April 12, 2010 | Download PDF
SPENCE GALLERY Presents a Group Exhibit of Latin-Canadian Artists
Spence Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibit showcasing four of Toronto’s top Latin artists. Los Pintores features over 25 new works from Ivan Ortiz, Jesus Mora, Nahum Flores and Marcelo Suaznabar. Suaznabar and Flores have been making a name for themselves in the Toronto and international art scenes; Mora and Ortiz are generating local interest while gaining some international exposure.
Ortiz creates moody, mixed media, abstract pieces that lure the viewer. Inspired by patterns found in urban decay, weathered walls and neglected spaces, there is a certain romance and depth that hangs in his dark, soothing canvases. He creates texture with the heavy use of acrylic and mixed media with sparks of colour that focus the eye.
In his paintings, Mora fuses classical concepts with traditional techniques to create undefined figures inspired from nature and ancient iconography. His art represents the merger of his indigenous ancestry and Spanish background.
Flores’ contemporary pieces are littered with elements of his past. He uses layers of materials that symbolize landscapes with a sense of history, buried pasts and beliefs that give in to new realities. As a native of Honduras, Flores’ work is also influenced by the social, historical and environmental issues that have shaped the Latin American region. But, from this, comes pieces that are sensitively rendered in soft colours with a sense of intelligent humour.
Fast becoming one of Toronto’s favourites, Suaznabar continues to create surreal moments that toy with our imagination. Those discovering Suaznabar’s work for the first time may move from being perplexed to laughing at the unlikely fantasies he projects. Those more familiar with his work will be impressed with the new objects that he suspends in time and space against the backdrop of the Bolivian landscape.
Together these four talented artists present fascinating contemporary art that blends Latin and Canadian sensibilities and bring a new outlook to Toronto’s art scene. Each artist boasts a unique perspective and technique using a range of media – acrylic, oil, photo imaging, fabric, resin, etc. Each will present large and small scale pieces in this exhibit.
Toronto is quickly becoming a nexus of Latin culture, the food and music of which are currently at our doorsteps. Now the city is privileged to have this same cultural influence in the art scene. Spence Gallery showcases and celebrates this cultural diversity.
The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, May 15, 2010 starting at 6 p.m. The show runs to June 6, 2010.
For further information contact Joan Spence, Director, Spence Gallery