Booth B29
https://thepaperfair.com/ny
BEYOND PAPER
Three Colombian artists redefining drawing
Beatriz Esguerra Art at Art on Paper NY
For decades Colombian artists have been redefining what drawing is and can be. Next to traditional drawing techniques, the unique and bold artists from Colombia have taken this versatile medium one step further, transforming the physical support itself into one of the most important components of their impeccably rendered drawings.
Beatriz Esguerra Art is pleased to present a selection of drawings by Colombian-born artists Pablo Arrazola, Teresa Currea, and Armando Castro-Uribe at the upcoming edition of Art on Paper in New York City. While formally diverse, all the pieces are linked together by the intuitive manipulation of the work’s support, turning it into an active part of the composition. The artists in this show cut, scrape, tear, mark, or/and scratch the different types of paper-based supports over which they meticulously sketch their figurative drawings infusing them with a sculptural quality. Next to these gestures, the artists often leave large areas of the sheets of paper or cardboard untouched further enhancing their expressive potential.
Visitors to the gallery’s booth will get a glimpse of the myriad of strategies that three technically skilled Colombian artists are using to reinvent the most ancient art form, drawing. They will also enjoy deciphering the fictitious or real-life stories these artists narrate through their poetic visual language. For example, Arrazola’s hyperrealistic portraits of children placed against white backgrounds speak of innocence and the possibility of redemption, while Castro-Uribes’s birds-eye drawings depict scenes connected to Colombia’s urban and rural everyday life. Remarkably, some of the faces of Castro-Uribe’s anonymous subjects are covered by paper bags hinting at the current disconnection and self-absorbed nature of contemporary societies. Meanwhile, Teresa Currea’s laboriously constructed cut-out drawings of fantastic creatures and plants introduce us to the artist’s dreamy world and reveal her affinity with Japanese culture.
Beatriz Esguerra Art is committed to promoting Colombia’s talented artists in Latin America and the United States. The gallery is thrilled to be present once more in Art on Paper with a show that brings the richness of artists from this region to an international audience. As stated by Beatriz Esguerra, “Colombian art’s high quality is yet to be discovered by the collector. Our booth is the perfect opportunity to get to know the work of some of the country’s greatest exponents.
