LUIS GARCIA NEREY

ARTIST STATEMENT

The premise of my work addresses how existence is questionable without participation. I’ve chosen the “Constructionism Philosophy” as the conceptual base in order to bring a theoretical approach to my work of the Self. The philosophy of the Self and the Other stems from the thought that all things need a counter or an Other to define them. In other words, concepts and things in general (i.e. material things, cultures to name a few) have an objective existence not precisely because they possess a natural essence, but because we as humans constructed them through our ingenuity and our creativity that emerges from our interaction through language. However, I believe this interaction does not solely come from human to human interaction but also can be achieved through different sources. In my work, for instance, the interaction between a painting and a person may be equally important in creating that sense of Self. Even though, I create the work, a conversation is taking place between the paintings and the viewer. In this dynamic, the viewer not only constructs the “essence” of the piece, but also observes him or herself constructing it. It is there, within this symbolic interaction, that the viewer is also being constructed by the work.

ARTIST CV

BORN

Santurce, Puerto Rico
Lives and works in Miami, Florida

EDUCATION
Long Island University - CW Post – Long Island, New York
New World School of the Arts – Miami, Florida

RESIDENCIES
2012 Banff Centre - Banff Art in Residency program (BAIR) Alberta, Canada
2007- 2014 ArtCenter/South Florida - Miami Beach, Florida
2004–2007 Bakehouse Art Complex - Miami, Florida

MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS & ART FAIRS
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
University of Miami
National Museum of Widlife Art
Hunter Museum of American Art
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
Museo de Arte de Caguas MUAC ( Caguas Museum of Art)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Dwelling - Arts Warehouse - Delray Florida
Function+Will - General Audience Presents - Miami Florida
Babylon - Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art - Miami, Florida
Urban Forest - Cheryl Hazan Gallery- Tribeca, New York
Inbound - Blue Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri
Universal Garden - Lanoue Fine Art - Boston, Massachusetts

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS (click to expand)
Smash and Grab - Locust Projects - Miami, Florida
Dirty Linen New Orleans - Graphite Gallery -New Orleans, Louisiana
Interpreters - Florida Gulf Coast University - Ft. Myers, Florida
Black Forrest – SFAC - Miami, Florida
Beneath the Surface - Miami-Dade College – Miami, Florida

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Revista Cruce
Frost Art Museum
Art is About- Contemporary Art Publication
Florida Atlantic University
Miami Herald