Artist: Dalton Gata
Exhibition title: Cabeza de mango
Venue: Chapter NY, New York, US
Date: May 13 – June 18, 2022
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Chapter NY
Chapter NY is excited to announce Cabeza de mango, Dalton Gata’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.
In his newest series of paintings, Gata expands his characteristic fantastical world, devoting most of his canvases to portraits of male figures. Although their strikingly chiseled features appear distinctly masculine, they merge with animal and insect forms to create unrecognizable hybrid species. Through elements such as stylized hairdos, bulging muscles, and exaggerated facial expressions, Gata explores the vast spectrum of appearances, continuing to celebrate the beauty in diversity.
For Cabeza de mango, Gata presents various types of mangoes in different stages. He associates mangoes—his absolute favorite fruit—with childhood memories growing up on a fruit farm in Cuba. He does not discriminate against those that are already rotten or those that have not yet ripened, prominently presenting each mango with a sense of individuality in the company of his imagined characters. In The forgotten banquet, Gata displays an array of mangoes on a lavishly draped table within a vast landscape, evoking a sense of grandeur and nostalgia. Reimagined throughout the exhibition, Gata’s serenely vacant landscapes provide ample space for his subjects to roam free and express themselves.
Dalton Gata (b. 1977, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba) lives and works in Coamo, Puerto Rico. He graduated in 2005 from the Escuela de Diseño Altos del Chavón in Santo Domingo with a BFA in Fashion Design. He has had solo exhibitions at Galería Agustina Ferreyra, San Juan; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Peres Projects, Berlin; Sunday Painter, London; Chapter NY, New York; Galería Agustina Ferreyra, Mexico City; and Embajada, San Juan; among others. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Clima Gallery, Milan; Kurimanzutto, Mexico City; Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York; and Embajada, San Juan.
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Cabeza de mango, 2022, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York. Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Bun of tears, 2022, Acrylic on cotton-linen canvas, 100 × 60 inches (254.00 × 152.40 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, I dream of a concrete house, 2022 Acrylic on linen, 40 × 52 inches (101.60 × 132.08 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Kind of Ariel, 2022, Acrylic on linen, 52 × 40 inches (132.08 × 101.60 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Self portrait with mangoes, 2022, Acrylic on linen, 18 × 74 inches (45.72 × 187.96 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, Tattooed creature, 2022, Acrylic on cotton-linen canvas, 24 × 19 inches (60.96 × 48.26 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York
Dalton Gata, The forgotten banquet, 2022 Acrylic on cotten-linen canvas, 36 × 74 inches (91.44 × 187.96 cm). Photo by Charles Benton Courtesy of The Artist and Chapter NY, New York