Dreaming Coffee Table Perfection - Martín Albarrán Newest Work

To be a master you need passion, discipline, will and consistency. It's a journey of constant learning and breaking of the mold. Maybe the one you thought it was the correct one, its just another step to greatness, but at the end, you may encounter the best of you, with unimaginable talents never thought of. This is exactly what happens in the latest work of Puerto Rican artist Martín Albarrán and his CB1 Coffee Table. The work was commissioned for Castro Barreto Art Collection, a nonprofit organization based in Puerto Rico with the mission to gather and promote works from local emerging artists.

The first step was the design process and measurements of the area where the new furniture was going to be placed, all in harmony with existing decor and contemporary art. With Martin's usual style of modernism, line perfection and vivid colors; he used aluminium panels to be molded and welded together in a custom made design. Submerged in a two month process of detailing, applying coats of primer, fillers and metal sanding; finally started to bring out the lines and measurements once thought at the beginning of the project. All of his works are unique and never repeated, so it was very important for him to maintain his usual style and quality.

Ellis Omar Williams

Sculptor Ellis Omar Williams assisted Martín on the detailing and sanding of the metal until it got a smooth surface. All the work was done in La Productora, a workshop, gallery and residence program created by Martín in 2012. Today is a very important venue for the development of artists in Puerto Rico. It recently got attention of the United Airlines Hemispheres Magazine as a tourism place to visit if you want to see the best emerging artists on the island and also during a visit by Klaus Biesenbach, current director of Moma PS1 in Queens, New York.

Behind angle of the table

The total measurements of the table where 6'x3'x16" and depending on the position you see it, different lines and geometric figures are appreciated, making it a unique conversation piece.

As Martín told us at the end of this edition, his future plans are focused in showcasing international artists and to maintain alive the good "word of mouth" in regards La Productora, turning it into the most important place for cultural development in Puerto Rico.

About the artist:

Martín Albarrán (left) and Klaus Biesenbach 

Martín Albarrán López is an artist and designer based in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His preparation in the art and design worlds ranges from sculpture, restoration and architecture. Martín has been educated in art since high school at the Escuela Central de Artes Visuales in San Juan, PR in 2000 and 5 years later received a bachelor in fine arts with concentration in sculpture from the Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico. Between school and work, he spent four years at a restoration workshop working with crafts and antique furniture. Alongside he open a workshop with other artists at Santurce for the production of sculptures in 2006. From 2007 to 2012 he started coursework in architecture at the graduate program of the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico. It was during an academic exchange in 2011 at ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering, where he became involved in digital design fabrication and contemporary architecture history, that his vision about spaces transformed from space for exhibition to places for creation. From this vision emerged his latest endeavor into art entrepreneurship as La Productora. It is not only a space for producing art and design, and as he describes it: “a space for producing culture; a space to revitalize and echo the constant movement in the streets of Santurce, Puerto Rico.

La Productora Boosts Artist Career in a Fun Way

This past Saturday by the title Plata_Forma, took place a fundraising event for plastic artist Jotham Malavé. The activity was organized by the workshop and exhibition space La Productora, located in Santurce Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican artist was chosen this year to exhibit several artworks at the tenth Florence Biennale in Italy.

The organization of the event was great. It was divided into different stations including two bars, bbq area with homemade delicacies prepared by Martin Albarrán (creator of La Productora) and a cozy stage. The guests arrived and bought tickets for drinks/food and redeemed them at the stations.

Jotham personally welcomed guests. This action created a trust enviroment to the event as it allowed direct contact with the artist, making people interact with him and understand how important was this event for his career. He was also offering a package that included several drinks, food and a silkscreen created in collaboration with One Hand Printing. This was a must for collectors.

On the musical side, several artists made their collaboration: Rafael Vargas Bernard, Jazz, Jufe, Payola, La Exitosa, Louis 1981 I AM DJ and glory D 'Marquesina entertained the big crowd all night. La Exitosa band (composed by artists Michael Linares and Jesus Bubu Negrón, among others) delighted the guests with their electronic melodies, trance and mergers with salsa. Their music penetrated deep into the audience, dancing on a journey that deepened further with each zip of beer.

         

Within the workshop, there was a selection of works of the artist with its recurring themes of bondage and sadomasochism worked for some time ago. A painting of a tied woman in a black bag sitting in a corner of an empty house, created different responses on viewers wondering whether she was dead or alive. On another wall, people could appreciate drawings created with great detail, depicting men with clothespins on their lips as if they were enjoying pain, waiting to experience other ways to feel that pleasure again.

Other Puerto Rican artists collaborated exposing their artworks. Among them was Emmanuel Torres Perez (aka Calandrino Silvestre) with a bright colored painting that makes you wonder about childhood (presence of a dog, a boy and plants everywhere). André Pagano gave us a sneak peak of one of his pieces from the series: Dark Matter. He deals with recycled car tires cut into small pieces and transformed into a paste, creating worlds similar to places in other planets focusing on asphalt-like grounds on top of the canvases.

It was a good night filled with friendship, networking and good vibes. Once again La Productora proved that in union there is strength and that through collaboration with the correct sponsors, artists, collectors, art and music lovers; they can all help artists achieve their dreams. Much success in Florence!

Radames Juni Figueroa brings his melons to New York

Young Puerto Rican artist, Radames "Juni" Figueroa will be presenting some of his works in "Circus of Stillness... the power over wild beasts". It is part of The Watermill's Center Annual Summer Benefit & Auction in New York. The event will be from 6:00pm-11:59pm.

With his characteristic approach of embracing people to feel the life in the tropics, Juni presents the audience a cool, unique and fun experience along his favorite friends; pineapples and melons. One of his noted pieces will include a fabric-type artwork from his series "Bed paintings" that was developed a few years ago in which characters appeared immersed in fruits. In this particular piece we can see Juni with a knife in his mouth, swimming between melons with contagious happiness and freedom.

The Watermill Center is an arts organization developed by Robert Wilson with a mission to support the works of artists around the world and expose them to international institutions. Their 20,000 square foot facility provides a space for artist to live and work to improve their talents and create unique performance pieces by merging them with humanities, sciences and visual arts.  

For more information about Juni, go to Castro Barreto Collection.
(Photos: Watermill Center and artist)

Hector Madera: cutting and mixing in New York

Photo: courtesy of the artist.

 

Puerto Rican artist Hector Madera presented today various works in the exhibition CUT N’ MIX: Contemporary Collage at El Museo del Barrio in New York. The most noted pieces are 3 big collages with important personalities in the world of art like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. With his distinctive collage techniques, he created wrestling-type masks covering their faces with tape. It gave the audience a sense of doubt as if this people may also had normal lives with their ups and downs like everybody else. It also gives the characters an underworld mystique like they are part of a gang.

 

Hector Madera was born in 1977 and he lives and works in New York. His works had always played with a focal point; the creation of ideas and and how they can be easily tossed out. Paper is the best way to explain this concept, thanks to its malleability and multiple uses and Hector uses every bit of it. An example of this can be seen in one of his newest exhibitions in Puerto Rico: Disgraceful Episodes, Grandiose Moments, Insignificant Achievements and Everything in Between, where he presented mini sculptures made by discarded papers with ball shapes, emulating the action of making a ball with a bunch of used papers and throwing them in the trash. His works has been presented in Spain, London and France and is currently represented by gallery Zawahra-Alejandro.

 

For more information about other Puerto Rican artists go to: Coleccion Castro Barreto

Puerto Rican Artist Gamaliel Rodriguez At Bronx Museum

The Bronx Museum of Arts presented in July 2015 the third (AIM) Biennial curated by Bronx-based artists Hatuey Ramos-Fermín and Laura Napier. Artist in the Marketplace is an initiative from the museum to present 72 emerging artists currently living and working in New York. They offer the participants a 13-week seminar that addresses practical concerns, and cultivates networking opportunities.

Puerto Rican artist Gamaliel Rodríguez is one of the participants with his artwork "Figure 1730", showing an industrial structure surrounded by smoke. This piece was also exhibited at Aluna Foundation in the show Affective Architectures (December 6, 2014).

Frances Gallardo Show at Cornell

Photos: courtesy of the artist

During her master's at Cornell University, Puerto Rican artist Frances Gallardo presented her solo show: Conduit. With these pieces she studied and explored movement and sound by presenting prints with a river-like fretwork and a circle resembling a hurricane, dragging rocks along his way. We can also see a drawing with graphite and coal, working in a good way with the prints, like leaving a track behind the free flow of the composition.

Frances has always been fascinated by atmospheric events and how these systems are similar to things like handmade skirts. She uses her imagination and applies her cutting techniques, creating detailed lines and forms just with paper.