The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center has two new exhibits opening during Art Walk on Sept. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. and showing through Sept. 26.
On display in the main gallery is Motus en Tempus, a captivating exhibition featuring the work of four Cuban American artists united by their culture and heritage.
In the Capital Gallery upstairs, Through Their Eyes will feature 36 local artists capturing one another in portraits, ranging in a wide variety of styles.
The creative legacy featured in Motus in Tempus is a statement of unification, evolution, and fearless expression. This exciting and captivating exhibition features the work of four Cuban American artists, Dayron Gonzalez, Julio Figueroa Beltran, Reynier Ferrer and Reynier Llanes, united by their culture and heritage and the realities of immigration and assimilation into a new culture. These artists approach painting as their personal language, their poetics have a deep relationship with the common personal stories of the past in Cuba, and the political and cultural connotations of all who have left their homeland. These artists show paintings of strong expressive character that denote beauty from an unorthodox perspective inviting us to meditate and reflect.
One can examine in Motus in Tempus that their need to express comes from an emotional response to their realities. These often portrayed in their works through human figures, animals, abstractions and distortions. Subjects include universal themes such as fantasy, spirituality, history, philosophy, humor, violence, social customs, and nature. The strong use of metaphor lies in the core of this exhibition as the most eminently unifying theme, we can experience each artist’s personal reflection depicted through their subjects and choice of medium. Their works showcase a variety of mediums including oil, watercolor, pastels, charcoal, coffee, and bleach.
In the show Through Their Eyes, artists sought to capture the spirit of an individual, so that they may be seen through a creative lens as something transcendent. Portraiture has become an inclusive genre for a wide variety of media, from traditional painting to sculpture to photography. “Ever since the advent of artistic endeavor, portraiture has been vital to its evolution. The depiction of individuals was of great importance to posterity, especially early in human history before one had mirrors or reflective materials to see oneself accurately. Yet, the art of portraiture has evolved beyond a simple realistic depiction of a person, beyond religious iconographs and beyond royal families.
In this exhibition, 36 local artists specializing in a wide variety of styles and media have captured one another in their own unique fashion. Each artist will create a work of art featuring a randomly selected fellow artist, in order to present their own inimitable perspective – through their eyes. Both exhibitions are curated by Cesar Aguilera.
Admission to te exhibits is a $1 donation. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St. in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District. For more info, visit www.sbdac.com or call 239-333-1933.
