EMBAJADA presents PERSPECTIVAS, an exhibition that brings together a group of artists offering fresh takes on the landscape tradition. Featuring a range of approaches from emerging voices to established practices, the show explores the landscape not just as a physical space but as a complex and evolving concept. Some works respond to political and social landscapes, offering commentaries on shifting geopolitical realities while others delve into the inner landscapes of personal reflection and identity, inviting viewers to consider the emotional and psychological dimensions of place. With a mix of painting, embroidery, and digital works, the exhibition pushes beyond traditional boundaries and sparks a conversation about the landscapes we occupy—both external and internal.
The exhibition also features a special selection of work by Miguel Ferrando (b. Santo Domingo, DR, 1957 – d. New York, NY, 1996) entitled Postcard Palm curated by Allen Frame.
Taught needlepoint by her grandmother, Lulu Varona (b.1993, San Juan, Puerto Rico) creates poignant tapestries exploring the shifting ecological and geopolitical exigencies facing Puerto Rico. Likewise, Gabriela Agrada’s (b. 2000, Venezuela) paintings delve into the socio-political climate of her birth country, Venezuela via scenes of travel and familiar winding roads connecting Caracas to the airport, and more remote areas like Tucupita.
Turning his gaze from New York to his hometown of San Juan, Enoc Perez (b.1967 San Juan, Puerto Rico) reflects upon the real and imagined imagery that the Caribbean brings to mind. Federico Herrero (b.1978 San José, Costa Rica) pushes against the limits of the frame, painting large-scale abstractions that verge upon architecture, thus hinting at the tension between natural and build environments.
Further complicating the contemporary landscape is technology, not only as a force of abstraction, but of extraction. Ignacio Gatica’s (b.1988 Santiago Chile) illuminated digital vistas shift with the fluctuations of the prices of MINERALSTK, returning physical form to the commodities pulled from the earth. Similarly, Laurie De Jesus Lagares’s (b.1995 Ponce, Puerto Rico) paintings showcase both engineered ecosystems—plants under UV light—and landscapes seen through smart phones, those devices, like Gatica’s, powered by elements pulled from beneath the landscape.
Looking within, Sofía del Mar Collins (b.1995, San Juan, Puerto Rico) presents depictions of lush plantlife swirling around a central focal point, grounding the viewer within the landscape’s tangled center. Miguel Ferrando’s (b. Santo Domingo, DR, 1957 – d. New York, NY, 1996) watercolors are bittersweet mementos of the places and people held dear by the artist, whose career was cut short when he died of AIDS-related illness. Finally, Hunter Braithwaite (b.1986 Philippines, raised in the US) offers a selection of watercolor mementos from his travels in the art world, a roving, self-referential field of vision.
