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A few weeks ago, on November 16th, the exhibition for this year’s Fall Artists in Residence, “Reading with ghosts” by Lisa Iglesias and Tomás Pichardo was officially inaugurated with a cocktail at The Gallery in Altos de Chavón.
Despite the rain that night, many went in support of these two talented artists who brought their unique artwork to the Altos de Chavón gallery. For this exhibition, the artists cast their attention on their family homes in Santo Domingo as a source for the materials used for their pieces. The two artists used objects that had some sort of meaning for them; for example, we are able to see maps, used frames, books, toys, cardboard, even childhood drawings by Tomás — which by the way one of my favorites of the exhibition is his drawing of the Ninja Turtles dated back to 1993 drawn by him as a kid.
Themes of magical realism, fragmentation, repetition, family and alchemy weave throughout the sculptures, videos and drawings. The artists address the absence and presence of family members and patterns both geologically formed and constructed by human relationships. I remember hearing some of the guests mentioning that it had been a while since there was an exhibition with actual drawings and it was definitely a trip back to how an artist begins. There was a special area where Tomás had placed sheets of papers for the attendees to draw on them and place on the wall along with his drawings. Currently, you will be able to find some made by the students as a thanks and homage to their teacher and his animations found in Tomatico.net.
The “Artists-In-Residence” program emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange in the art world, something which is extremely beneficial for the student’s education. These artists live and work in Altos de Chavón for three months, and conclude their studies with an exhibition at The Gallery. They also often teach workshops to the school students where they are able to interact with them and exchange cultural experiences, ultimately learning from each other.
Most of the pieces are already sold, but are still in exhibition and open to the public until December 11th, so take the time to visit these remarkable works and you might even have the chance to see the artists themselves and learn more about their work and time here!
The following photos were taken by Mariana Heredia during the opening cocktail of the “Artists in Residence Fall 2017” exhibition, on Thursday, November 16th:
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“Reading with ghosts” an exhibition by Lisa Iglesias and Tomás Pichardo
Where: The Gallery, Altos de Chavón
Opening hours:
Monday – Sundays, 8am – 9pm
Wednesday and Sundays, 8am – 5pm
Tel: (809) 523-8470
The exhibition will remain open to the public until December 11th.