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September Issue 2003
ElderArt Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Features Works by Leonel Matheu
From Sept. 3 - 30, 2003, ElderArt Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibition, Orientations, featuring 14 works by Cuban-born artist, Leonel Matheu.
Matheu is an internationally-known artist whose symbolic work conveys clear anxiety. Playfulness occurs in the placement of objects that float about the surface of his paintings, as well as the ambiguous nature of the objects themselves.
The accessibility
and honesty of Matheu's work is rooted in profound decisions that
motivated him to leave his birthplace to become an American citizen. A
recent HBO movie, For Love or Country, starring Andy Garcia,
depicts the life of Matheu's mother and his father, internationally
known Grammy winning jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, as they defected
from their native homeland of Cuba to come to America.
Matheu's work contains a cautious sense of joy and liberation
and is accompanied by a profound humility and respect for the
physical world.
Of his work which will be included in this one-man show Matheu states, "Orientation is the philosophic concept that allowed custom to start to pass through earth. It is also considered the awareness of one's environment as to time, space, objects, and persons. Since its beginning, orientation has been symbolized by an icon known as compass card. It has remained constant over the years until the present time. This symbol is used in cartography to indicate different directions."
"I incorporate the compass card, as one of several elements, to a narrative environment within my paintings".
In his exhibition, Orientations, Matheu puts forward an iconography based on popular imaginary and modern graphics that allow the viewer to reflect on a series of present day events. Matheu's images familiarize the spectator with a graphic context to serve as analysis and lecture in a determined atmosphere where the out looker is the protagonist of his/her own interpretation.
On Sept. 6 the International Ballet Festival in Miami, FL, will open its performance with a dance based on one of Matheu's paintings.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337 or at (www.elderart.com).
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