Freshmay 14, 2013- june 30, 2013

Curated by Flavia S. Zúñiga-West

Claudia Ballesteros, Massimiliano Boschini, Ana Brotas, John Clowder, Michael Frank, Helena Markonsalo, Alvaro Sánchez

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T he seven artists in this exhibition have

stretched our interpretation and associations

of the word fresh. From Finland, Italy,

Mexico, The United States, Guatemala, and

London, the diverse definitions of this

commonly used word is vast and transversal

in the natural, societal, and whimsical. They

disturb, play, and celebrate on the vernacular

and slang uses of a word that falls into song

lyrics, complimentary statements regarding

fashion, repetitiously seen in grocery stores,

domestic product commercials, and hint at

the uncomfortable societal innuendo. We

want to consume fresh produce while looking

fresh, hoping to attract someone who won't

take advantage of us and get too fresh,

seeking products that make our homes smell

fresh, thinking 'ain't nobody dope as me I'm

just so fresh and so' … These artists through

various mediums-- collage, mixed media,

digital photography, and fiber art, prod us to

realize the complexity of language and how

we can manipulate words to drastically

change their meanings.

Alvaro Sánchez Fresh at HomeDigital Collage

Helena MarkonsaloBow BobMixed Media: fabric, beads, plastic, paint

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Ana BrotasBathing 1Digital Collage

John ClowderWhere am I going?Illustration on paper

Massimiliano Boschini and Alvaro Sánchez

discuss domesticity, gender, and violence

hidden in the word fresh. Boschini blends

the informal, presumptuous use of fresh

with domestic appliances in “frigidaire.”

The photograph is jarring; capturing a

naked woman crouched with her head

down inside of a refrigerator in an

abandoned, decrepit warehouse. The

composition is saturated with warm hues;

the warehouse appears to be boiling hot,

and questions if the lone, almost orange

female character is hiding or seeking

shelter. “Frigidaire” disturbs; beauty,

sexuality, and violence are actively

colliding in this photograph, crying for

hydration and freshness.

Alvaro Sánchez borrows symbols of

freshness with his re-appropriation of the

refrigerator and 1950s housewife in "Fresh

at Home.” In this collage, fresh is confined;

gender politics are on the table with a

vintage advertisement serving as evidence

of the American promotion of the cult of

domesticity. Red lines mimicking kitchen

tiles trap the smiling housewife displaying

her full fridge, with the skull expressing the

decay of female individuality and its

transformation into an appliance to fulfill

societal expectations.

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“Bow Bob” by Helena Markonsalo is

quirky and arrogant with the placement of

the hand on the groin. Essential to the

tuxedo and distinctive attire for formal

events, “Bow Bob” is fitting for bow tie

icons like Fonzworth Bentely, The Rat Pack,

and 007. The heavy embellishment of the

necktie and the grip of the hand mocks

men’s fashion, playboy personalities, and

the status of the neck tie.

Ana Brotas’ bathing Renaissance beauty

pushes us to see art historical icons with a

fresh perspective, appreciating their

contradictory existence in an exhibit asking

for fresh works. Transitioning from social

ecology into the natural, artists Michael

Frank and Claudia Ballesteros

metamorphoses the word fresh. “Leaf and

Limb” is a digital green-scape budding with

life. The serpent like frond appears to be

undergoing rapid growth, boundlessly

stretching and spiraling. Ballesteros’ tactile

sculpture “Eco” teems with vitality by

capturing the veins, nooks and crannies of

the wilderness.

Fresh art is what every curator seeks and

every artist hopes to produce. Emerging art

by its very nature is fresh, but it is technical

skill along with concept and context that

guarantee the shelf life and preservation of

what is deemed good art. Claudia Ballesteros EcoSand, gesso, textiles and oil on wood

Michael FrankLeaf and Limb3D Software & Photoshop

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Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Daniel Ruiz for his editorial eye.

Cover: Massimiliano Boschini, frigidaireDigital Photography

http://dulcineaartgallery.com