Correspondence: In Relation to Goya
~ Victor Huerta Batista ~
June 21, 2007 - September 30, 2007
Victor Huerta Batista, La barca Habana (The
Havana Boat), 2005
acrylic on canvas, 27 x 39 inches
Courtesy MLA Gallery, Los Angeles
In 1949, when Alejo Carpentier penned the phrase
"lo real maravilloso," he articulated a trend in 20th century
Cuban arts toward the creation of
magical realities: real experience meshed with fantastical imaginings,
personal mythology nuanced by political critique, precise rendering
amidst
strange artificiality and psychologically charged atmospheres.
Born in Camagüey in 1972, Victor Huerta Batista is heir to this
"marvelous real," and to Cubanidad, the hybrid
Cuban-ness that derives from the island's
long history of cultural fusion. In dialogue with an unusually complex
set of art historical precedents, his work also channels the ingenious
machine-drawings
of Leonardo da Vinci; Christian iconography of the Renaissance;
Mannerist emphases on irrational space and private symbolic
vocabularies; and the idiosyncratic
dream-worlds of Surrealism.
The work is representational, often erotically charged, sometimes
foreboding, and in its many references to modes of transportation,
implies a consuming desire for escape.
As is true of Goya's Los Disparates, Huerta's images
communicate an elusive vision, at once highly personal and politically
evocative.
Victor Huerta Batista is based in Havana, Cuba. This exhibition,
which features 18 paintings in acrylic on canvas, marks the artist's
debut U.S. museum presentation.
Curated by Dr. Lisa Fischman, Chief Curator.
All works courtesy MLA Gallery, Los Angeles.
Victor Huerta Batista's work is represented by MLA
Gallery, Los Angeles
Organized to complement Goya's Mastery in
Prints, the presentation of Francisco de Goya's four major
print suites, the exhibition series Correspondence: In
Relation to Goya showcases contemporary artwork
that in risk-taking originality, clarity of vision, and passionate
quality resonates with Goya's legacy.
