Weaving through an old city and a new museum

Antiqua is the 2nd oldest city in Central America with cobblestone streets and eroding facades… but lots of restaurants and fun shops.  It is only an hour from the capitol.  The first stop for Johann and me is the bookstore, Turerto (one-eyed).  We next meet the director of CIRMA, a foundation for the investigation of Meso-American social studies.  We give him 2 books and he gives us one.  We lunch at a gourmet restaurant and the daughter of Goyri Gonzalez, one of the artists in our first book, joins us.  She shows us her colonial home complete with b & b right in the middle of town with a spectacular view of Volcan Agua.

It is a walking town but we drive to a suburb, Santa Ana, to visit the museum, La Nueva Fabrica, exhibiting the work of contemporary, conceptual Mayan artist, Antonio Pichillá.  He is internationally known and represented in many museums.  Infront of the museum is a restaurant within 2 buses. And inside the current exhibition as well as a photo exhibit & collection.  It is super interesting.  The indigenous culture is very strong and growing here, despite barriers put up by government and society. 

The large woven X represents the 4 colors of corn… one of the sacred elements of the Maya.  Rituals are demonstrated in videos, and the textiles are beautifully crafted.  There are 25 different groups of Maya here in Guatemala and they all have unique languages.  The sticks wrapped in cloth represent the elders that govern the communities.  Smoke and striking are means of healing.

After coffee and a tasty pastry, we head back to Guatemala City and stop to meet a curator and art critic.  Rossina Cazali is currently curating a show for the Guatemalan artist I know as Margot Fanjul (a pseudonym) at the Sofia Reina Museum in Spain.  She is skeptical at first about our project, but warms to the idea as we speak. 

And like the exhibit we see today, Johann and I start to weave an idea of what contemporary art is … at least in Guatemala… and perhaps all of Central America.

 

Antonio Picilla

Antonio Picilla

Guatemala’s Sculptor of Expressions

I arrive in Guatemala in the evening.  Again, my bag of books is questioned and, again, I pass with a smile.  I really think being old helps… it certainly does when I ask some young man to lift the almost 70 pound suitcase onto the customs inspection ramp.  A few steps away my trusty associate, Johann finds me and takes over the unwieldy beast.

We are greeted by an auspicious sculpture as we enter the boutique hotel Adriatika in Zona 14.  We are meeting the well-known artist tomorrow in his studio.  The art in the hotel creates a pleasant, sophisticated ambiance.  Besides the sculpture, I like a photograph by Luis Gonzaléz Palma.  My room is huge complete with a kitchenette, washer/dryer and a great view of one of the eight volcanoes in Guatemala, Volcan Aqua. 

Meeting Max Leiva is a treat.  He is tall, handsome and amiable. I have been seeing his work for many years – in Mexico, Miami and Central America.  I am always in awe of the divergent expressions in his bronze figures and also like his abstract works.  The story he tells us about his decision to become a sculptor is interesting… you can read about it in our upcoming book, Central American Contemporary Art.  He tells us of his year of working with Dogoberto Vasquez in Guatemala and I can see the influence in his abstract pieces.  His figurative works are influenced by the textures of the Swiss sculptor, Nag Arnoldi. 

The studio is filled with sculptures in all stages of production… clay, resin, bronze. I see expressions of love, rejection, awe, confusion on the faces, their heads darkened and Maya inspired.  Like birds on a wire, some figures perch to watch us.  We are fortunate to see the process of patina being added using gas and flame in an outdoor work space.

Max gives us books and takes the time to personalize one of them with an excellent pen drawing and a dedication to me; my partner, Mark Ford, will be envious.  Veronica, Max’s accountant/assistant helps us with some contacts and as we leave, I see a life size sculpture looking up at the sky in a contented awe.  That is exactly how I feel about this visit

Volcan Agua

Luis Gonzalez Palma

3 Cafes and the National Theatre

3 Cafes & the National Theatre

 

Our busy day starts meeting the artist, Denis Nuñez.  He greets me with open arms, “mi linda amiga” he roars. I have been visiting (and writing about) Denis for over ten years now.  The last 5 years he has been reclusive, but he is full force today, with eyebrows that would make Groucho Marx jealous.  He usually paints abstract impressionistically with figurative elements.  And full of color.  He talks passionately during our interview that we record with too loud music in the background (yes, we ask them to turn it down, but they did not…is there some theory as to why cafes play such loud music?)

 

All of us, including Denis and family, then go meet another artist exhibiting at the National Theatre, Juan Rivas.

I have been here before, there is a solo violinist playing in the lower chamber.  I am fortunate to see a fantastic exhibition of the Modernists in the entry level.  The upper level has Juan’s show.  I like his work; it references the glyphs of the caves and pre-Hispanic pottery.  The first time I saw his work was in Denis’s gallery many years ago, but now I meet Juan as well.  Johann and I purchase two works for the gallery at Rancho Santana and I select a few works to show Mark for his collection of contemporary art.

 

The next stop, a café where we meet the important conceptual artist, Patricia Belli.  Talking with her really helps me to understand her work and also the direction of many contemporary artists in Central America.

I start thinking about the difference between traditional mediums, like paintings and etchings, with conceptual works.  The viewer can interpret a painting according to their own experiences, but, to me, conceptual art is best appreciated with an explanation.  Patricia and I make a good connection and I know she will be a valuable resource for us.

 

We meet Juanita Bermudez at her office with Ramiro Ortiz, a great collector and owner of the museum of art in the old capital of Nicaragua, León. She is another valuable resource.  She had a gallery, Codice, from 1992 to a few years ago.  Mark has purchased many works of art from that gallery for his home here.  There is an exhibition here in his offices of contemporary art, many of the artists of whom Patricia spoke.  Also, some very fine ceramics are on display, the artists well recognized for their talent.

 

Dinner at a nice restaurant (with Café in its name) with Javier Valle-Perez.  I have a whiskey, actually a double single malt, and Johann conducts the interview.  What I like about Javier’s work is his reference to mechanical objects - trains, automobiles, planes, juke boxes - always in unique color combinations. 

 

Finally, Johann says, “you look sleepy” and I reply, “Yes, 3 cafes, 3 exhibitions, 4 artists, a historian, the National Theatre and a private violin concert…What a satisfying day.”

Managua, Nicaragua

On the (book) road again

Have you ever written a book?  It’s not easy.  But writing a book that requires extensive research, interviews in a language not your own, in countries unlike where you live and being a ‘quite’ senior citizen is no small feat.

Yes, my business partner has challenged us once again, this time with the writing of the first draft of Central American Contemporary Art. 

So, I find myself in Managua, Nicaragua, starting the process. I bring copies of our first book, Central American Modernism, and the sheer weight of 8 of them at 7 pounds each is enough to send the customs official wondering.  I explain they are gifts for the artists.  I don’t think they really care as I point out my name on the jacket cover, but they always let me pass…probably they just want to stop hearing my broken Español.

It is breezy and fresh when I step out from the airport.  My colleague, Johann, takes over as we load the suitcases and a box of artworks - We stop at a small pizzeria and have the most delicious carpaccio dinner.

I stay at Johann’s house that he shares with his uncle. There is another guest staying here from Little Corn Island, off the coast of Nicaragua on the Caribbean side.  They have no cars or motorcycles or golf carts on the entire island and of course you can only get there by boat or ferry.  Paula is a writer who left Italy to get away from the bruhaha of city life and now has 2 guest houses (Farm, Love & Peace) and makes coconut soap.  She is interesting, passionate and opinionated. Tonight she is cooking spinach and ricotta cheese nudi.

Johann and I spend the day on the patio researching, arranging interviews and deciding the questions we should ask.  We have successful responses and have 6 meetings in the next 2 days.  Even a reclusive artist who sees no one these days has agreed to meet. 

The sun is shining and a gentle breeze brings the scent of heliotropium and activates the chimes. The cats roam and ask for attention and Paula’s dog does, too.  We drink coffee and eat rosquillas (small traditional biscuits) while we brainstorm.

See, it is not so bad writing a book, you should try it.