004) and Fundacion Valparaiso (2004). His work has been shownin numerous exhibitions, both individual and group, in important museums and galleries in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Spain, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico.

For more information about the artist, visit his website at www.franciscoalvarado.com

Support for this exhibition was also provided in part by the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs
and Council Member Domenic M. Recchia

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS