Alexi TORRES

Reconstructing the Classics III

Alexi Torres discusses the relationship between nature and man in a contemporary context emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living things. His works are exceptionally complex, intricately weaving together organic and symbolic elements to create monumental works which challenge the viewer to see beneath the surface into the archetypal qualities of his subjects. He seeks to initiate a dialogue on the effects and power of human thought and behavior on the ever-changing environment, and the need of appreciation of what is. Torres taps into universal collective memory with playful themes and ironic juxtapositions relevant to the contemporary experience. His series range from portraits of ordinary people, cultural, military to a diverse sampling of symbols from popular culture. These images are then reimagined and reconstructed employing a unique multi-layer painting technique. Inspired by the agrarian lifestyle of his friends and family, Torres plants an idea for each new work and harvests it at completion according to the lunar patterns followed by his ancestors in his native Cuba. To record this ritual, each painting is begun and finished on a waning moon and recorded with his signature on the canvas. Alexi Torres was born in 1976 in Bermeja, a small village about 70 miles southeast of Havana, Cuba. From 1989-1991 he studied at Escuela Provicial de Artes in Mantanzas and 1991-1995 at Escuela Nacional de Artes in Havana. Torres has had numerous solo and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad including: UNIX Gallery, New York, 2013 and 2016; Jones Carter Gallery, Lake City, SC, 2016; Marietta Cobb Museum Of Art, Marietta, GA, 2014; DMoMA Lausanne, Switzerland, 2013; Hoover Library, Alabama, 2013; Rush Gallery, New York, 2012; Kai Lin Art, Atlanta, 2012; Scope Miami, 2011-15; Art Miami, 2011-16; LA Art Show; Texas Contemporary; Art South Hampton; Evan Lurie Gallery, 2011; and Naomi Silva Gallery, Atlanta, 2004. Torres’s work can be found in major private and public collections, including the private collections of Will Smith, Los Angeles, CA; Delta Airlines, Atlanta GA; Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA; Hoover Public Library, Hoover, AL; Museum of Art Matanzas, Cuba; David Mills, San Francisco, CA; Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, Atlanta, GA; Ruth Beardsley, Australia; Laura Rathe, Houston, TX; Bernie Marcus, Boca Raton , FL; Trijicon Inc, VA; Law & Moran, Atlanta GA. He is the recipient of the following awards: 2017 Top prize at Art Fields, SC. 2014 People’s Choice Award; Red Clay Survey; Huntsville Museum of Art. 2002 Grand Prize "Mapa Conceptual”, Matanzas, Cuba. 2000 Second Place Roberto Diego...

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. With plenty of personal art exhibitions, Tirado has participated in numerous collective exhibitions, receiving different awards such as “III Premio de Escultura” del Certamen Aires de Córdoba in 2004 and other recognitions, among them, at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC (2005), and the X Latin Art Festival of Atlanta (2005). Childhood Tirado grew up in an upper-middle-class family environment. His inclination for the arts started from an early age. At 8 years old, he was already experimenting with tridimensional forms, creating molds out of cast lead from pieces previously gathered on the streets. These first artistic experiences led by his inquisitive nature, provided the ground to continue exploring the possibilities with different materials like wood, waste and plaster. His childhood games were centered around painting and sculpting, which played an important role that ranged from recreational to aesthetics. When Tirado turned 12 years of age, his parents agreed for him to attend private art classes with professor Javier Hernandez in Caracas. Later on, he realized that Art was a profession that required investment in materials, reason that led him to work at a furniture store painting landscapes and figurative art to decorate the exhibit room. He created numerous paintings of Caracas’ famous mountain: El Avila...

As a gallerist, few moments are as rewarding as introducing collectors to an artist whose work speaks so profoundly to our shared human experience. Maria José Chica’s paintings do ex...

Due to the current situation related to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, our gallery will donate 10% of our commission from this sale to the Kansas City Artists Coalition, which has been supporting local Kansas City Artists for the past 40 years. The Kansas City Artists Coalition (KCAC), is a non-profit, artist-centered, artist-run alternative space, supporting artists at every level in their career through exhibitions, continuing education and artist studios. Artist: Joseph Broghammer Title: “Stalemate” Materials : Chalk pastel and pencil on Arches Paper Date : 2018 Dimensions : 7 x 11 ft. Omaha based artist Joseph Broghammer is as much of a storyteller as he is an artist. His one-of-a-kind pastel drawings in “Animals” are chronicles of his life. The creatures Broghammer creates are vehicles to uncover the varying characteristics of the artist’s personal identity. Hence, Broghammer’s “Animals” translates as a flowing stream of consciousness. The different birds and livestock staring back at the viewer are ornamented with iconographic symbols – small surprises along the way. These trinkets are keys to understanding the stories Broghammer is sharing. Broghammer began mastering his “dry painting” technique during his B.F.A. in Visual Art at the University of South Dakota. He graduated in 1986 and a year later went on to study his M.F.A. at the University of Wisconsin. In 2009, he studied at Creative Capital in Omaha, Nebraska. As storytellers often do, Broghammer later went on to become an educator himself, teaching at WhyArts? and becoming an Artist Assistant at Vera Mercer in Omaha – both of which he still practices at today. It’s apparent that Broghammer’s work has resonated with so many people around the world. Only a few years after his formal education, he began exhibiting his work through various International group shows in Italy, Germany, Holland, Mexico, and even Kansas City. Although Broghammer’s portraits depict downy creatures, his work is very much about the human experience. They are honest and full of life, evoking a sincere exchange between artist and viewer. “Animals” is for the animal lovers, students, teachers, collectors, writers, the young or old, and art historians alike. Dry Painting, Pastel, Drawing, Chalk Pastel, Oil Pastel, Painting, Contemporary Drawing, Contemporary Painting, Animal Drawings, Animal Paintings, colored pencil, pencil, large-scale drawings, portrait, portrait drawing, contemporary art, contemporary artists, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, Vladimir Kush...