Horizon/Paisaje a group exhibition of Puerto Rican contemporary artists at Fresh Window Gallery, New York

Horizon/Paisaje art work by Omar Velázquez. and Nora Maité Nieves

New York, NY - Fresh Window is pleased to present Horizon/Paisaje a group exhibition of four artists originally from Puerto Rico curated by Nora Maité Nieves, but currently residing in the US. Nora Maité Nieves, Carlos Rodríguez, Edra Soto, and Omar Velázquez.

Horizon/Paisaje offers a look at the horizon line, an illusory line dependent on the viewer’s position in space. Therefore, the same horizon line seen from multiple views can potentially offer similar yet contrasting positions. The artist’s works in this exhibition make reference to horizontal points of view to describe various cultural, personal, and territorial landscapes. 

The work of Edra Soto, through the classical visual reference of a still life, invites us to contemplate the documentation of liquor bottles that she collected around her neighborhood of East Garfield Park in Chicago. These pieces reflect a cityscape of alcoholism, consumption, and littering, which also becomes a way of archiving current social and political realities. 

“1-13-17: Hennessy, Rémy Martin, D’Ussé, Jose Cuervo, Patron, Bud Ice, 

Seagrams, Paul Masson”, 2017 by Edra Soto from her 

series Open 24 Hours (limited edition) Risograph on paper 11 in x 14 in

Omar Velázquez paints landscapes that are full of humor, irony, and deterioration inspired by urban, tropical and domestic scenes. His impasto and sculptural paintings are a collage of textures and lowbrow materials that come from everyday life. Velázquez uses familiar modern lifestyle references to confront cultural discourses about the idea of progress. This is a panorama that reminds us of how close we are to simultaneously experience the luxury, and witness the precarious conditions of living in our present.

Nora Maité Nieves records architectural features of domestic space, presenting through frottage, the flattened yet physical dimension of the depicted objects. Her pieces become like topographical maps of a sense of belonging. Horizontal perspectives appear in the comfort of a utopian sun, suggesting a longing for a remote landscape. 

Horizon/Paisaje view exhibition 

Carlos Rodríguez presents a horizontal view inspired by abandoned mid century design style houses by the beach in Puerto Rico. His work is based on the current financial crisis of the USA territory, Puerto Rico. While each piece is intentionally similar they are simultaneously very different to one another, in what seems to celebrate their differences and their unifying decay within a shared landscape.

Horizon/Paisaje will be in conversation with our next exhibition opening July 7th titled Landscape/Horizonte with artists Melissa Calderón, Frances Gallardo, Fernando Pintado and Chemi Rosado-Seijo. Both exhibitions offer distinct approaches towards horizons and landscapes in order to further expand on dialogues about illusory boundaries. The work of the artists from both shows will suggest maps of binary relationships considering the origin they all share, Puerto Rico. These metaphorical horizons portray multiple panoramic scenes of a current landscape.

On View June 2 – June 30, 2017
Friday – Sunday 1 – 6 pm
Or by Appointment
56 Bogart Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206 info@freshwindow.org 718-417-0783