On view now at Palos Verdes Art Center are two new exhibitions…”A Garden of Excesses” and “COLLABORATIONS: prints from Mixografia.”

“A Garden of Excesses” is a solo exhibition by the Cuban artist Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios, presented in partnership with Building Bridges Art Exchange.

The exhibition features paintings, drawings, and monumental inflatable sculptures by the artist. The exhibition is curated by PVAC director Joe Baker and Marisa Caichiolo, director of Building Bridges Art Exchange and BBAX curator Evelyn Pener. Rios will be in residence at PVAC during the installation and first week of his exhibition to create a new art work and discuss his process.

Born in Olguin, Cuba, Rios studied art at Institution Superior de Arte (ISA), Havana, Cuba as well as Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana. He currently lives in Mexico. Rios’ massive paintings and deft drawings blend organic, vegetal forms with allusions to the erotic in fantastic displays of sensual excess. Expressed in vibrant colors with a quick, sure hand, or made using his body to apply paint, his meld of Expressionist and Neobaroque explorations appear part abstraction and part dreamscape, recalling the theatrical presence celebrated in the Spanish Baroque.

His two-dimensional pieces, which began as supporting works to his sculptural oeuvre, will be represented during the opening weekend with an installation of Rios’ monumental inflatable sculptures. Now fully endowed with their own presence, the expressive paintings and drawings presented in A Garden of Excesses: Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios will present the viewer with a celebration of sensuality.

Also opening tonight is “COLLABORATIONS: prints from Mixografia,” featuring works on paper by Helen Frankenthaler, Ed Ruscha, Kiki Smith, Rufino Tamayo, Donald Sultan, Jason Martin, Mimmo Paladino, Joe Goode, Kwang-Young Chun and Kcho. 

Working in close collaboration with artists, Mixografia Workshop, located in Los Angeles, California, specializes in high-relief prints that have the dimensional qualities of bas-relief sculpture.  The Workshop originated its proprietorial technique in the early 1970s when Rufino Tamayo approached master printer Luis Remba, based in Mexico City, with a request for greater volume and texture in his prints. To accommodate Tamayo’s needs, a printing process was developed allowing for the printing of images in relief and with fine surface detail. The technique not only registered the texture and volume of Tamayo’s design, but it also granted him the freedom to use any combination of solid materials in its creation. Tamayo was delighted with the process and results, leading to the printing of 80 editions with the artist in over 17 years of collaboration.

Due to the inability of commercial paper to withstand the stress of the new three-dimensional printing technique, more resilient handmade paper was also invented. Luis and Lea’s son, Shaye, designed and constructed the second generation of papermaking machines in 1982. Since then, Shaye has invented new techniques, enhancing and improving many aspects of the production operations. Today, he oversees all the production at the workshop.

Building Bridges Art Exchange, located at Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, promotes international artists through art exchanges, residencies, exhibitions, and workshops.A Garden of Excesses: Angel Ricardo Ricardo Riosmarks the first of a series of residencies and exhibitions presented in partnership with Palos Verdes Art Center and the Santa Monica nonprofit.

Palos Verdes Art Center, a non-profit community visual arts gallery and school, inspires individuals to create, appreciate and celebrate art. Since 1931, when it was founded as a cultural arm of the planned community of Palos Verdes Estates, the Art Center’s exhibition, education and outreach programs have made the visual arts available, accessible and affordable. 

Mixografia Workshop produces and publishes handmade paper prints, multiples and sculptures in all media that expand the language of traditional editions by allowing the artist greater choice. Since its inception, the workshop has aspired to help the artist realize a vision through the production of artwork they may not have thought possible. 

The celebration will continue on Saturday, August 1 with “A Garden Party,” a festival of Cuban music and food with visual art workshops and live painting by Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios, held throughout the PVAC campus from Noon to 5pm.

For more information and images, visit: www.agardenofexcesses.com  www.mixografia-collaborations.com

What: Opening reception
Where: Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 West Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes
Phone: 310-541-247
Website: www.pvartcenter.org   www.adcbuildingbridgesartexchange.org