There is a rare and unique opportunity to view a very nice collection of Latin American art in Little Italy North at Meyer Fine Art Gallery, 2400 Kettner Blvd., Suite 104. The collection, “Latin Invasion: Modern & Contemporary,” consists of etchings, lithographs, serigraphs and drawings it features artwork from the 1960s to the present. Running until June 25, the exhibition includes the work of 25 different artists from seven countries: including Mexico, Cuba, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Columbia and Costa Rica. Some of the artists, such as Botero, Carreno, Matta, Tamayo, and Toledo, are fairly well known, but many of the others are getting their first exposure in this country. This is the first Latin show that gallery owner Perry Meyer has displayed since 2006. “No one else has a show like this,” he said. “Latin art is mostly collected by people from Latin America. It is usually kept separated from Euro-American art. My intent in curating this show was to bring this art to the eyes of the people of San Diego. These Latin American artists need much more exposure here.” What can be seen as a theme throughout the exhibition is a sense of the abstraction, distortion and transformation of the human form through the use of mythology and a symbolic exchange with the world of animals, which seems to depict and transcend a society highly structured by class inequality. Meyer said, “What is unique about this art is that each of these works tells a story. This is socially engaged art. Through their art, these artists were able to express themselves in what were often repressive political environments.” “The art in this show depicts the rich, complex, and diverse cultures of Latin America. There is a vibrant symbolism and social consciousness, which runs through the work that reflects a political and personal passion and the struggles for expression in a context of dictatorships and class inequality. Revolution, mythology, and transformation are interwoven as a theme throughout these works.” One piece in the show is a simple but elegant and expressive ink drawing of five musicians by Columbian artist Fernando Botero, reminiscent of some Picasso drawings, and in a similar price range! Maximino Javier, who is Mexican, has a highly fascinating, if somewhat demonic, colored pen drawing called “El Magnate” or “The Tycoon,” featuring men and mythological animals interacting in a circular Escher-like pattern. A green-tinged abstract surrealistic work by Chilean artist Roberto Matta is also quite a special feature of the show. Matta was the last of the surrealist painters of the 1940s, who were in the Salvador Dali group. Meyer, who loves Matta and owns fifteen examples of his work, likes to say, “Matta is my man!” Mexican Saul Kaminer’s intriguing drawing of burnt brown and red hues, called “El Elephante,” depicts a woman with a chicken’s head holding a plate on which an elephant walks while an artist attempts to climb a ladder which is going nowhere. The most unusual piece in the show is a watermelon-colored working model kite with a tail — part of a series by Mexican artist Francisco Toledo. The most exquisite and well-balanced piece in the show, which could be the flagship for the entire exhibition, is the abstract Rene Magritte-like rendering of a figure that is half-man and half-woman with a fruit bowl for a head, by Cuban artist Mario Carreno. For more information, visit www.pmeyerfineart.com or call (619) 358-9512.
