Last Thursday the 4th of April 2013, the Spring 2013 “Artists-In-Residence” art exhibit was opened to the public at The Gallery in Altos de Chavón. An exhibit presented by 4 very different artists from very different backgrounds – the result was remarkable.
The “Artists-In-Residence” program ran by the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange in the art world, something which is extremely beneficial for the student’s education. By bringing together artists from different countries and cultures the artists improve and develop their skills by interacting and learning from other artists of a different cultural background.
On this occasion the “Artists-In-Residence” scheme brought together Maria Batlle from the Dominican Republic, Duncan Tonatiuh from Mexico, Altos de Chavón graduate Mildor Chevalier from Haiti and his wife, Saba Farhoudnia from Iran. The combined work of these 4 outstanding young artists presenting at together at The Gallery in Altos de Chavón is most impressive.
The Gallery, Altos de Chavón during the opening
During the cocktail party, attended by the artists themselves, their friends and family, many members of the La Romana, Casa de Campo, and Altos de Chavón communities, as well as numerous students of the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, everyone was fascinated to enjoy this unique blend of different artistic styles.
Altos de Chavón graduate Mildor Chevalier, who we all know and love for his impressive talent at sculpture, surprised everyone with his abstract collection featuring small and multi-colored heads, which was both bold, colorful and striking.
By Mildor Chevalier
Meanwhile Mildor’s beautiful wife, Saba Farhoudnia let her culture and native tongue shine through with a fascinating collection featuring farsi text, which as Saba explained was specifically chosen to match her subject “if the topic is sad, I choose sad words, if the topic is happy I choose happy words.”
At the other end of the gallery was Maria Batlle from Santo Domingo and the “Muse Seek Project”, which combines music (produced and played by herself) and poetry – with her paintings. The poetry written by Miriam León, the mother of Casa de Campo villa owner José Calzada León is not only read over Maria’s music (which we could listen to at the opening), but also acted as Maria’s inspiration for each painting.
Observing & listening – enjoying The Muse Seek Project by Maria Batlle
And last but not least were the sketches of Duncan Tonatiuh from Mexico, fun and full of life, the sketches were cartoon representations of different characters carrying out everyday chores. Perhaps the most popular, or at least my favorite, was the woman multi-tasking – depicted with 8 arms cooking, ironing, looking after the plants and the pets, cleaning and watching TV.
Congratulations to Mildor Chevalier, Saba Farhoudnia, Maria Batlle and Duncan Tonatiuh!
This incredibly varied exhibit is a “must-see” and will remain open in The Gallery at Altos de Chavón until April 29th. The Gallery is open daily from 9am to 6pm, but closed on Wednesdays.
The following collection of photos were taken during the opening of the exhibit on Thursday the 4th of April in Altos de Chavón:
Spanish
