Nosotros, Los Otros / We, The Others

The Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates (MIRA) would like to invite you to the 2nd annual Art Exhibition: “Nosotros, Los Otros/ We, The Others” Will feature the work of the Chicago-based Nicaraguan artist Carlos Barberena with St. Louis based-African American artist Seitu Smith. Their works connect with the nation's multicultural heritage and address the social, economic and political obstacles faced by "the others".



Opening: Friday, November 18th 6:00PM - 9:00PM.
Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group,
2700 N. 14th Street, St Louis, MO. 63106.
Gallery Talk with the Artists, Sat. November 19, 1:00PM.

Exhibit runs from November 18th through December 11th, 2011.

Master Prints and Años de Miedo at NEIU - El Centro Campus, Chicago

Northeastern Illinois University - El Centro Campus Invites you to the Art Exhibit Opening Reception: Master Prints and Años de Miedo by Carlos Barberena.

 
Friday March 11, 2011 5:00PM - 8:00PM
Northeastern Illinois University - El Centro Campus 3119 North Pulaski, Chicago Illinois 60641 (One block south of Belmont) Open to Public: March 11 through April 29, 2011.

Carlos Barberena is a Nicaraguan self-taught visual artist based in Chicago.
"Master Prints" series: In this series Barberena employs the process of appropriating master pieces of art, using at times both their titles and compositional strategies but inserting contemporary imagery to create new works.

"Años de Miedo": This print portfolio is a homage to the victims of war, based on his memories and the collective historical memory of Barberena's country (Nicaragua) in the decades of the 70's and 80's. But, at the same time, this does not mean that it is limited geographically, because it is the reality in many countries at present.

This Art Exhibit is Sponsored by: NEIU - El Centro Campus and the Art Department.

www.carlosbarberena.com

Imagenes de Denuncia

Efebinás Cafe invite you to join the Solo Exhibition of the nicaraguan visual artist Carlos Barberena:

"Imágenes de Denuncia"

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday December 10th, 8:00PM until Midnight.

Live Music with Fandanguero.

Carlos Barberena Exhibiting at the Art House Gallery

“Master Prints” & “Años de Miedo”


May 22, 2010 12:04 AM Nancy Moyer The Monitor
Upon entering the gallery, the exhibit appears to be German Expressionist-inspired relief prints. Suddenly, a second room of prints offers a broader aesthetic base; it chronicles the artist’s witty romp through past Masters of art. Carlos Barberena exhibits two series, or portfolios, “Master Prints” & “Años de Miedo,” at the Art House. The works are all linocuts; both series are relevant.

“Años de Miedo” (Time of Fear) is the result of a ten-year project; it is a tribute to victims of war. The works are based on Barberena’s own memories and the collective historical memory of his country, Nicaragua. The violent decades of the 70’s and 80’s in Nicaragua ravaged that nation, environmentally and politically. By addressing warfare and its aftermath, he believes that his work is touching on a reality that presently exists in many countries.

"Llanto" Linocut by Carlos Barberena

The artist reflects on the effects left by war and how those experiences affect our lives, physically and psychologically. One group of prints explores facial expressions provoked by fear. Each print shows only the abstracted face of an anguished individual. Llanto portrays the face with tears, while Herido de Muerto captures a face during the final signs of life. With only one exception, these prints are white line cuts against a flat black ground, visually emphasizing the psychologically disturbing message of tragedy. By injecting the darker issues of modern life into past artistic modes in the “Master Prints,” Barberena riffs off the old Masters. How would they have presented that painting/print today? Believing that they would share his concern for human injustices, environmental issues, and a world in need of common sense, he has reinvented a few artworks by well-known artists. Converting the original images into linocuts with impressive virtuosity, Barberena has added believable political or environmental issues.

"La McMona" Print by Carlos Barberena

In La McMona, Leonardo might have painted the Mona Lisa as a Calavera, or is death the answer to a diet of unhealthy fast food? Venus 2.0 (Botticelli’s Aphrodite) sports a respirator as pipes spewing industrial waste surround her shell. And what really might be causing Edvard Munch’s enigmatic figure to scream? Barberena’s The Scream suggests potential radiation from the mushroom cloud in the distance.

"Venus 2.0" Print by Carlos Barberena

Barberena collects images that relate to our collective memory; he references painful events that occurred in the history of Nicaragua as well as globally. “I hope never to become inactive nor esthetically dead during the period in which we are living,” he states. “I hope to react without fear in order to say what needs to be said in the moment it needs to be said.” For this artist, art is a powerful form of communication for reflecting upon and questioning the issues of our contemporary society - the fears, the desires, the hopelessness, and sometimes even the nonsense.

"The Scream" Print by Carlos Barberena

Nancy Moyer, Professor Emerita of Art from UTPA, is an art critic for The Monitor. She may be reached at nmoyer@rgv.rr.com

Carlos Barberena Solo Exhibit at The Art House Gallery

I will be showing my prints series: Master Prints and Años de Miedo at the Art House Gallery, McAllen, Texas.

Carlos Barberena Solo Exhibit at The University of Texas-Pan American

I will be showing my prints series: "Master Prints" and "Años de Miedo" in the University Gallery at The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, Texas.

The University of Texas-Pan American will welcome speakers, performers, University community and the public to celebrate Pan American Days 2010 April 6 and 7. The theme for this year is “Austerity, Prosperity and Justice.”

Hosted by the Office of International Programs, Pan American Days serves to provide the University community and the public with a wide range of academic and cultural activities that appeal to all ages and nationalities. One of this year’s highlights will be the first “Noche de Arte” art walk on April 7 from 6-9 p.m. starting at the Art Gallery in UTPA’s Communication Arts and Sciences Building, and featuring the work of Nicaraguan artist, Carlos Barberena De La Rocha. His art expresses his sentiments and digs deep into the vastness of human knowledge. His Print Portfolio is presented as a manner of reflection about war and its effects and how these memories and fears affect our lives not only physically but also in psychological terms.The Opening will be during the Pan American Days celebration: "Noche de Arte” Art walk, 6:00 p.m., University Gallery (COAS building) UTPA.

FEATURED ARTIST: Carlos Barberena de la Rocha (Prof. Reynaldo Santiago, Curator)

Wednesday, April 7: Printmaking Workshop and Demonstration by Artist, Carlos Barberena. 9-11:30 a.m., AASA 170 (University Annex Graduate and Art Facilities)
  

Opening Reception: "Master Prints and Años de Miedo" Print Exhibit by Carlos Barberena Prof. Reynaldo Santiago, Curator, Art Department. 7 p.m., University Gallery (COAS building).

Thursday, April 8: "Gallery Talk with Carlos Barberena"Presented by Prof. Reynaldo Santiago, Curator, University Gallery, 12 noon. Co-Sponsored by the Art House* Co-sponsors: Office of Student Development, University Program Board and Art Department.

Office of International Programs, COAS 125The University of Texas-Pan American
1201 W. University Drive Edinburg, Texas 78539-2999
Telephone: (956) 381-3572 Fax: (956) 316-7012Email: intlcenter@utpa.edu

Prints by Carlos Barberena

Carlos Barberena in Hecho Magazine

By Christiane L. Vaca, Photography by Glow Ruiz.
Born in Granada, Nicaragua in 1972, Carlos Barberena de la Rocha comes from a family of artists, poets, painters and musicians; an environment that strongly influenced his artistic formation. As a young boy he left Nicaragua during the war and lived with his two older brothers, both talented artists. A self-described late bloomer, he eventually found himself experimenting with different mediums and becoming an artist in his own right. His works, including paintings, sculptures, photographs and engravings, have been exhibited all over the world in places including, the United States, where he now resides, Germany, Spain, Brazil and most recently at Covenant San Francisco in his hometown of Granada.

How would you describe your creative process?

-It begins with an idea that you work at. To me, it’s more like receiving, where you become like an antenna and you capture different situations, different images. That’s when the process begins to ‘digest.’ Then, when it’s time to apply technique, you already know what you want to work with. It’s a constant labor that begins with this process.

What is meant by the title of your exhibit, “Años de Miedo” (Years of Fear)? Is it in reference to any personal experience, or is it meant to be exclusively political or social commentary?

-I find it to be a personal experience. Thirty years ago, I was seven years old and many images from that time remain on my mind. I was watching my brothers run, having to hide all the time because Somoza’s guards were after them. I had cousins who went through the same thing and uncles who died during the Somoza dictatorship. Then experiencing the revolution, taking part in the protests out on the street that were broken up by the Guard, I think it was all experiences that I tried to channel into my art. All these very complex things make up Nicaragua’s history. When I left, people would ask me what was going on in Nicaragua, and I just got tangled up trying to explain about Somoza, the revolution, the Contras…you just can’t explain it. I think this is the idea for this series, a reflection on war and its consequences.

It’s interesting to note the structural contrasts going on in most of your pieces, a balance between simple and complex, black and white.

-Yes, I feel that the contrast between black and white gives the project more strength. Sometimes I think that this series chose its own medium. So, what better to illustrate fear than through black and white?

Do you believe that your art tells a story uniquely related to the Nicaraguan experience?

-No, it is decidedly not just the Nicaraguan experience. If you set this in another country that has been devastated by war, you’ll have the same thing. And what is important is to call them “years of fear,” because at the center of it all is the fear. It’s how different parties rule a population by fear, whether you’re a mother concerned for your child, concerned for your family, whether you’re being followed or threatened unless you turn your neighbor in. It’s the fear of living such a violent life. That’s the point of my exhibit, to reflect upon what we’ve lived through, the world over, not just Nicaragua. As you can see in a few of the pieces, some are about what happened in Abu Ghraib, some are in reference to article 5, Guantánamo, etcetera. There are different points of view.

Do you believe art to be an end unto itself, or do you think it should serve a higher purpose?

-I think that one creates art, first of all, to purge many things and to communicate them, whatever they are. It’s not like I’m hoping someone will change their life or opinions after seeing my work. I’m just exposing my point of view, like a writer or a musician; it’s an act of communication though, and should not be merely decorative.