Luis Paredes works 1989-2015

Luis Paredes
Works 1989 - 2015
Luis Paredes
Born in San Salvador, El Salvador 1966.
The photography of Luis Paredes could be said to be an experience in fragmentation. Together with Luis Gonzalez Palma, he is one of the contemporary Central
American photographers who have experimented with intervention in the photographic image and who have distanced themselves from the tradition of orthodox
documentary photography that prevailed up to the late 1980s. In one of his first series, “Las Marias”, realised around 1991, and “Revelaciones”, realised around
1993, the artist departed from the nude as a theme and used naked bodies in
frontal positions, with visible cuts and scratches that appeared to rip the surface
and with other elements and textures surrounding and superimposed on the figures. He accomplished this by direct intervention with the negatives themselves in
order to be able to print the pre altered images, fragments that reflected a strange
violence against the human body. In later, more sedate works of his series “Mutaciones”, from around 1994, he assembled extraordinarily subtle photographs of
body fragments, printed in soft, warm colors, to produce a complete puzzle in which
the definition of the classic rectangular print contrasted with the sensual roundness
of the bodies, further enhanced by a uniform, soft black background.
* Fragment from the essay on Luis Paredes for the St.James Guide of Hispanic Artists.
By Virginia Perez-Ratton. U.S.A. 2002.
“LAS MARIAS” 1989-1992
Title: “Las Tres Marías”. 50 x 70 cm. 1989.
Silver gelatin print.
Title: “Witness”. 70 x 50 cm. 1989.
Silver gelatin print.
Title: “Torso”. 70 x 50 cm. 1991.
Silver gelatin print.
“REVELACIONES” 1993 - 1996
Title: “Papalotl”. 88 x 100 cm. 1993.
Silver gelatin print / sepia toned.
Title: “Angel”. 120 x 90 cm. 1993.
Silver gelatin print / sepia toned.
Title: “Eve”. 110 x 100 cm. 1995.
Silver gelatin print / sepia toned.
Title: “Image”. 120 x 90 cm. 1995.
Silver gelatin print / sepia toned.
“MUTACIONES” 1996-1997
Title: “Enfragmentación”. 70 x 110 cm. 1997.
Montage of silver gelatin prints / sepia toned.
Title: “Enfragmentación II”. 70 x 110 cm. 1997.
Montage of silver gelatin prints / sepia toned.
Title: “Mutación V”. 75 x 60 cm. 1998.
Montage of silver gelatin prints / sepia toned.
“EL JARDIN QUEMADO” 1997 -1988
In 1997 Paredes entered a period of growing gloominess, he produced for the Havana Biennale of 1997 a large-scale installation of burned photographs assembled
in sets. The title Burnt Garden was directly related to the subject of flowers. The
piece was a reminiscence of his days in the Salvadorian war, when he witnessed
the blasting of mined fields while documenting the peace process after the end of
the war. Upon approaching the site, the artist could observe the wild flowers still
fresh and alive but burnt by the blast. He felt his country to be like a burnt garden.
The contrast between beauty and danger, peace and threat, drove Paredes to do
several pieces with this idea. He proceeded by printing close-ups of garden flowers
in brilliant sepia tones and then burning the prints to various extents and assembling them one on top of the other as reconfigured petals, thus constructing monstrous flowers for the burned garden. He subsequently used this process for his installation in the Venice Biennale of 1997, this time applying smaller ensembles of
burned petals on the bottom of nine bates, wooden washing boards typically used
in the countryside of Central America. The work presented at the Sao Paulo Biennale of 1998 was a smaller mural piece, a triptych of squares made up of superposed layers of burned flowers but with the burning this time taking place with the finished ensemble. In this wall installation a new element was included-the Roman
Catholic religion imposed on the indigenous population after the Spanish conquest symbolised by the suggestion of a charred cross that eventually ended up cutting
the assemblage into four pieces, an image of the divisions and fragments caused
by the cultural impositions of a colonial history.
* Fragment from the essay on Luis Paredes for the St.James Guide of Hispanic Artists.
By Virginia Perez-Ratton. 2002.
Title: “Bateas - The Burnt Garden” 1997.
Installation of 18 bateas of 80 x 40 cm. each.
Burnt silver gelatin prints / painted with coffee / mounted on bateas.
Title: “Flower - The Burnt Garden” 1997. 120 x 120 cm.
Silver gelatin print painted with coffee.
“Essential Landscapes” 2000 - 2008
Between 1998 and 1999, while ill with leukaemia, the treatment and the following
recuperation consumed all the time and energy of the artist. However, during his
period of healing, he travels to the Baltic Sea to rest, and starts doing the photographs which constitute the series of “Essential Landscapes”, which are simultaneously exhibited in TEOR/eTica, Costa Rica and Contexto, Guatemala.
These photographs, organized in modular pieces, where each one is the antecedent of the other, are somewhat like «suites» of diffuminated images, successive
and fugitive gazes of an eternally flat horizon that constructs a changing landscape
on the relations between sea and sky. They continue the artists dynamic of creating
an image from fragments of others, and they articulate as the reconstitution of a
personal imagery that evokes mainly the passing of time, but at the same time materialises the atomising of memory. The landscape here abandons all drama, it is a
complete decantation of elements down to what defines it initially: its horizontality.
We are far from the abrupt and baroque lines of the Central American volcanoes
and valleys, this is the barest nature imaginable. A horizon of evocative emptiness,
dividing sky and sea, a gamut of greys whose intensity is determined by those
changing instants that the artist captures during several weeks, that he then
recomposes and reassembles, not altering the physical image any more, rather, the
concept of time itself, by juxtaposing several atmospheres in the same piece. The
work “Currere Cotidianus” is one of the pieces where the comings and goings of
light in time are most evident - his vertical fragments could be repeated endlessly.
Works like “Echo” adopt a quadrangular superimposition, suggesting the expansive
way of a far away sound, or the successive glimpses of his gaze. In all of them,
landscape is reduced to its very memory.
The “Essential Landscapes” of Luis Paredes are both his most conceptual work and
the most poetic, one of the best achieved in his production. The fragment is no
more the trace or reflection of trauma, it is no longer a part of a cathartic process,
but a modular experience in rebirth. It is the beginning of another life starting in a
line in the infinite space.
* Fragment from the catalogue text for the exhibition: “Paisajes Esenciales” at Teor/éTica.
San Jose, Costa Rica. By Virginia Perez-Ratton. 2001.
Title: “Currere Cotidianus”. Details. 2001. 1,40 x 20 meters.
Installation of silver gelatin prints.
Title: “Echo”. 90 x 110 cm. 2003.
Montage of silver gelatin prints.
Title: “7th day”. 65 x 210 cm. 2002.
Montage of silver gelatine prints.
Title: “Between heaven and earth”. 85 x 300 cm. 2003.
Silver gelatine prints.
Title: “Interference”. 130 x 200 cm. 2005.
Projection of a negative analog film on it’s positive analog print. 51Venice biennial .
“THE LAST FOREST”
Title: “Acid Forest”. 80 x 140 cm. 2009.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
2009 - 2011
Title: “White Forest”. 100 x 150 cm. 2009.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
Title: “The Fairy Tale”. 80 x 100 cm. 2009.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
“ESCAPES and STAMPEDES”
Title: “Stampede”. 115 x 250 cm. 2013.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
2012 - 2014
Title: “Adrenalin”. 130 x 260 cm. 2012.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
Title: “Terra Brutalis”. 80 x 140 cm. 2013.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
Title: “Torrent”. 100 x 200 cm. 2014.
Analog photograph / inkjet print.
Title: “The ossuary forest”. 160 x 300 cm. 2014.
Installation. Analog photographs / inkjet prints.
“Oscar Arnulfo Romero 35th Anniversary of his assassination” 2015
Title: “The Sacrilege”. 80 x 80 cm. 2015.
Scanned analog photographs / inkjet print.
LUIS PAREDES
San Salvador, El Salvador 1966.
Collective Exhibitions:
2015
-“Relocating Sal”. Hilger Brot Kunsthalle. Vienna, Austria.
2014
-“10”. MARTE-Museo de Arte. San Salvador, El Salvador.
2012
-”Esa Vara”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
-”Exposición de Maestros”. Galería Espacio. San Salvador, El Salvador.
2011
-“Al Compás del Tiempo. Processes and influences in Salvadorian Art”.
MARTE-Museo de Arte. San Salvador, El Salvador.
-”Houston Fine Arts”. Goerge R. Brown Convention Center.
Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts Gallery. Houston, Texas. E.U.A.
2010
-"25 Años". Galería Espacio. San Salvador, El Salvador.
-"Madrid Mirada". Fototeca de Cuba, Havanna, Cuba.
Biblioteca Virgilio Barco. Bogota, Colombia.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia. Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Centro de Arte Contemporậnea y Fotografía-Fundação Clóvis Salgado.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Parque de España. Rosario, Argentina.
2009
-"Diálogos y Correspondencias". Museo de Arte. San Marcos, Peru.
-"Madrid Mirada”. Museo Nacional de Arte. La Paz, Bolivia.
MAVI-Museo de Artes Visuales. Santiago, Chile.
2008 -"Madrid Mirada". Museo Universitarios del Chopo. Mexico City, Mexico.
MAC-Museo de Arte Moderno. Panama City, Panama.
MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
Circulo de Bellas Artes. Madrid, Spain.
2007
-"Revisiones". MARTE-Museo de Arte. San Salvador, El Salvador.
2006
-”Estrecho Dudoso / Limites”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo.
San Jose, Costa Rica.
2005
-“Fortællinger i 3 rum”. Aarhus Kunstbygning. Aarhus, Denmark.
2004
-“XIV Muestra de Pintura y Escultura Latinoamericana”. Galería Espacio.
San Salvador, El Salvador.
2003
-“Foto 30”. Centro Cultural de España. Guatemala City, Guatemala.
-“XIII Muestra de Pintura y Escultura Latinoamericana”. Galería Espacio.
San Salvador, El Salvador.
-“Juannio”. Museo de Arte Moderno. Guatemala City, Guatemala.
-“InTangible”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
2002
-“Del Centro a la Isla”. Casa de las Americas. Havanna, Cuba.
-“Contemporary Art from Central American Isthmus”. Taipei Museum of Fine Arts.
Taipei, Republic of China.
-“The Wider Caribbean”. Noorderlicht Photo Festival / Fries Museum. Leeuwarden,
The Netherlands.
-“Art Istmo”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporaneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
2001
-“Arquetipos”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
-"Terrae-Motus". Pescepalla Docks. New York, New York, U.S.A.
-”La Huella de Europa”. Sala Nacional. San Salvador, El Salvador.
-”Opslagstavlen til det Nye Millenium”. Galleri Image. Aarhus, Denmark.
1998
-”El Cuerpo en / de la Fotografía”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporaneo.
San Jose, Costa Rica.
1997
-”Mine Drømmes By”. Kunstnernes Hus. Aarhus, Denmark.
1996
-“Mesotica II”. MADC-Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporaneo.San Jose, Costa Rica.
Casa de America. Madrid, Spain.
Maison de L´Amerique Latine. Paris, France.
Instituto Italo Latinoamericano. Rome, Italy.
Van Reekum Museum. Apeldoorm, The Netherlands.
-“Cruzando Caminos”. Instituto de Cultura Sonorense. Hermosillo, Mexico.
-“Fotosetiembre”. Centro de la Imagen / Casa Jaime Sabines. Mexico City, Mexico.
-“Enlace”. Instituto Cervantes. Munich, Germany.
-“Review”. Konsthallen. Gothenburg, Sweden.
-“ArtGenda”. Øksnehallen. Copenhagen, Denmark.
-“Tilstand-Stilstand“. Sammenslutningen af Danske Kunstforeninger / Itinerary
exhibition in 13 cities. Denmark.
1995
-“Cruzando Caminos”. Museo de Arte. Lima, Peru.
-”Semana Cultural de El Salvador”. OAS, Organisation of American States.
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
-“Festival Latinoamericano”. Milan - Vieroggio - Iesolo, Italy.
-“Seks Internationale Kunstnere”. Spinderihallerne. Vejle, Denmark.
-”Dos Artistas Salvadoreños”. BAWAG Foundation. Vienna, Austria.
1994
-”Tres Fotógrafos Centroamericanos”. Galería El Laberinto. San Salvador, El Salvador.
1992
-“To Latinamerikanske Kunstnere”. Esbjerg Museum. Esbjerg, Denmark.
-”LA ´92”. Kanonhallen. Copenhagen, Denmark.
-“Ildens Erindringer“. Kunstbygningen. Odense, Denmark.
-”Basta”. Vestjysk Galleri og Kunstcenter. Skjern, Denmark.
Biennals:
2009
-”X Bienal de Cuenca”. Cuenca, Ecuador.
2005
-“51 Biennale di Venezia”. Paviglione del I.I.L.A., Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. Venice, Italy.
2002
-“III Bienal Iberoamericana de Lima”. Estación de Desamparados. Lima, Peru.
1998
- ”XXIV Bienal de Sao Paulo”. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1997
-“XLVII Biennale di Venezia”. Paviglione del I.I.L.A., Palazzo Querini Stampalia.
Venice, Italy.
-”VI Bienal de La Habana”. Fototeca de Cuba. Havanna, Cuba.
1996
-“I Baltic Biennal“. Øksnehallen. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Individual Exhibitions:
2013
-“Nature Human Nature”. Salt Fine Art Gallery. Laguna Beach, California, U.S.A.
-”Escapes y Refugios”. MIN-Museo de la Identidad Nacional. Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
-”A Place Away”. Alma Fine Arts Gallery. Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
2012
-”Escapes y Refugios”. MARTE-Museo de Arte. San Salvador, El Salvador.
-”Tabula Rasa”. Bushfire / Swaziland’s International Festival of the Arts. Swaziland.
2010
2009
-"El Ultimo Bosque". Galería Espacio. San Salvador, El Salvador.
-"El Cuerpo de la Fotografía". IAGO-Instituto de Artes Plásticas de Oaxaca.
Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico.
2003
-”Time-Line”. Galerie Asbæk. Copenhagen, Denmark.
2001
-“Paisajes Esenciales”. TEOR/éTica. San Jose. Costa Rica.
-“Espacio Esencial”. Espacio CONTEXTO. Guatemala, Guatemala.
-“Aesthetic Mutations”. Schneider Gallery. Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
1995
-“Portfolio”. Fotofeis / The Traverse. Edinburgh, Scotland.
-“Revelaciónes”. Galleri Image. Aarhus, Denmark.
-“Two Portfolios”. Internationale Photoszene/ Luther Kirche. Cologne, Germany.
-“Two Portfolios“. Galeria Pusta. Katowice, Poland.
1993
-“Revelaciones / Marias”. Galeria Sztuki BWA. Jelenia Góra. Poland.
-”Rusticas”. Galeria F.F. Lodz, Poland.
-”Las Marías”. Mała Galeria / Centre for Contemporary Art. Warsaw, Poland.
Public Collections:
MARTE, Museo de Arte. San Salvador, El Salvador.
Colección El Laberinto. San Salvador, El Salvador.
Centro Cultural Andratx. Andratx, Majorca, Spain.
MADC, Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo. San Jose, Costa Rica.
TEOR/éTica. San Jose, Costa Rica.
Centro Wilfredo Lam. Havanna, Cuba
Casa de las Americas. Havanna, Cuba.
Fototeca de Cuba. Havanna, Cuba.
BAWAG Foundation. Vienna, Austria.
Centre for Contemporary Art. Warsaw, Poland.