Installation starting July 13th and ongoing
Letters in the window of 707 West 17th street in Santa Ana read “HACIA LA VISTA…” a playful reference to the iconic phrase Hasta la Vista. Instead of saying goodbye, saltfineart gallery, based in Laguna Beach, is saying hello, and the introduction is with art. The window display features 3 Latin Contemporary masters, Luis Cornejo, Jorge Lopez Pardo and Rafael Varela and the phrase translated means FOR THE VIEW. In collaboration with the building owners who are currently offering the 2300 sq ft retail space for lease, saltfineart has installed this appointment-only installation as a celebration of Latin Contemporary Art, which is their focus.
“It is a wonderful fit for us to install these artists in this location. We are very much about sharing art with community through collaboration. Santa Ana is a vibrant arts community and it is fun and exciting to cross paths…” – Suzanne Walsh, Director
Luis Cornejo’s (El Salvador) ability to masterfully combine acrylic and oil to fuse hyperrealism with a highly stylized, “super flat” style is highly utilized in his playfully forward use of high profile pop iconography. The artist’s keen sense of humor takes aim at celebrity and video gaming culture presenting questions with wit instead of direct criticism.
Living and working in El Salvador, Cornejo has exhibited individually and collectively in Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Canada, and Germany. Cornejo’s career has skyrocketed in recent years, with a scholarship to Berlin (2009-10), top awards from the Salvadorian Museum of Art (MARTE) in 2008, as well as the National Art Awards in 2003 and 2001 (El Salvador).
Jorge Lopez Pardo (Cuba) was born in Trinidad, but living and working in Havana, Jorge Lopez Pardo has exhibited his stark images of isolation throughout Cuba, Spain, Mexico and the United States. One of the most striking aspects of his work is his technique, graphite on canvas, the simplicity of medium informing his dramatic compositions. Choosing to depict isolated objects often suspended in shimmering graphite black, Pardo makes a visual case for the singular point of view whether it is a county, mode of thought, or person. Using an exquisitely restrained palette and subject matter, there is a singular elegance and detail to the images that paradoxically speak not of beauty but of solitude.
Rafael Varela (El Salvador) Recognized as one of the master realists of Latin America, Varela has celebrated solo exhibitions in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and the United States. Additionally, he has participated in collective group shows in Central America, the Dominican Republic, the United States and Spain. His work forms part of several important public collections such as the Museum of Latin American Art (Long Beach), the Vatican (Rome), the White House Collection in Washington D.C as well as private collections in Central America, the United States, Europe, and Japan.