PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PIKI MENDIZABAL
The Parade Ends
28 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Opening Receptions During The First Saturday Gallery Openings In The Arts District Of New Orleans'
1 February 2020 ||| 6-9PM
7 March 2020 ||| 6-9PM
Photography courtesy of Mike Smith.
PRESS RELEASE
28 January 2020 (New Orleans, LA) JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is pleased to announce, The Parade Ends, the debut solo exhibition of Cuban born artist Piki Mendizabal. Presently working in New Orleans, Louisiana the artist has created a series of new paintings that reflect on the life he once lived in Cuba, memories of which have become melded with his current life in New Orleans. We see evidence of this coexistence in his paintings of people on streetcars, in which he links his memories of the daily rhythm of life in Cuba with a setting that the people of New Orleans are intimately familiar.
Piki’s approach to this series of work was also influenced, in great part, by the essays of Cuban poet, Reinaldo Arenas whose writings were largely autobiographical and inspired by his experience of life in exile after the Cuban Revolution. Where Arenas uses words, Piki uses oil on canvas to paint a portrait of life in Cuba as experienced by a young man on the ground, in the crowd, amongst the people. Time, distance, and the fallacy of memory all work together in Piki’s paintings to blur the distinction between reality and imagination, creating a powerful reflection on the universality of the human experience. The exhibition will be on view from 28 January through 13 March 2020 with an opening reception coinciding with the Arts District of New Orleans’ (ADNO) First Saturday Gallery Openings on Saturday, 1 February from 6-9 pm.
The artist says of his work…
The title of this exhibition was taken from a poem of the same name “The Parade Ends” by Cuban writer and poet Reinaldo Arenas. The exhibition centers around the human drama of life: to be born, to live, to love, and to die. Using vehicles of transportation as a stage, the characters meet in a constant state of struggle.
My Cuban heritage and the fact that I live far from my birth country compels me to focus specifically on all of the human drama that transpires in the daily rhythm of life in Cuba. I rely on a range of dark colors in order to achieve greater contrasts of light and, at the same time, to create greater drama within the figures.
PIKI MENDIZABAL was born in La Havana, Cuba in 1982. Mendizabal began drawing at an early age, but his real artistic journey started in 2002 when he took his first art classes. From 2002 to 2006 he took classes at La Casa de Cultura in Old Havana. His dedication earned him admittance to the Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro, where he attended from 2006 to 2008. During his time at the Academy, Mendizabal tried many forms of artwork, but ultimately, he found that he could express himself best through a painter’s palette. At this time, he met Nicolas Alayo and Jose Baro who both served as important mentors. Alayo taught Mendizabal about the intricacies of Cuban culture, while Baro developed his painting techniques.
In April of 2008 Mendizabal emigrated to Homestead, Florida. He had his first solo show, Suenos de la Libertad, in 2009 at the Zu Gallery in Miami. Seeking a city more familiar to his home, Mendizabal moved to New Orleans in 2010 where he currently resides. For the past three years he has taught at the International High School of New Orleans. His most recent solo show, Reflection and the Diasporic Epic, was held at the Mexican Cultural Institute in 2018.
28 de enero de 2020 (Nueva Orleans, LA) JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY se complace en anunciar, The Parade Ends, la primera exposición individual del artista Cubano Piki Mendizabal. Trabajando en Nueva Orleans, Louisiana, el artista ha creado una serie de nuevas pinturas que reflejan la vida que el vivió en Cuba, recuerdos de los cuales se han fusionado con su vida actual en Nueva Orleans. Vemos evidencia de esta coexistencia en sus pinturas de personas en streetcars, en las que el conecta sus recuerdos del ritmo cotidiano de la vida en Cuba con un escenario que la gente de Nueva Orleans conoce íntimamente.
Piki fue muy influenciado por los ensayos del poeta cubano, Reinaldo Arenas, cuyos escritos fueron en gran parte autobiográficos e inspirados por su experiencia de la vida en el exilio después de la Revolución Cubana. Donde Arenas usa palabras, Piki usa óleo sobre lienzo para pintar un retrato de la vida Cubana como lo experimentó un joven en el suelo y entre la gente. El tiempo, la distancia y la falacia de la memoria trabajan juntos en las pinturas de Piki para difuminar la distinción entre realidad e imaginación, creando una poderosa reflexión sobre la universalidad de la experiencia humana. La exposición estará abierta del 28 de enero al 13 de marzo de 2020 con una recepción de apertura que coincidirá con las inauguraciones de la Galería del primer sábado del Arts District New Orleans (ADNO) el sábado 1 de febrero de 6 a 9 pm.
La pintura dice de su exposición…
The Parade Ends es el título de esta Exposición. El título es tomado del poema del mismo nombre "The Parade Ends" escrito por Reinaldo Arenas, un escritor y poeta cubano. La exposición se centra en el drama humano de la vida: nacer, vivir, amar, morir. Usando vehículos de transporte como un escenario, los personajes se encuentran en un estado constante de lucha.
Mi herencia cubana y el hecho de vivir lejos de mi tierra natal, me obliga a enfocar todos de estos dramas humanos en el ritmo cotidiano de la vida en Cuba. Me apoyo en una gama de colores oscuros para lograr mayores contrastes de luces y a la vez para crear mayor dramatismo en las figuras.
PIKI MENDIZABAL Nació en La Habana, Cuba en 1982. Mendizabal comenzó a dibujar a una edad temprana, pero su verdadero viaje artístico comenzó en 2002 cuando tomó su primera clase de arte. De 2002 a 2006 tomó clases en La Casa de Cultura en La Habana Vieja. Su dedicación le valió la admisión a la Academia de Bellas Artes de San Alejandro, donde el asistió de 2006 a 2008. Durante su tiempo en la Academia, Mendizabal experimento con muchos tipos de arte, pero por ultimo, descubrió que se expresaba mejor con la pintura. Al mismo tiempo él conoció a Nicolás Alayo y José Baro que se convirtieron en mentores importantes para Mendizabal. Alayo le enseñó a Mendizábal sobre las complejidades de la cultura cubana, mientras que Baro desarrolló sus técnicas de pintura.
En abril de 2008, Mendizabal emigró a Homestead, Florida. Tuvo su primera exposición individual, Sueños de la Libertad, en 2009 en la Zu Gallery de Miami. Buscando una ciudad más familiar para su país de origen, Mendizabal se trasladó a Nueva Orleans en 2010, donde actualmente vive. Durante los últimos tres años ha enseñado en la International High School de Nueva Orleans. Su exposición individual más reciente, Reflection and the Diasporic Epic, estaba en el Instituto Cultural Mexicano en 2018.
For more information, press or sales inquiries please contact Gallery Director Matthew Weldon Showman at 504.343.6827 or matthew@jonathanferraragallery.com. Please join the conversation with JFG on Facebook (@JonathanFerraraGallery), Twitter (@JFerraraGallery), and Instagram (@JonathanFerraraGallery) via the hashtags: #PikiMendizabal, #JonathanFerraraGallery and #ArtsDistrictNewOrleans.
