'American Fields' examines Ernesto Pujol's conception of the confines of American freedom, emblematized within his portrayals of outdoor space. During bicycle rides in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, Pujol observed and photographed various man-made constructs, ranging from a velodrome to cornfields.
Los Angeles, CA. Â ITURRALDE GALLERY announces the exhibition 'American
Fields' by ERNESTO PUJOL and the presentation of the video 'Buscando al
PrÃncipe Azul' (2) by SILVIA GRUNER.
The exhibitions will open with a reception on Friday, September 5 from 7 to 9 PM
Ernesto Pujol was born in Havana, Cuba in 1957, but grew up in Puerto Rico.
He currently resides and works out of Brooklyn, NY. He has studied at the
University of Puerto Rico and has done graduate work in Education at the
Universidad Interamericana, San Juan; in Therapy at Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn; and in Media Theory at Hunter College in New York. Pujol also
holds a theology certificate from St. John Viannery Seminary in Miami, FL.
Ernesto Pujol has exhibited his works throughout the United States, Africa,
Europe and Latin America, including the VI Havana Biennial; Second
Johannesburg Biennial, South Africa; Bronx Museum, New York; Museo Rufino
Tamayo, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
'American Fields' examines Ernesto Pujol's conception of the confines of
American freedom, emblematized within his portrayals of outdoor space.
During bicycle rides in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, Pujol observed and
photographed various man-made constructs, ranging from a velodrome to
cornfields. With this installation, Pujol has set forth to document the
ways in which humans try to encroach upon and control their environment,
whether through the erection of concrete edifices, or with the carefully
calculated arrangements of corn. He explores the manipulation of space
further within the context of 40 x 60' prints that seem to delineate
boundaries on the supposed vastness of outdoor space. Pujol is indicating
that ³humankind¹s obsessive need to corral space' is a direct metaphor for
our purported sense of freedom, for ³we are only as powerful and free as we
are allowed to be'. 1
The exhibition includes eight large photographs and an installation with
twelve corncobs cast in aluminum.
In the video room, Silvia Gruner presents 'Buscando al prÃncipe azul' (2).
Filmed in 2002 in Ho-Chi-Min City in Vietnam, Silvia plays with images of
Vietnamese women riding scooters, perhaps in search of their prince
charming. Born in 1959, Gruner is a Mexico City-based conceptual artist,
whose videos and work have been exhibited extensively throughout the world.
1. Marian Mc Lellan. 'Fields & Limits', New Orleans Review, May/June 2003
ITURRALDE GALLERY
116 S. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-4267 phone; (323) 937-4269 fax