Inaugurated on
November 13, 2010 at Ensenada’s Centro
Estatal de las Artes (CEARTE),
“Reflexiones/Orgánicas
(Reflections/Organics)” showcases
the creativity of two extremely talented contemporary abstract artists
– one
Mexican, the other American. Although each has his own unique style and
technique, their works complement rather than clash when hung side by
side. It therefore
comes as no surprise that
Marco
Miranda and
Al Longo
have maintained a
bond of
artistry and friendship since meeting in 2005 as two of the 33 featured
artists
in the “LELA-Ensenada International Exposition of Contemporary Art.”
Born in Hermosillo in the state of Sonora,
Mexico, Marco
Miranda studied at the University of Sonora where he received his
degree in
Fine Arts, specializing in engraving. As part of his professional
evolution,
Marco attended various workshops which prompted his experimentation
with
different disciplines in art. Since the year 2000 his drawings,
paintings and
engravings have been featured in more than 30 collective and solo
exhibitions
held in Sonora, Baja California Sur, Baja California and Southern
California.
From 2004-2009 Marco resided in Ensenada, a city that he
credits with helping him to grow professionally and artistically as a
result of
his contact with people from diverse parts of the world. In 2009 Marco
relocated his studio-workshop to Mexicali where he currently teaches
painting
and serves as museographer for the Sala de Arte of the Universidad
Autónoma of
Baja California (UABC).
Marco’s works displayed in the “Reflexiones/Orgánicas”
exposition are mostly large format acrylic and mixed media on
Plexiglas. As a
result of both plan and experimentation, his colorful paintings reflect
and
refract light and provide a multidimensional effect when viewed from
different
angles.
Although both painters can be considered non-objective
abstract artists and both use strong, vibrant palettes, Marco’s
emphasis is bold
line whereas Al Longo’s is bold shape.
“All
my work is a reflection of nature. Not a representation of nature
but rather my feelings of and response to it. The shapes and colors
digested
and reformed to reflect my reaction to the spirit of the trees, rocks,
hills,
and waterways from which I create my forms. I use the vibrant colors to
express
the life flow within my ecological surroundings, which is the substance
of all
natural things.
Some of the canvases are shaped
so
that the viewer may perceive the
forms from different perspectives within the same work, just as it
might be
viewed in real life. The backgrounds blend, flow and intertwine with
the forms,
like wind or fog, caressing and sweeping, undulating through and
beyond. Beginning
with only the slightest idea of the forms I intuitively reshape them,
changing
the colors as I proceed; almost akin to the changing colors and
appearance of
the foliage seen from a path through woods, mountains or along the
seashore at
different times of the day or different seasons. These works are not
meant to
be a representation or reflection of nature but rather the sense of its
spirit
and energy.”
– Al Longo, November
2010
Al received his formal training at the Whitney School of Art
in New York, the Honolulu Academy of Art in Hawaii, and the University
of
Hawaii. A student of Japanese art and culture for many years, Al
resides in
Santa Rosa, California, where he shares an art studio with his wife and
best
friend of more than forty years, abstract artist
Chiyomi Taneike Longo,
who was
the first non-Mexican female artist to be invited to hold a solo show
at
Ensenada’s CEARTE. (Her retrospective exposition,
“Susurros
y
Expresiones
(Whispers & Utterances),” ran from February 26-May 1, 2010.) In
addition to
his current show in Ensenada, Al is exhibiting his works “Side by Side”
with
Chiyomi in their first two artist solo show at the
Marion Meyer
Contemporary
Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, California from November 13-December
19,
2010.
Museographer
Berta Armas with Al & Chiyomi Longo
 |
|
Artists
Chiyomi Longo & Marco Miranda
 |
|
Al’s oils and mixed media works have
appeared in solo and
collective exhibitions in Connecticut, New York, Hawaii, northern and
southern
California, and in Korea and Thailand. In Mexico, Al participated in
the
“LELA-Ensenada
International
Exposition of Contemporary Art” in 2005, the
“2nd Annual
International
Exposition of Contemporary Art and Art Camp” in Ensenada in 2006,
and
“Building
Bridges Mexico/USA 2008-2010” in Ensenada, Mexicali and Tijuana.
Displayed in CEARTE’s Sala Ernesto Muñoz
Acosta and lobby
through January 15, 2011, “Reflexiones/Orgánicas” offers an
exceptional opportunity
to compare and contrast the styles and techniques of two powerful
abstract
artists who are acclaimed on both sides of the border. Both painters
are
represented in the United States by
ADC Contemporary Art Gallery
in Los
Angeles, California.
Also worth viewing at CEARTE, “Visiones Revolucionarias
(Revolutionary Visions)” is a collective exposition of contemporary
interpretations of the cultural identity of Baja California in the
context of the
Bicentennial of National Independence and Centennial of the Mexican
Revolution.
The imaginative drawings, paintings, collages and other mixed media
pieces are
on exhibit through January 10, 2011 in the Sala Internacional.
Exhibition hours
for both shows are from 8am-8pm Monday-Saturday and noon-6pm on Sunday.
Admission is free. Ensenada’s
Centro
Estatal de las Artes is located on
the
corner of Blvd. Costero (Lázaro Cárdenas) and & Av.
Club Rotario, opposite
the Riviera Cultural Center clock tower, tel. (646)173-4307 or
173-4308, ext.
101 or
e-mail
