Francisco Alvarado-Juárez:  VISIBLE AND UNSEEN
Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi: COLLECTIVE MEMORY

Curated by Fernando Salicrup and Christine Licata

Exhibition Dates: November 14, 2008 – January 10, 2009
Opening November 14, 6-8pm
Gallery Hours: Tues. thru Sat. 12-6pm, Thurs. 1-7pm, Sun. closed.

Francisco Alvarado-Juárez “Visible and Unseen”Through a combination of installation and painting in “Visible and Unseen,” Francisco Alvarado-Juárez explores nature’s inherent contradictions—the beauty of its fragility and temporality combined with sublime power, infinite memory and regeneration. Through an ecosystem of brightly colored hand cut paper bags and lush, vibrant paintings he invites an exploration into our relationship to nature both literally and symbolically. Alvarado-Juárez states his desire is "for people to see and feel the exuberance of nature, but also to see that nature is ephemeral. It is imperative that human beings become aware of the urgent need to salvage and protect what we have not yet destroyed."

“Visible and Unseen,” also incorporates Alvarado-Juárez’s most recent series of work. Breaking from the traditional approaches to painting, each piece consists of multiple paper panels, contoured onto and away from the wall, forming undulating visions of a dynamic land and seascapes. Together they form a vivid, allegorical journey through swirling waters and expansive terrains teeming with life and energy.

About the Artist:  Born in Honduras and now a resident of New York since 1965, Alvarado-Juárez has received many fellowships throughout his career. These include awards from the National Endowment for the Arts (1985, 1989), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (1993, 1998), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (1990, 2000), the New York Foundation for the Arts (2000), Fundación Valparaíso (2004) and the Gottlieb Foundation (2004). In September 2005, he was selected as a Fulbright Research Fellow in Oaxaca, Mexico in which he spent a year collaborating with the artistry of the wood carvers and other artisans there. He has exhibited internationally in museums and galleries throughout the United States, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Hungary, Venezuela and Honduras. To find out more about Francisco Alvarado-Juárez and his work please visit: www.franciscoalvarado.com

Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi “Collective Memory”
In “Collective Memory,” Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi creates evocative assemblages or, as she refers to them, “tactile memories” that explore the struggle of belonging and believing—whether through faith, culture or ideology. Her work is deeply influenced by the experience of leaving Colombia as a young adult and moving to the US. Delving into the states of displacement, nostalgia, desire and intimacy, Moreno-Yaghoubi addresses the xenophobic stereotypes and the intolerances that divide us as well as integrates a universal visual language based on individual and collective histories.

Her assemblages utilize social and political imagery, religious iconography, found objects from flea markets and thrift shops including recycled materials such as fabric and wood. These emotionally charged objects, imbued with unconscious and conscious content, create potent socio-political dialogues. Conversations that Moreno-Yaghoubi describes as “juxtaposing the safe and conventional with the provocative and taboo" in order to “promote positive cultural, religious and social interaction.” Inspired by artists such as Joseph Cornell and Robert Rauschenberg her work finds poetry in everyday objects and powerful messages in forgotten, overlooked places.

About the Artist: Born in Colombia and now living in New York City, Moreno-Yaghoubi studied painting at the Art Students League, the National Academy of Fine Arts, the Silvermine Arts Center and Westchester Community College. She has exhibited throughout New York and Connecticut including the Westchester Art Workshop, “Origenes Latinos/Latin Roots” gallery in Chelsea, The Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center and The National Academy of Art Museum. She has been selected to participate in the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea Firenze, in 2009. To find out more about Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi and her work please visit: www.ceciliamyart.com