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3/6/2003

Ofelia Rodriguez

Haim Chanin Fine Arts, New York

Haim Chanin Fine Arts announces an exhibition of works by Ofelia Rodriguez, on view June 4 through July 12, 2003. This first solo show by the renowned Colombian artist in New York features five large mixed-media paintings, ten collages on paper and four of her signature magic boxes.

The exuberant color and unexpected combinations characteristic of Ofelia Rodriguez's work immediately captivate the eye and demand a closer look. Ofelia's mixed-media paintings and works on paper are divided into large colored areas of bright color and texture. Yet, they are not abstract. The hand-colored photocopies of body-parts and objects glued or stitched onto the surface confer a sculptural quality to the two-dimensional pieces. Elements as diverse as a cowhide, a tongue, an ear or a band-aide might find their way into the work. Ofelia also delights us with three-dimensional 'magic boxes.' These are brightly colored rotating boxes composed of little treasures that Ofelia continuously gathers in flea markets and old bookstores. Among her most recent combinations of objects we often find horns, brushes and wings, although a toy dog or a plastic ear are just as likely to pop up, as seen in pieces such as 'Magic Box with Protected Furry Ear.'

An intuitive sense guides Ofelia through the creative process. There is no intended meaning other than the aesthetic pleasure and the joyful surprise of finding a visual balance in the unlikely combination of objects and images. The artist's work is full of irony and humor, as titles such as 'Flying Thirst' or 'Lending an Ear to the Past' indicate. This whimsical game can also be interpreted as a search to reach the supernatural world or the inner depths of the subconscious. There is also a darker side, a wound, in the words of Dawn Ades, which is manifested in the recurring band-aids and sectioned body parts. Ofelia's work results from the convergence of Western aesthetic culture, as felt in her sense of composition and the references to Joseph Cornell or Marcel Duchamp, and of Latin American popular culture, the closest parallel found in the retablos, or wooden boxes with a personal or religious narrative. Perhaps, then Ofelia's stitching action is a way to mend or heal the wound left by a history of forced cultural hybridization. In the sense that any number of unexpected combinations are possible, Ofelia Rodriguez's work is imbued by a sense of displacement with a magical dimension. Her creations are a secret passageway, an open door to unknown and mysterious worlds.

Ofelia Rodriguez was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She studied Fine Arts in Bogota and later in the United States, where she received a Masters in Fine Arts from Yale University. The artist now lives in London. Her work has been exhibited at Ramis Barquet, Monterrey, Museo de Arte Moderno, Cali, the São Paulo and Havana Biennials, Salón Nacional, Bogotá, Ludwig Forum, Aachen, The Queens Museum, New York, Yale University Gallery, New Haven, Barbican Center, London and Museo de Arte Moderno, Cartagena, among others. Her oeuvre has been included in many publications, including Latin American Art of the 20th Century and Art Today, both edited by Edward Lucie-Smith and Beyond the Fantastic-Contemporary Art Criticism from Latin America, edited by Gerardo Mosquera.

Haim Chanin Fine Arts is located at 210 Eleventh Avenue, 2nd floor, between 24th and 25th Streets, in the heart of New York's Chelsea art district. Dominique Haim Chanin, founder and director of Haim Chanin Fine Arts, introduces an ambitious international contemporary program to the New York art world by premiering established artists from Europe and Latin America in her gallery. Following the exhibition by Ofelia Rodriguez, Haim Chanin Fine Arts will feature a group show with highlights of the gallery artists from July 17th to September 6th. The Fall season will be launched with Robert Morris's Blind Time Series, on view from September 12 to October 18, 2003.

Media inquiries: Ariadna Capasso @ Haim Chanin Fine Arts
T: 646-230-7200 F: 646-230-7989

Haim Chanin Fine Arts
210 Eleventh Avenue, Suite 201
New York, New York 10001
T. 646 230 7200
F. 646 230 7989

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