The painting as an artistic genre has never really gone out of production among artists. From the 1970s until today however, most critics and the general public moved away from traditional painting to the extent that some even proclaimed that painting was dead. Instead, critical and artistic attention was focused on the discourse generated by artists through space.  Time for Painting: The Return marks the rediscovery of painting by artists.

“The return of the painting is not the result of an intensification of painterly activity, but rather a willingness on the part of the artistic community, mostly young artists, to resume attention on painting as a research technique to express new ideas. Interestingly enough, the reemergence of the panting among young artists has come somewhat unexpectedly, for it happened after a years-long search for new techniques and nontraditional artistic languages, such as the media-video-art,” states Marisa Caichiolo, director Building Bridges Art Exchange.

“The idea here is to create a dialogue between emerging and established artists from Latin America and the Caribbean (Mexico, Dominican Republic and Cuba). And the final aim is to highlight matter and figuration as languages to express and connect the similar realities of those cultures to the artists’ socio-political and economic perspectives.“

Although painting may have been considered as something of the past, it is once again at the forefront of the art world in connection with the street arts. The renaissance of this technique has also created a newly-formed tradition and relationship between the artist, art and society.

Participating artists in Time for Painting include:

Angel Delgado / Cuba

Born in Cuba, Angel Delgado is trying to transform those objects or situations from everyday life in photographs, drawings, videos, paintings, installations and performance, with a poetic that makes us reflect on our lives, about social processes or on the same processes of artistic creation.

Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios / Cuba

Also from Cuba, Rios has lived for the last 24 years in Mexico City, where he is inspired by the diverse people and vibrant colors of everyday Mexico. Floral-themed artwork, much of it painted with his hands rather than brushes, is his specialty.

Ciro Quintana / Cuba

Ciro Quintana is one of the major figures of Cuban art of the last thirty years. Part of a legendary generation that emerged in Cuba in the early 80s (he was the creator of Pure Group), which revolutionized Cuban Art and most innovative art produced in Latin America in those years . His work is part of prestigious collections such as the National Museum of Fine art in Havana, Ludwig Forum for international Arts in Aachen, Germany ,Peter Ludwig Collection in Cologne, Germany, the Museum of Leipzig, Germany, the Museum of Modern Art of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the Museum of Pori Taiden ,Finland and Domingo.Dominican Republic.

Frank Martinez / Cuba

Frank Martinez works are comments on contemporary society, where two anachronistic social moments or individuals coexist in the same scene, as a reflection of everyday absurdity.

Rodolfo de Florencia / Mexico

Rodolfo de Florencia produces works defined by the intense projection of what Gillo Dorfles would call the iconic substance. An intensely iconographic work, much more than a figurative one. In any event, it is a kind of figuration that criticizes itself. It is a subversion of the figurative tradition based on a criticism of the representation. This process unavoidably goes through a sort of research of the semantic possibilities of the pictorial icon and of the way in which the pictorial icon has historically been handled within diverse artistic tendencies.

In recent years, the LA Art Show has become the most internationally diverse art platform in the Western world, bringing in the largest groupings of Korean, Chinese and Japanese galleries outside of Asia. Beginning in 2010, the Show has actively developed its international gallery offerings to provide collectors with a unique opportunity, to spot international trends and zeitgeist through art, a medium that has the ability to transcend language.  

The LA Art Show takes place from January 27-31, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall A 1201 South Figueroa Street, 90015. For additional information, visit www.laartshow.com. General admission to the LA Art Show is $20. 

About Building Bridges Art Exchange:

Building Bridgees Art Exchange (BBAX) is dedicated to cultivating international cultural relations through the arts. Our mission is to facilitate a variety of international art exchanges, artists residencies, educational programs, and workshops that engage local communities and contemporary artists around the world. We work in partnership with Museums, Galleries, Ministries of Culture, Cultural Art Centers, Art Organizations and Foundations from around the world.