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Past Exhibits at Indigo Arts Gallery |
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"Milagre" Ex-voto Head
Ceará, Brazil
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"A Mulher Que Botou O Diabo Na Garrafa (The Woman who put the Devil in a Bottle)"
José Francisco Borges
Bezerros, Pernambuco, Brazil
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Mysteries and Miracles:
Folk Art from Brazil's Northeast
The exhibition which opened at Indigo Arts Gallery on April 1st featured two distinct folk arts from Brazil’s Northeast: the folheto tradition of wood-cut prints, represented by the work of José Francisco Borges and others, and the carved wooden ex-votos called milagrés.
We have greatly expanded our collection of Brazilian Folk Art, with the acquisitiuon of many more wood-cut prints by the "Master of the Brazilian Backlands", José Francisco Borges. Described by the New York Times as "one of Latin America's most celebrated folk artists", his work has been exhibited at the Louvre and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as the International Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe. Living in the village of Bezerros, Pernambuco state, in Northeastern Brazil, Borges chronicles the life and legends of rural Brazil with empathy and humor. To his work we have added a selection of the other many talented Brazilian wood-cut artists, including other members of the Borges family: Amaro Francisco Borges, Ivan Borges and José Miguel da Silva.. The New York Times recently carried an excellent article on the cordel tradition, featuring Borges and others, "The Traveling Troubadors of Brazil's Backlands" (June 14, 2005).
To balance this view of Brazilian life we have also been fortunate to acquire a significant collection of hand-carved wooden milagre (miracle) ex-votos from the states of Ceará and Pernambuco. Don't miss this unusual folk art!
Click here for the Brazilian Folk Art Gallery.
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"Millenium Tresse & Tissage"
Hairdresser's Sign by Lawa
(Lomé, Togo
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African Visions
In honor of the opening of the African Art African Voices exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Indigo Arts gallery presents African Visions, a celebration of the African genius and the African eye. Drawing upon our our wide-ranging collection of African art, the exhibition includes sculpture, masks, textiles, contemporary paintings and, yes, barbershop signs. The exhibition opened on First Friday, November 5th, 2004, with a reception from 5:30 to 9:00pm and continued through April, 2005.
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"Le Royaume de la Mer"
Gerard Valcin
(Haiti, 1923-1988)
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Masters of Haitian Art
In commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of Haiti’s independence, Indigo Arts Gallery is honored to present Masters of Haitian Art. The exhibition opened on First Friday, May 7th, 2004, and was on display through the month of September.
In a time of political turmoil and terrible deprivation in Haiti, we pay tribute to the incredibly rich cultural and artistic heritage of the Black Republic, with an exhibition of some of Haiti’s greatest artists of the last fifty years. Artists represented include painters Montas Antoine, Wilson Bigaud, Gelin Buteau, G.E. Ducassse, Gerard Fortune, Alexandre Gregoire, Dieuseul Paul, Gerard Paul, Andre Pierre, Micius Stephane, Gerard Valcin, Pierre-Joseph Valcin, sculptors Gabriel Bien-Aimé and Serge Jolimeau, and vodou banner artists Myrlande Constant, Eviland Lalanne, Yves Telemac, and George Valris.
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"Tantra"
Susan Rodriguez
(Philadelphia,PA)
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Susan Rodriguez:_Stealing Water from the Moon
How to steal water from the moon? Artist and University of the Arts professor Susan Rodriguez attempts this artistic feat in a one-woman show at Indigo Arts. The exhibition of pastel collages, prints, scrolls and ceramic works opened on First Friday, October 1st, 2004, and continued through the month.
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"Amanecer"
Ignacio Fletes Cruz
(Leon, Nicaragua)
Ignacio Fletes Cruz
at Indigo Arts. March 6th, 2004 |
Ignacio Fletes Cruz:
Nicaraguan Primitivista Painter
In March through April 2004, renowned Nicaraguan Primitivista artist, José Ignacio Fletes Cruz exhibits his lush landscapes and scenes of peasant life at Indigo Arts Gallery. Fletes Cruz is a veteran of the celebrated Primitivista painting movement which arose during the upheaval of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, and has continued to flourish ever since. Largely self-taught, these painters work in a naive style featuring scenes of community life, lush flora and fauna, and history and folklore, executed in bright colors and intricate detail.
Fletes Cruz was on hand for the opening reception at Indigo Arts gallery on First Friday, March 5th, from 5 to 9pm and a painting workshop on Saturday afternoon, March 6th (2-6pm). The work is on display through May 2nd. In addition to the show in Philadelphia, Ignacio has been commissioned to paint two murals in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary and at Gettysburg High School.
An interview about Ignacio Fletes Cruz and this exhibition with Indigo Arts Gallery co-owner Tony Fisher aired in the Philadelphia area on the program Puerto Rican Panorama on April 4th and 5th, 2004. It aired on ABC affiliate Channel 6 (WPVI) at 6:00 AM on Sunday April 4th, and at about 3:20 AM on Monday, April 5th. No. its not exactly prime time.
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"Infanta con Gallo"
José Garcia Montebravo
(Cienfuegos, Cuba)
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Cuban Visions at
El Festival Cubano 2003
In October 2003 through January 2004, despite an ever more difficult diplomatic climate, we joined in celebrating El Festival Cubano , Philadelphia's third annual celebration of Cuban art and culture. Indigo Arts presents Cuban Visions, an exhibit of paintings by both trained and self-taught Cuban artists.
The exhibit featured new work by favorites such as José Garcia Montebravo, Jorge Sanfiel and Luis El Estudiante Rodriguez. But we are particularly pleased to show work by renowned Havana painter and ceramic artist José Fuster. We had hoped that José Fuster would join us at our opening reception on First Friday, October 3rd, but he was not issued a visa to enter the United States.
El Festival Cubano once again included a rich variety of performances, exhibitions and cultural events. Unfortunately none of the Cuban artists were issued visas to attend the festival. Please support the restoration of our right to travel! For information go to: http://www.lawg.org/cubatravelbillaction.htm
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"Tigerl"
Montu Chitrakar
(West Bengal, India)
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Folk Painting from India
We have just received a wonderful collection of traditional folk paintings from India, which we are exhibiting at Indigo Arts Gallery in June through September 2003. The exhibition includes Mithila Paintings by artists Pushpa Kumari, Mahasundari Devi, Mala Karn, Pradyumna Kumar and others from the Madhubani region of Bihar, Paintings and Scrolls by Montu Chitrakar from West Bengal, and antique Jadupatua scroll paintings from the Santhal people of West Bengal.
Show opened on First Friday, June 6, 5:00 to 9:30 PM
You can read a review of the show in Philadelphia Weekly.
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"El Rey del Grifal"
Luis Joaquin Rodriguez Arias
(Santiago de Cuba, Cuba)
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El Festival Cubano 2002
In October through November 2002 we once again participated in El Festival Cubano a festival of performances, exhibitions and cultural events in Philadelphia. Indigo Arts hosted Por un Mundo Mejor/For a Better World, a show opening on October 4, 2002 of work by the Grupo Bayate collective of seven self-taught artists from Santiago de Cuba. Participating artists included Luis "El Estudiante" Rodriquez and Roberto Torres Lameda, both of whom were present at the opening reception. Click here for more information and a sampling of the artwork in the exhibition.
The festival opened on First Friday, October 4th, 2002, with the opening of Por un Mundo Mejor. We were pleased once again to host a lecture on the Grupo Bayate by art historian Joan C. Pearlman of New York's New School University. The lecture, which will included a discussion with artists Rodriguez and Lameda, was on Saturday, Oct. 19th, at 5pm. The festival concluded with brilliant performances by the Ballet Folklorico Cutumba of Santiago de Cuba.
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"Hasta Encontrarlos"
Fernando Olivera
(Oaxaca, Mexico)
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El Festival Cubano 2001
In October through December 2001 we were participants in a festival of performances, exhibitions and cultural events in Philadelphia called El Festival Cubano. Indigo Arts' contribution was an exhibition of work by Self- Taught Cuban Artists, which opened October 5th, 2001. We plan to participate in El Festival Cubano 2002, with Por un Mundo Mejor, a show opening in October 2002 of work by the Grupo Bayate group of self-taught artists from Santiago de Cuba.
On Saturday, October 13th (5PM) we were pleased to host a gallery talk by art historian Joan C. Pearlman of New York's New School University. Ms. Pearlman has written extensively on the self-taught artists of Cuba, most recently about José Montebravo, in the Folk Art Messenger (Winter/Spring 2001).
Other participants in El Festival Cubano included the Ballet Folklorico Cutumba of Santiago de Cuba, Taller Puertorriqueno, Photo West Gallery and photographers Laurence Salzmann and Susan Bank. Click here for more information on El Festival Cubano
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Rodolfo Morales
(Oaxaca, Mexico) at Indigo Arts, 1997
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June through September 2001 we hosted a memorial exhibition of the work of Rodolfo Morales, who passed away in January 2001(see below). Rodolfo Morales: The Legacy of a Oaxaca Master includes collages, lithographs and serigraphs by the Mexican artist loaned by Philadelphia collections as well as our own inventory.
Spring, 2001 we exhibited a selection of works by Self-taught Artists from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. To see some of this work click on the Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua sections of the website highlighted above and below.
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"African Style: Down to the Details"
Sharne Algotsson
Publication date: Oct.24, 2000
$32.50 hardcover
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In November and December, 2000 we exhibited selections of our collection of fine African sculpture, masks, textiles and furniture as we celebrate the publication of the new book African Style: Down to the Details by Philadelphia designer, stylist and writer Sharne Algottson. Following on the success of her first book, Spirit of African Design written with Denys Davis, Sharne now offers a gorgeous, hands-on guide to decorating any home with the richness of Africa. "Today more and more of us are striving to bring personal meaning and beauty into our lives and homes. African style is the perfect way to express that joy in living, whether your look is formal, traditional, minimal, casual country, or eclectic."
If you weren't able to join us and Sharne Algotsson on First Friday, November 3rd, 2000 for the Philadelphia book-signing, you can still order either book directly from us, too (just phone or e-mail us). Signed copies of both books may still be available. |
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In July through September 2000 we exhibited the work of an exciting group of Cuban Self-taught Artists, which Tony brought back from his trip in March. While we include work from all over the country, we emphasize the work of artists from the southern Cuban city of Cienfuegos, including "Fito" (Adolfo Flores Gonzalez), Jose Garcia Montebravo, Jorge Sanfiel and Wayacon (Julian Espinosa). See Cuba Vive! below and our Cuba Gallery section for more on Cuba and Cuban art.
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"Catedral de Leon y
Calle Real Colonial"
Alejandro Benito Cabrera
(Nicaragua)
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In May and June 2000 (May 5 - July 2, 2000) we showed Nicaraguan Self-Taught, a new collection of paintings by self-taught artists from Nicaragua. The artists, Alejandro Cabrera, Santiago Crespin and Rosa Delia Lopez, are members of a group of self-taught artists in the community of Sutiava, outside the city of Leon. Alejandro Cabrera and Rosa Delia Lopez, are already familiar to many of you, as they were included in our 1998 show, Primitivistas. Santiago Crespin,while new to Indigo Arts, has been exhibiting his paintings for several years. As in 1998, the work is brought to us with the assistance of Project Gettysburg/Leon. For more information on this work and these artists see our Nicaragua Gallery section.
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"Mudman with Bird"
Yhanna Coffin (USA)
$750
29k
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April 2000 we exhibited the work of New York artist Yhanna Coffin, with a show entitled Mud Women/Mud Men. The show included paintings in oil as well as the Mud Women/Mud Men series of works painted in the medium of mud on paper. The work was completed over the last year at the Shalom Mountain Retreat and Study Center in Livingstone Manor, New York.
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"Mi Caballo"
Mario Mesa
(Cuba)
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In Summer 1999 Indigo Arts presented Cuba • Belize • Mexico, including paintings by self-taught Cuban artists Mario Mesa and Jose Garcia Montebravo, prints by artists from Oaxaca, Mexico, and paintings Tony collected on his February 1999 trip to the Central American nation of Belize. In Belize Tony sought out Benjamin Nicholas, one of Belize's leading artists and one-man chronicler of the history and culture of the Afro-Caribbean Garifuna Indians. The paintings which surround Mr. Nicholas in his small house on the Caribbean shore depict both the events of Garifuna history and the ceremonies and activities of their lives - from fishing and farming to Punta dance parties, Dugu healing ceremonies.
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Michael Gordon
(Belize)
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In Belize City Tony discovered the pantings of Michael Gordon, a self-taught street artist, who was until recently homeless. Working with found materials - cardboard, cloth and even broken glass - Gordon portrays the landscape of his daily life, his memory and his imagination.
In Spring 1999 we showed a collection of Asian Textiles: India and Uzbekistan, as well as Sculpture from New Guinea.
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Latest Update August 6, 2008 |
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1400 North American St., #104 • Philadelphia, PA 19122
Phone: (215) 765-1041 • Toll Free: (888) INDIART • Fax: (215) 765-1042
E-Mail: indigofamily@indigoarts.com
Al l photographs and text Copyright Indigo Arts Gallery, LLC., 1998-2008. Use without permission prohibited.
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