VISUAL ARTS & MUSEUMS

Home > VISUAL ARTS & MUSEUMS > Nuevas Visiones: Mayan Visions new works by Sergio Santos

• Tweet
• Outlook
• ICAL
• PRINT
• Email
• Feedback

• RSS

• Official Website
• Add to My Favorites

Nuevas Visiones: Mayan Visions new works by Sergio Santos

Presented by Houston Arts Alliance - space125gallery at Houston Arts Alliance - Alliance Gallery (formerly space125gallery)

March 26-May 8, 2009

Add Review/Comment
Comment on Facebook

The Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) presents the exhibition Nuevas Visiones: Mayan Visions new works by Sergio Santos on view March 26 - May 8, 2009 at space125gallery.

Meet the Artist Reception:  Thursday, April 9, 6-8PM, Light refreshments.

Nuevas Visiones: Mayan Visions is a selection of new works by Sergio Santos in which the Houston photographer examines the intricate connection of his ancestry rooted in Mayan/ Spanish culture. For Sergio the photographs represent the tension felt through this historical conflict that extends into present day and continues to affect Latin Americans and their descendents.  The images are not a historical depiction, but a photographic interpretation of passages from the Mayan creation account, the Popul Vuh.

In the exhibition Sergio uses digital photography as an intentional contrast between technology and pre-Columbian mythology.  “Being of Latin American descent is a confounding matter to have ancestry that is so diametrically opposed. We are the fruit of one forefather (the Spanish) and murder of the other forefather (The Mayan),” Sergio notes. The works will be on display through May 8, 2009.

Sergio Santos is an HAA FY08 Individual Artist Grantee.

SERGIO SANTOS: artist statement
I employ the same criteria when creating a photograph that is employed in the crafting of a well-written text. This approach does not posit that an image is composed of letters of symbols on a surface, but rather that an image can be read and created like a text. A text includes or omits vial information, just as a photograph does. Placement and juxtaposition is also a commonality in text and image. The slightest alteration in this facet has the potential to either enhance the meaning of text or image or render it completely meaningless. It is through this approach that I assert control over meaning and narrative (or lack thereof) in my photographs.

SERGIO SANTOS: biography
b. 1977 Chicago, Illinois
Sergio Santos is a familiar face on the fine art photography circuit, with 13 years of professional photographic experience. He began his photography education at the Glassell School of Art through the University of St. Thomas-where he received his Bachelor degrees in Literature and Philosophy in 2000. He also received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2006. He has been featured in numerous exhibitions both group and individual- ranging from Austin to Corpus Christi. The world of Sergio’s photography is one of illuminated isolation. Skillful lighting along with a gift for storytelling has enabled him to feature a main character or characters-person, animal or object- and provide it with a voice to convey a personal history or tell a familiar story.

space125gallery is located on the ground level of the Center for the Arts, located at 3201 Allen Parkway (one block west of the intersection of Waugh and Allen Parkway). The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Funding for space125gallery is provided by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. For additional information please contact (713) 527-9330 or visit our website at http://www.haatx.com/programs/special-opportunites/space125gallery/  

About Houston Arts Alliance
The Houston Arts Alliance (HAA), a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, is the city's municipal arts agency dedicated to advancing the nonprofit arts industry in the Greater Houston area. HAA’s mission is to nurture, fund, advocate, and promote participation in the arts in Houston and Harris County, thus contributing to the enhancement of the region's quality of life, economic competitiveness and attractiveness as a tourist destination. HAA distributes more than $10 million in grants to nearly 250 nonprofit arts organizations and individual artists and manages the city's civic art collection of nearly 400 artworks as well as new acquisitions. For more information, visit the HAA website at: www.houstonartsalliance.com.

Gallery Pictures, below:

#1:  La Venganza del Ave de Corral y el Perro, Digital C Print,  2008.  Description: Other attempts to make the race that would be humanity were made by the gods. When the people made of wood were found unsuitable—one of the ways they were disposed of was via a revolt by dogs and pen birds.

#2: Padre y Padre, Digital C Print, 2008.  Description: This image plays with the notion of one forefather attempting to eliminate the other.

#3:  Pasaje al Futuro, Digital C Print, 2008.  Description: When a Mayan was buried, jade was usually on him—a piece was specifically placed in the mouth.