E La Nave Va: San Antonio

"I recall the feeling of uneasiness every night before bed. Staring at statistics and news in April of 2020 caused deep anxiety, stress, and heartache. It was frightening to see numbers rise for 'Total Cases', 'Newly Reported', and 'Total Deaths'. I would meticulously search from countries to states in the U.S., then finally narrow it to cities. I would stay awake at the thought that those numbers could include my family at some point. During that time, the only outlet was my studio. Staying active and focusing on colorful, improvised abstract painting helped me channel the world around me as I attempted to heal my state of mind."

 

- Fernando Andrade

"Do Not Count Us Out is referential of Baroque and Moche ceremonial vessels.  Flowers, full of significance and meaning, are given at the beginning and at the end of our lives, at our births and at our passing's. The rainbow trout vase is filled with lilies and philodendron plants as well as emperor butterflies and sphinx moths. The text has a multiplicity of meanings ranging from the cries of protestors in the streets to the last words of wisdom from a loved one.

 

"Point of No Return depicts a promethean coyote and his compatriots are running away with the knowledge personified by fire. The work references all the political, racial, and socio-economic inequalities that exist in society. The truth is out of the bottle, our eyes are open, and we can no longer pretend it doesn’t exist...."

 

- Richard Armendariz

E la nave va, 'And the ship sails on' - after Fellini, is about construction and the unpredictability of paint to transmit motion.

Forms inside other forms, forms that build up into geometry of the space, opening up into another plane or to the contrary decompose into one another.

The chaotic scene and the harmonious tune of the line.

The uncertainty was the state of the world and the vision of the future.

Learning the need for synthesis, dematerialization, and the continuous navigation of the paradox of our existence.

This is the Full Meaning of Art.

 

- Cecilia Biagini

"I started creating the furniture in the early days of the pandemic as a way to slow down and focus my energy on something that was new and exploratory. The pieces are made almost exclusively with hand tools and inspired by vernacular furniture designs.

 

"The five ceramic vessels are the newest things that I have made...To me they are like mountain tops in the clouds - atmospheric and also weathered. They also are geological like something dug from the earth. They are in part inspired by the snowstorm and freeze we had this last year...The vessels are vase forms like one might use to display a large floral arrangement, but they are empty which speaks of loss or mourning."

 

- Nate Cassie

"We’re all subject to the laws of gravity and like a river cutting into the earth and making its path, so do we. The line of demarcation that separates before/after the pandemic is stark and remains etched in my mind like a high water mark after a flood. One day we will be far enough away from this catastrophe to wonder how we survived in those high waters, but for now I will continue to move forward and not look back."

 

- Ana Fernandez

"Art making in a compulsive act. I couldn’t help but keep making things but the longer the pandemic wore on, the more untethered I felt to things in the past or to the future for that matter. I found I started new things in materials that I don’t traditionally use...I also went back and did what was  known to me in my work. Sampling from previous pieces to creating a new iteration. The fortunate thing in this act was that my whole body of work is a slow motion animation of change. How perfectly that felt  for our times...They are accidental reflections for how I felt being away from most folks. It gave me a sense of newness that felt like moving forward."

 

- Leigh Anne Lester

"It never occurred to me until now that all my professional life I have worked and lived as if there were a pandemic out there. The word isolation is not really part of my thinking process..."

 

- César A. Martínez

"When the pandemic hit, I was feeling the best that I had ever felt in my adult life. In many ways, I believe the pandemic helped me be comfortable with slowing down...The work began with a series titled Outside Artists Windows. Most were inspired by what was outside my window, but others were inspired by the act of walking with my dog, experiencing a new level of health. The pandemic slowed things down just enough for me to be comfortable in what work I could produce physically."

 

- Cristina Muñiz

"I entered the hospital for a short stay in mid-February. Elise and I traveled to Boston for almost a week in early March. On March 11, we came home and locked the door. 409 days later, I go out and to the market. I cannot see that the avocados are hard and the potatoes are bruised."

 

- Mark Schlesinger