“Testimonies Two - Contemporary
Ex-Votos” Curated by Raoul De la Sota
Lesser Saint No. 5 – Richard
Turner
Yrneh Brown, Martin Charlot, Mita Cuaron,
Ruth De Nicola, Pat Gomez, Yolanda Gonzalez,
Mark Steven
Greenfield, Lucy Hagopian, Cidne Hart, Wayne Healy, Heriberto Luna,
Rafael Matias,
Susanna Meiers/Peter Liashkov,
Andrés
E. Montoya,
Toti O’Brien,
Suzanne Siegel, Richard Turner
Artists’ reception -- Saturday evening,
December 12, 2009 from 7 to 10 p.m.
The
Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present Testimonies Two – Contemporary
Ex Votos. Curator Raoul De la Sota has assembled a group of
artists for a special exhibit focusing on the Mexican-rooted art form of
the ex-voto.
Ex-votos historically were devotional visual offerings to the Church for a
miraculous cure or for some intervention by a specific religious figure that
prevented harm or death. In 16th century Spain they were painted directly
onto the interior church walls as murals depicting the miracle. The paintings
themselves were called Milagros or miracles. In 18th and 19th
century Mexico they became the source of income for itinerant artists who depicted
in their paintings some sort of miracle. These artists, often academically
untrained, created their works at the request of families, painting with inexpensive
oils on whatever small scraps of material was convenient and cheap, most often
tin or wood. The works ranged from the charmingly rustic to the aesthetically
profound. The works were then in turn donated by the family to a nearby church
as gratitude for its intervention. In the 20th century the craft continued
but with less religiosity and more pleas for financial help or for material
goods. In all cases there was always a narrative text painted onto the
surface that described the event and the stated gratitude of the donor. Frida
Kahlo was a modern artist who admired and patterned some of her work after
these forms.
The present-day work by these diverse artists involves personal stories, narratives
of gratitude and portrayals of visual histories. Some are graphic representations
of difficult times while others are simple tokens of thanks for life’s
pleasures. In form they are sculptures, assemblages, collages, photographs
and paintings. They are no longer directed to a religious institution
but rather are personal messages directed to a contemporary audience.
The exhibit opens with an artists’ reception on Saturday evening, December
12,, 2009 from 7 to 10 p.m. and closes with an artists’ panel discussion
on Sunday, January 24, 2010.
For further information please contact:
Kathy Gallegos, Director, Avenue 50 Studio, ave50studio@sbcglobal.net
Raoul De la Sota, Curator, raouldelasota@sbcglobal.net
