HOUSTON, TX (July 20th, 2022) | Art of the World Gallery is thrilled to present its new exhibition titled “Illusionisms”, by post-war and contemporary artist Santiago Cárdenas. A selection of twenty-six representative pieces of the painter, whose several artworks are part of MoMA's permanent collection–presenting the deep exploration of painting practices with intentional enigmatic purpose; and the expressive use of color along-with objects from daily life. The “Illusionisms” exhibition offers a full perspective of artist’s various themes and series during Cárdenas’ remarkable career, from his iconic chalkboards to the fluxioned colorful abstracts with everyday still-life objects. The distinctive show is open to the public from July 22nd, at 2201 Westheimer Rd. Houston, 77098, located in the hearts of River Oaks area | HOURS: Monday to Saturday | 10am - 7pm.
Santiago Cárdenas’ overriding premise, consists not of trying to deceive the eye, but of disrupting the viewer's thoughts and causing a questioning of the sight. The artist's illusory abstraction purpose is to depict objects on the canvas, not necessarily a portal into another world, such as in traditional figurative painting. It is not only about his fruitful confluence between the classic and the modern, nor about his unparalleled technical perfection, but about the obsessive determination to break down color. Instead, artist unravels light and reinvent objects and figures from a simple evocation and a fleeting reflection to produce a game of illusionism.
Born in Bogotá, 1937, Cárdenas grew up in Colombia until the age of ten years old, when his family decided to move to New York, where he ultimately followed the art path. After his military service took him to Europe, where he had the opportunity to visit many museums like Louvre and Prado, followed by attending Yale University in the 60s, graduating in fine arts. While studying, there was a booming of several vanguardist movements of the mid-century; therefore, Cárdenas' work has many influences from hyperrealism to pop art.
Presently Santiago Cárdenas is one of most respected figures of the Latin-American art scene. His artworks has been exhibited in important museums such as Museo Rufino Tamayo in Mexico City, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Reina Sofia in Madrid, also found in permanent collections like the MoMA in New York, Art Institute of Chicago; Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas, Austin; Museo de Arte Moderno de Santiago, Chile;Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, to name a few, and had participations in the world’s most renowned and major biennales in Venice, Paris, São Paulo, and more.
