July 28, 2017
The Frames and Stretchers team is always excited to work with artists represented by Bryant Toth Fine Art, a Manhattan gallery specializing in Cuban art and artists. We recently stretched this painting on canvas by Aluan Arguelles from his “Sad Diamonds Series” for exhibition in a private Manhattan townhouse viewing being presented by the gallery.
The completed "Sad Diamonds" painting stretched in our studio
Aluan Arguelles was born in 1982 and studied at the Superior Institute of Arts (ISA) prior to a stint at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Arguelles is well known for his painting but has also worked in sculpture, installation, performance and video. He uses photographic references as a jumping off point for these works which capture a moment of reconciliation in the gray tones of black and white photography. His themes include the condition of “island” (geographically/personally), departure and arrival, meeting and farewell, beginning and end. He centers on the Cuban experience but address universal human themes. Arguelles began painting monotone images reflective of the cinema and newspapers of Cuba. The images are blurred as he explains, “The reason for the blur is to allow for the mixing of the future and the past. We're at one point now, but the past and future are both clear.” *
A work from Arguelles' "Atlas" series
“The Sad Diamonds Series" predates his experience in Sweden and a period of creating more colorful and loser compositions. More recently he returned to black and white and themes of Cuba and the island condition. The “Atlas” series combines painting and invisible ink. In an interactive experience the viewer illuminates the gray surface of the calm water to reveal the names of Cubans lost at sea while attempting to emigrate.
Cuban artist Aluan Arguelles
The townhouse viewing runs through August 27th and complete list of artists and artworks can be found on Artsy. Frames and Stretchers looks forward to future projects with Bryant Toth and his terrific roster of talent.
