Ensenada
Sculptor Aims For Last Frontier
text
by connie ellig & david hopps
 From
July 8-August 5, 2005, the Instituto de Cultura de Baja California will
present
“The New Man: The Last Frontier,”
a sculpture exposition by Enrique Avilez, at Ensenada’s Galería
de la Ciudad in the Riviera Cultural Center. The exhibition will feature
unique adobe and bronze sculptures of male and female human figures created
by the internationally acclaimed Ensenada artist. Ensenada Mayor César
Mancillas and Lic. Jaime Jiménez Mercado have been invited to preside
over the 7:30pm ribbon-cutting ceremony at the July 8 inauguration, which
is open to the public. Guest artist Cristina Rendón will exhibit
her exceptional designer jewelry.
Born in Ensenada in 1968, Enrique Avilez is a self-schooled artist and
sculptor who has resided in the states of Jalisco, Sinaloa, Sonora and
Nuevo León as well as California and Arizona. His first exhibition
of paintings and drawings entitled “Dreams, Angels and Hallucinations”
was held in 1986 at the Universidad de Occidente in Guasave, Sinaloa. Subsequent
one-man shows of paintings and sculptures have been presented in Jalisco,
Nuevo León, Sonora and Baja California. “Women of Adobe” at Ensenada’s
Café Tomás Gallery, “Bajaterra, The Birth of Modern Man”
at the Tijuana Cultural Center, and “Roots” at the National Ceramics Museum
in Tonalá, Jalisco are among his most well known exhibitions. In
Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Sonora, Avilez is famous for his public
art like the Old Port mural, the Costa Brava mural and the mermaid sculpture
at Sr. Amigo Restaurant on the malecón.
 In
the United States, Avilez has exhibited in Palm Desert and Newport Beach,
California and in Scottsdale, Nogales, Tucson, Sedona and Phoenix, Arizona.
In 1999, he was the first Mexican to be honored with a one-man show at
the Phoenix City Hall. The exhibit, entitled “Love and Mystery,” was inaugurated
by Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza and Lic. Salvador Cassian, Consul General
of Mexico.
In 2001, Enrique Avilez returned to Ensenada, where he now resides with
his jewelry designer wife, Cristina, and their sons, Baruc and Phillip.
“All the years I’ve been away, I’ve always held the desert sand of Baja
California in my heart,” he explains.
If you’d like to permanently own a one-of-a-kind Enrique Avilez sculpture,
be sure to attend the Jazz Concert and Art Auction on July 22, 2005. Enjoy
live jazz by Mario Lamadrid and other guest musicians, then bid on nearly
a dozen Enrique Avilez adobe and bronze sculptures which will be auctioned
to benefit Casa Hogar del Anciano de Ensenada (Home for the Aged). Festivities
begin at 7pm. The incomparable (and bilingual) Lic. Jaime Jiménez
Mercado will serve as official auctioneer.
On August 5, 2005, “The New Man: The Last Frontier” exposition will
close with an urban art conference at 5pm by Enrique Avilez followed by
“Arte Baja California,” an innovative short movie by Esteban Flores.
All events are free, open to the public, and will take place at the
Galería de la Ciudad, located in the northern end of Ensenada’s
Riviera Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero. Gallery exhibition hours are
8am-7pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-1pm Sat. For more information contact Enrique Avilez
at (646)178-4183 or e-mail,
or Galería de la Ciudad at (646)177-3130. Event sponsors include
Bodegas de Santo Tomás Winery, Grupo Premier, Dinasa, S.A., Big
Bang Technology, Optical, Designia, El Mesón, Bazar Casa Ramírez,
Café Tomás, Galería Pérez Meillón, EnsenadaGazette.com,
and El Mexicano and El Vigía newspapers. To view a
selection of Enrique Avilez’ adobe, bronze, clay, and mixed media sculptures,
visit his web site.
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