Les Saltimbanques after Doré

Les Saltimbanques


"La Mort du Saltimbanque" after Doré. Linocut by Carlos Barberena. 

The Beast

I was recently invited to participate on a Print Portfolio and Project "Rostros de la Migración" Chicago, the portfolio was organized by René Arceo and Hector Duarte and it will be exhibiting tonight at Casa Michoacan, Chicago. All the participant artists donated our editions for supporting the immigrant shelter Hermanos en el Camino / Brothers in the Road, founded by Pbro. Alejandro Solalinde en Ixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.


Carving the Linocut "Riding the Beast"


"Riding the Beast" Linocut by Carlos Barberena. 2012.




Printing Process - "Riding the Beast" first proof at Expressions Graphics. Video by my friend and collague Nicolás De Jesús.

SANTITOS en Nicaragua

Arceo Press y Fundación Casa de los Tres Mundos Invitan a la exposición:
"SANTITOS" Portafolio de Grabados Producido por Arceo Press, Chicago en Colaboración con 35 Artistas de los Estados Unidos de America, Italia, Japón, México, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Rusia y Canada.

   "SANTITOS"  

Inauguración: Viernes 13 de Enero, 7:00PM.

Fundación Casa de los Tres Mundos, Granada, Nicaragua. www.c3mundos.org

Exposición abierta al público del 13 al 29 de Enero, 2012.

Arceo Press. www.arceoart.us

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.

Immoral Reality

PROSPECTUS Art Gallery Presents:

“IMMORAL REALITY” 

 A two-man exhibition by two Nicaraguan artists. 

 Carlos Barberena - César Barberena 

 Opening reception: Saturday, November 12th from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00p.m.

November 12th, 2011 through January 14th, 2012 

   

"Novus Ordo Seclorum" Linocut by Carlos Barberena. 2011.

 Chicago, Illinois - Prospectus Art Gallery is pleased on presenting a comprehensive exhibition called “IMMORAL REALITY” by two Nicaraguan artists. 

Carlos Barberena’s work was selected to represent Nicaragua in the XIII Art Salon, Identity Imprint: A Glance at Ibero-American Printmaking at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC. The V Biennial of Caribbean with the Umbrellas Project and in the III Body Art Conference in Venezuela. He also has created many installations in public spaces in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Venezuela. 

César Barberena is a visual artist from Granada, Nicaragua based in Maryland. He attended the school of fine Arts, Granada, the National school of Art, Managua, Nicaragua. He has exhibited in the Washington metropolitan area since 1990. His works are included in many private and public collections. Please join us for the grand reception at Prospectus in the Pilsen neighborhood, the heart of today’s Mexican Renaissance. 

Your presence will strengthen the local development of the arts in times like the present. 

Free admission. Parking will be available. 

PROSPECTUS ART GALLERY 1210 West 18th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60608 / 

(312) 733-6132, Contact: Israel Hernandez.

Lustful Appetite

 

An Exhibit by Carlos Barberena 

www.carlosbarberena.com 

SPECIAL PROGRAM: 

1) Opening Reception with the Artist: Friday November 11, 6-10PM Chicago, IL 

2) Printmaking Demo: 8pm - 10pm Watch printmaking demo or print your own; 

Proceeds of these prints to be donated to HumanThread! 

3) OneWorld Speaker Series: 7pm -8pm (starts promptly at 7pm) 

The Perils of Monsanto, the Pitfalls of the Market: Fair Trade Coffee Producers in the Global System Speaker: Molly Doane, PhD, Asst. Prof. of Anthropology, UIC. 

Opening Reception: Friday November 11, 6-10PM Chicago, IL

—The HumanThread Center in Pilsen’s Chicago Arts District, joined by artist Carlos Barberena, generates a magnetic presence during November with the next exhibition in its thought-provoking series. Celebrating a culture of peace, HumanThread expresses Chicago’s creative culture by curating monthly exhibitions that discuss issues of cultural identity and social importance. 

Lustful Appetite, which runs November 4-29, is a provocative collection of linoleum cuts that confront social and ecological injustices triggered by the rampant voracity and fraudulent schemes of governments and corporations. Barberena draws inspiration from the masters and employs a re-conceptualization of their familiar imagery to communicate the lethal sins committed by these institutions and entities. Lustful Appetite is an unabashed and necessary commentary that’s raising awareness of the dissolute and licentious practices committed globally. 

 The opening reception is November 11 from 6-10PM in association with The Chicago Arts Districts 2nd Friday Gallery Night. Barberena will be present to discuss his work and highlights the reception with an engaging printmaking demonstration that will produce an edition of small prints to acquire. 

The exhibition is open by appointment November 4-29. 

 Carlos Barberena is a self-taught artist from Nicaragua who works in a variety of media. He has exhibited in numerous arts festivals and biennales as well as museums and galleries throughout North and South America and Europe. 

ABOUT HUMANTHREAD: 

HumanThread is a non-profit organization, seeking to popularize a Culture of Peace through educational, artistic and cultural programs and events focused on youth. 

The HumanThread Center: 645 W 18th Street, Chicago, IL 60616 

Website: www.humanthread.net Phone: 312.243.9423 Email: humanthread.net@gmail.com 

Curators: Scott Renfro (renfrosj@gmail.com) and Allison Meyer (allie.lassar@gmail.com)

La Calaca Press at Expressions Graphics

Expressions Graphics is pleased on presenting:

"CALACAS"

La Calaca Press International Print Exchange

151 Printmakers / 20 Countries

Saturday November 5th, 6:30PM-9:30PM

Exhibit runs from November 5th through November 29th, 2011

La Calaca Press Iternational Print Exchange is a traveling exhibition and print exchange organized by Carlos Barberena - a nicaraguan printmaker based in Chicago - The main idea of this Project is promote printmaking and create connections with printmakers around the World.

 In this project are participating 151 printmakers with 150 works from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Serbia, South Africa, Spain and the United States.

  ...“The strength of this show lies not only in the quality of its prints, but also in the diversity of printmaking techniques. Fine woodcuts, lithographs, etchings, mezzotints, screenprints, and even a solar plate print are notable." Nancy Moyer, Professor Emerita of Art from UTPA, is an art critic for The Monitor. She may be reached at nmoyer@rgv.rr.com

Special thanks to Expressions Graphics, Fundación Casa de los Tres Mundos and the Art House Studios. more information at: http://calacapress.blogspot.com

Santitos in Mexico

"Santitos"
Print Portfolio a collaboration with 35 printmakers and produced by Arceo Press in Chicago.
Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Russia, USA.
Opening: Tuesday, November 1st, 8:00PM.
Salón de Gráfica del Instituto Municipal del Arte y la Cultura.
Durango, Durango, Mexico.

La Calaca Press at the Art House Studios

ART EXHIBIT: "Calaca Press"

October 19, 2011 3:38 PM

Nancy Moyer

The Monitor

It’s the time of year for South Texas artists to bring out the Calaveras, and Art House Studios has done it with style and freshness. “Calaca Press International Print Exchange” completely fills the three gallery spaces and features one hundred-forty small, original prints. Nicaraguan printmaker, Carlos Barberena, who has established his Calaca Press in Chicago, organized the exhibit. Having conceived of the idea of bringing international printmakers together, he put out a call for submissions on Facebook. The word spread from there, attracting prints from three hundred printmakers and representing nineteen countries.
 

 "Golden Moonlights" Woodcut by Dani Triay.

“Barberena wanted to do a show on Calacas, which is the folklore of Aztec and Mexico mixed, ” explained Reynaldo Santiago, Art House Studios’ Curator.  “It’s not quite a day of the dead... the other countries and the U.S. Midwest, they don’t have a Day of the Dead, but they interpret what Calacas means in their own terms and their own culture. So that’s what we have here.” The prints overwhelmingly depict Calaveras; some pick up on Día de los Muertos symbolism, while others are comfortably European in their stylistic referencing. Others are refreshingly non-referential.

• What:“Calaca Press International Print Exchange”
• Where: Art House Studios, 1009 Laurel, McAllen
• When: Through October 28.  Hours: Mon-Thurs, 1-7pm; Sat, 9am-5pm.
• Contact: Raquel Hinojosa, Art Director at 956-688-6461 or 956-309-8352.

"Cupid's New Bow" Screenprint by Clay McGlamory.

Clay McGlamory offers a chilling new take on traditional imagery with “Cupids New Bow,” a four-color screenprint with enamel varnish. In this dark vision, a child stands holding an automatic weapon. A burst of light exposes a feathered wing.

"Death Rattle" Litograph by Lisette Chavez.

Another print with strong, but unnerving content is “Death Rattle” by Lisette Chavez. The child's toy is shown with a skull as the rattle. There is no humor here.

 "La Katrina de Azúca" Screenprint by Marwin Begaye.

“La Katrina de Azucar,” a screenprint by Marwin Begaye, uses the traditional festive Katrina image to deftly combine both humor and biting social commentary. Jauntily clustered atop the Katrina’s flowered and feathered hat nestles much of the fast food that will ultimately kill us. A centrally placed coca-cola bottle displays the words, Enjoy Obesity, as its logo.

 "Death and the Printmaker" Woodcut by Liv Rainy-Smith.

Liv Rainy-Smith’s woodcut, “Death and the Printmaker,” feels more European in its conceptual origin. Although the style is contemporary, the interplay of the printmaker dancing with a Calavera (death) is more reminiscent of Northern Renaissance printmaking.

 "José Guadalupe Posada" Print by Linda Lucía Santana and Coco Rico.

Some artists pay homage to the Masters. “Jose Guadalupe Posada” by Linda Lucia Santana and Coco Rico, and “’Los Muertos’ según Francisco Marco de Goya Hernández” by Marco Hernandez, both present excellent realistic portraiture alongside imagery referencing the Masters’ styles.

"Los Muertos" según Francisco Marco de Goya Hernandez by Marco Hernandez

The strength of this show lies not only in the quality of its prints, but also in the diversity of printmaking techniques. Fine woodcuts, lithographs, etchings, mezzotints, screenprints, and even a solar plate print are notable. This particular selection of prints weighs heavily in favor of a spread of U.S. artists. According to Santiago, the rest of the “Calaca Press International Print Exchange” collection will be shown in 2012. Perusing these prints is definitely time well spent.

---

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

Art House Studios Presents: La Calaca Press International Print Exchange

Art House Studios Presents: La Calaca Press International Print Exchange.

Opening: Friday, October 7th, 6:00PM to 10:00PM. Art House Studios 1009 Laurel Ave. McAllen, Texas, USA. Exhibit runs from Oct. 7th through Oct. 28th, 2011.

Photos by Reynaldo Santiago / Art House Studios.

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

Master Prints at NEIU Chicago

Northeastern Illinois University invites you to  join the Solo Exhibition of the nicaraguan printmaker Carlos Barberena: Master Prints at the Fine Arts Center Gallery - Upper Gallery. NEIU, Chicago.



"Monsanto" Linocut. 2010. Print by Carlos Barberena

Open to Public: February 21 - March 4, 2011.
Monday to Friday 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Master Prints 
Fine Arts Center Gallery - Upper Gallery. Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N St Louis Ave. Chicago. IL 60625

Check out the Master Prints Series

Master Prints

“Master Prints” Obra Gráfica de Carlos Barberena.
Las apropiaciones en la cultura visual y en el arte siempre han formado parte de la historia de la humanidad, el copiar, tomar prestado, imitar, re-contextualizar y asimilar costumbres de diversas culturas ha sido la forma en la que hemos aprendido, desarrollado y consolidado nuestra sociedad.
En las artes visuales podemos observar a los estudiantes de arte e inclusive algunos artistas establecidos copiar Obras Maestras, para así aprender de las diversas técnicas de los grandes maestros. Así mismo dentro de nuestra cotidianidad hacemos uso de las apropiaciones cuando citamos frases famosas, refranes hasta incluso los picaros priropos.

"The Jungle" after Lam. Linóleo 2010.El movimiento de las apropiaciones en las artes visuales toma auge en el siglo XX, con las intervenciones de objetos no artísticos insertados a manera de collage en las pinturas cubistas de Picasso y Braque y se expande con los ready made de Duchamp y es seguido por la corriente dadaísta y posteriormente por los surrealistas sin embargo es con el arte pop en donde lo veremos mas a menudo en los “combines” de Rauschenberg, en los comics de Lichtenstein y en las apropiaciones de los productos de consumo en las serigrafías y pinturas de Warhol.
Durante los años 80’s sobresale Sherrie Levine con las apropiaciones fotográficas o reproducciones de obras maestras tituladas -Untitled after…- Otros artistas que militan en esta corriente apropiaciones son Barbara Kruger, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, entre otros…

"Self-Portrait after Van Gogh" Xilografía. 2010.Dentro de esta línea esta basado mi proyecto “Master Prints”, una serie de grabados en los cuales empleo el proceso de apropiación, variación e intervención  de “Obras Maestras”, usando en algunos casos sus títulos y estrategias de composición e insertándoles imágenes e iconos contemporáneos dentro de su contenido original que muchas veces transgrede o contradice su significado original creando así una nueva obra de arte.

"Calavera Cañera" after Posada. Linóleo. 2010.En esta serie de linóleos y xilografías quiero que el espectador pueda reconocer las imágenes que estoy interviniendo y espero que puedan asociar el significado de las imágenes originales con las nuevas ideas y cuestionamientos que planteo dentro de un nuevo contexto.
Me interesa que estas obras reflejen la problemática contemporánea que vivimos a diario: la contaminación ambiental, la explotación desmedida de los recursos naturales, el irrespeto a los derechos humanos, la violencia, los derechos laborales en bananeras y cañaverales, el consumismo, el monopolio de las grandes corporaciones, el uso desmedido de transgénicos, las guerras y el uso y abuso del poder.
La selección de estas obras no fueron al azar, en la mayoría seleccione obras que reflejaban la problemática social o política que se vivía en el tiempo que fueron producidas.

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

Master Prints at Expressions Graphics

I will be having a Solo Exhibition at Expressions Graphics Gallery in Oak Park, IL.

 

 

.“Master-Prints”

In this series I employ the process of appropriating and varying “Master Pieces of Art,” using at times both their titles and compositional strategies but inserting contemporary imagery to create new works.

These pieces reflect contemporary issues such as environmental pollution, exploitation of natural resources, human rights issues, violence, labor rights, wars, and the use and abuse of power.

My selection of master pieces was not entirely random: with most, I chose pieces which reflected contemporary issues during the period in which they were produced. I researched the ideas behind each artist’s piece, the ways in which each artist dealt with the contradictions and hypocrisy of these issues.

Then in some, I inserted contemporary issues into them that fit with the complex imagery of each. In others, where the message of the work was particularly clear and widely understood, I introduced new, contradictory ideas.

Prints by Carlos Barberena

Carlos Barberena is a Nicaraguan visual artist based in Chicago. He has had solo shows in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua and The United States of America, and his work has been shown in important Art Fairs, Art Biennials, Museums and Galleries in many places including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, USA, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

He has created many installations in public spaces in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Venezuela and his work was selected to represent Nicaragua in the XIII Art Salon: Identity Imprint: A Glance at Ibero-American Printmaking at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC. And in the III World Body Art Conference in Venezuela.

His artistic work has been published in almanacs and Christmas cards benefiting Costa Rican children. He has also participated in art auctions benefiting Nicaraguan children and Nicaraguan Printmaking in Bonn, Germany, He also illustrated a book for children published in Vienna, Austria.

He has received various awards, most notably the award- poster for the Ecology and Human Rights in Banana Plantations in Costa Rica, given by GEBANA in Berlin, Germany.

His work is included in private and public collections, among them The International Exlibriscentrum, Stedelijke Museum in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, the Lia Bermudez Museum in Venezuela, The Printmaking Workshop (Taller de Formación y Producción Gráfica), in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico, the National Gallery (Galeria Nacional) of Costa Rica, the Cultural Museum of the Caribbean (Museo Cultural del Caribe) in Venezuela, the Praxis Gallery in Nicaragua.

www.carlosbarberena.com
 

Gallery Hours only for this Event:

Wed - Thu - Fri -Saturday 1-5 PM or by appointment. *3rd Friday 1-9PM*

Our gallery is run by Volunteers: Please call ahead to insure we’re open. 708-386-3552

Expressions Graphics
29 Harrison St. Oak Park, IL 60304
www.expressionsgraphics.org

Happy New Year

I want to thanks to my family, friends, artists, partners, galleries, and curators who enjoyed my projects and worked along with me this year, thanks for your support.

I wish you a Happy Holidays and Prosperity, Good Luck, Cheer, and Peace to you and yours throughout the 2010!!!

By the way next year I'll be have some new projects, so be in touch, thanks for visiting this blog and supporting my art.
my best wishes.

Quiero agradecer a mi familia, amigos, artistas, galerias y curadores que me apoyaron y trabajaron junto conmigo durante este año, muchas gracias por el apoyo.

Les deseo unas Felices Fiestas y que el 2010 sea un año Prospero lleno de Paz, Salud y Buena Suerte junto a los suyos.

El proximo año habran nuevos proyectos, no dejen de visitar el blog y muchas gracias por apoyar este sitio y mi arte,
Saludos

Carlos Barberena

www.carlosbarberena.com

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.

Mes del Grabado 2009.

"Mes del Grabado 2009" dedicado a la memoria de Oscar Rodriguez. Granada, Nicaragua.

Instituto Nicaragüense de Cultura tiene el gusto de invitarte al Mes del Grabado 2009 dedicado a la memoria de Oscar Rodríguez. A realizarse del 17 de octubre al 15 de noviembre, el Centro Cultural Antiguo Convento de San Francisco de Granada, Nicaragua, con las siguientes actividades:

Sábado 17 de octubre apertura de la Exposición de obras de Maestros del grabado latinoamericano pertenecientes a la colección del Museo Julio Cortazar, Sala Asilia Guillen.

Viernes 23 de octubre 4:00 PM. Acto de Inauguración oficial del Mes del Grabado 2009, Exposición del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Grabado Nicaragüense, inmediatamente Conferencia acerca de la obra de Rembrandt van Rijn, dictada por la Doctora María Dolores Torres, Historiadora del Arte.

Sábado 24 de octubre 10:00 Am. Apertura de la Exposición de Xilografías de Covadonga Mejía de España.

Viernes 30, 10:00 AM. Mesa Redonda con el tema: Vigencia del Grabado en las Artes Visuales Contemporáneas, participan como panelistas: los maestro María Gallo, Alfonso Ximénez, Leonel Cerrato y Robert Barberena de la Rocha.

Viernes 6 de noviembre 10:00 Am. Conferencia acerca del desarrollo del Taller de grabado de la Casa de los Tres Mundos de Granada por Robert Barberena de la Rocha.

Sábado 7 de noviembre 10:00 Am. Conversatorio acerca del desarrollo del Taller de la Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas Rodrigo Peñalba a cargo de los maestro

María Gallo y Ali Cortes.

Sábado 17 de noviembre 9:00 Am a 2:00 Pm. Encuentro Nacional de Artistas Plásticos, lanzamiento de la convocatoria y Bases del Concurso PREMIO NACIONAL A LA ESTAMPA. Acto De clausura del Mes del Grabado 2009.

Todas las actividades se realizaran en el Centro Cultural Antiguo Convento de San Francisco de Granada, Nicaragua.

Departamento de Artes Plásticas

Instituto Nicaragüense de Cultura

Teléfonos: 22281032, 22222-068,

e-mail: inc.expo1@yahoo.com Web: www.inc.gob.ni

Carlos Barberena at the 8th Lessedra Anual World Art Mini Print 2009

Carlos Barberena was selected to exhibit his Prints at the 8th Lessedra World Art Print Annual at Lessedra Gallery in Sofia Bulgaria. The opening was last June and the show will be open to the public from June 3rd to August 30th. More Info Here...

Madre del Desaparecido print by Carlos Barberena.

Carlos Barberena fue seleccionado para exhibir sus Grabados en la 8th Lessedra World Art Print Annual 2009 en Lessedra Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria, la Inauguración fue el pasado 3 de Junio y estara abierta al publico del 3 al 30 de Agosto del 2009. Mas info Aquí...