Portals in a state of sunshine
Mindy Solomon is pleased to present Alejandro Contreras’ third solo exhibition Portals in a State of Sunshine. This exhibition is his first post graduate school show and a turning point in the narrative of his artistic journey. In his own words:
“Seeking to destabilize hierarchical tendencies within art systems and centered on the material language of these essential structures, as well as my own personal labor, I question what is secondary, supplemental, or outside of the work. Through immersive installations I am considering the context in which a piece is situated, and challenge the separation between artwork, site and supporting structures.
In an impulsive experimental manner that celebrates ‘mistakes’ as new vehicles for exploration, I am less concerned about preconceived ideas of what something ‘should’ look like and more interested in its transformative potential. Viewing destruction as an opportunity to reconstruct new narratives, in a never-ending evolving cycle, I often reuse and repurpose past works; frequently blending handcrafted techniques and altering digital fabrication methods that embrace mechanical production while highlighting the imperfections of the human touch.”
Creating an interior space that reinterprets our perception of reality, Contreras builds forms that float and penetrate the gallery. False walls provide a gateway to another dimension that invite exploration- if only in our imagination.
Born in Venezuela, grown up in Miami and now living in New York City, Contreras have synthesized an amalgamation of creative perspectives. Through all of his iterations, line and space has been a pictorial constant. We are excited to continue his visual journey as he invites us into his next portal.
About Alejandro Contreras
Alejandro Contreras is a Venezuelan-born artist currently living and working New York.
He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Florida, New World School of the Arts. He completed the Home and Away residency at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado.
Contreras has been part of group and solo exhibitions including Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL; The Boiler | Elm Foundation, Brooklyn, NY; The Dots Gallery, Belgrade, Serbia; Museum of Fine Arts and Gallery of the Multimedia Cultural Centre, Split, Croatia; Half Gallery, Manhattan, New York; ChaShaMa, Manhattan, New York; Lenfest Center for the Arts, Manhattan, New York; The Wallach Art Gallery, Manhattan, New York; Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC; White Box, Harlem, NY; Frost Museum of Art, Miami, FL; McLoughlin Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Spinello Gallery Miami, FL; Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL, among others.