Written by Michael Goldstein for THE ARTISTS FORUM MAGAZINE
Edited by Amos White V for THE ARTISTS FORUM, INC
Photo: Michael Goldstein
REVIEWER RATING:
4 out of 5 stars
NEWS FROM THE ISLANDS: SIX CARIBBEAN PRINTMAKERS AT TIKHONOVA-WINTNER FINE ART GALLERY
NEW YORK, NY (November 8, 2015) Opening Reception, November 7, 2015 – The unique political language of the Caribbean island community splashed into the city as the Tikhonova-Wintner Fine Art Gallery hosts News from the Islands: Six Caribbean Printmakers. This exhibit in Harlem features various prints and paintings by six Caribbean artists: Diogenes Ballester, Francks F. Deceus, Leslie Jimenez, Carlos JM Dominguez, Pepe Coronado, and Ava Tomlinson.
Of the six artists present within the gallery, Tomlinson’s paintings with their bright colors and passionate environments were just a couple of the works that made the night stand out. Case in point, her painting Blood in the Fields is exactly as it describes, but it proves to be a marvelous exercise in color manipulation.
In her canvas resembling a small, colorful village, the spreads of red paint, at first glance, are just fields of flowers. As Tomlinson explained to me, however, the red is actually meant to represent the blood extending from the island’s history of slavery and violence. It is expressive in a deep and meaningful way.
Next to Tomlinson’s painting were Coronado’s prints, a collection of shapes and manipulations to draw out powerful messages. Look no further than his print US/DR En foco. The outlined shapes of the United States and the Dominican Republic have been placed in front and center and next to each other. But it’s what Coronado has done behind the shapes that give the print its edge.
He seems to have placed two thick circles behind the countries that, combined with the countries and their splattered outlines, invent the impression of a pair of eyes glaring menacingly at the audience, as if asking us to keep an eye on the relationship between these two countries.
For too long, their presence in the art world has barely appeared, and this night hopefully made a contribution in the hopes of generating a larger awareness of the Caribbean craft.
The exhibit runs November 7, 2015 – Jan. 17, 2016.
For more information about the Tikhonova-Wintner Gallery, visit: colophon.com/tikhonovawintner
