T A N T R A Antonio Puri
EXPOSICIÓN ANIVERSARIO XXXlV MUSEO BOLIVARIANO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO
T A N T R A
TANTRA
Antonio Puri
Texto curatorial : Caridad Botella
“Cada vez que una idea aparecía, encerrada en su collar de palabras, estallaba en mil ecos que se iban transformando como nube. Nunca más volví a pensar en línea recta, sino en complejas estructuras, laberintos donde a veces el efecto era anterior a la causa.”
“Every time an idea appeared, locked in its necklace of words, it exploded in a thousand echoes that were transforming like a cloud. I never thought in a straight line again, but rather in complex structures, mazes where sometimes the effect preceded the cause. ”
La danza de la realidad. Alejandro Jodorowsky
The dance of reality. Alejandro Jodorowsky
“El amor, la sabiduría, la gracia, la inspiración: ¿cómo emprender la búsqueda de cosas que, en cierto modo, tienen que ver con desplazar las fronteras del propio ser hacia territorios desconocidos, con convertirse en otra persona?” Una guía sobre el arte de perderse. Rebecca Solnit
“Love, wisdom, grace, inspiration: how to start the search for things that, in a certain way, have to do with moving the borders of one’s being to unknown territories, with becoming someone else?” A guide to the art of getting lost. Rebecca Solnit
PROFUNDA SUPERFICIE El mundo del arte se despliega como un oxímoron: cárcel de libertades, prisión sin paredes, cadenas de la libertad. Desde que, a finales del s. XIX, los artistas desplegaron las alas de la lucha por ejercer su práctica artística por fuera del rígido corsé de la Academia, cada “avance” liberador se fue convirtiendo en una “academia alternativa” con normas y manifiestos, seguidores y detractores. Como un panal de abejas, la realidad del mundo artístico va construyendo sus celdas: donde termina una, colinda la siguiente hasta formar una compleja comunidad de criterios, prácticas y pareceres. Alrededor de la idea de expresión sin límites, libertad creadora y otras formas de hablar que sitúan al artista contemporáneo en un mundo de infinitas posibilidades, opera la cerca metálica de una serie de cánones cuya existencia no se puede negar. Se ha comparado el mundo del arte con una religión, se diría politeísta: hay dioses, sectas, dogmas, templos, santos, pontífices, que en sus creencias se unifican en una consensuada superficie por debajo de la cual se empieza a encontrar la aún más grande variedad de manifestaciones artísticas que coexisten hoy en día. Volviendo a los cánones, éstos, también se instalan en la mirada del espectador, quien, por lo general, deambula arraigado en la idea de la libertad de opinión. Aun así, frente a una obra de arte, lo que proporciona una primera red de auxilio, son las categorías, las etiquetas, una primera forma de “entender” lo que estamos viendo. Esto, lejos de ser una crítica habla de un comportamiento humano normal: se necesita estructura, parámetros, objetivos y orden. Aunque estemos hablando de la creatividad, que viene de otro mundo, uno sin límites, el aterrizaje de ésta es, en todo caso, entre meros mortales. Como pintor abstracto, Antonio Puri (1966, Chandigarh, India) se topa con la primera e incómoda etiqueta; a pesar de esto, la abstracción misma constituye el inicio del descenso hacia la profundidad del significado. Es en este punto de partida, donde comienza un baile de interpretaciones entre la superficie y lo que encontramos por debajo de ésta. La obra, privada de literalidad, se convierte en un vehículo y receptáculo de espiritualidad y sanación personal compartida con quien quiere aceptar la invitación de perderse en un mar de vibración rojiza. Una de las primeras metáforas de las que habla Puri hace referencia a la liberación de las chaquiras de vidrio, - elemento común en la cultura de India y material dominante empleado por el artista, - del hilo que normalmente las une, simbolizando este último la religión que todo lo quiere controlar. Este gesto habla de un profundo deseo de libertad, de no ser controlado, de liberarse de las etiquetas que el mundo del arte impone. Este deseo de libertad, de no estar constreñido, recorre la producción del artista y por ende su forma de pensar y ver el mundo. Al haber vivido en varias culturas, Puri ha interiorizado el hecho de que cada convicción es relativa, susceptible de reinterpretación. También es consciente de que hay algunas cosas que son parte de una estructura necesaria, aunque éstase quiera en ocasiones tapar. Con el vaivén del cambio y con la práctica artística como fuente de autoconocimiento, el artista ha encontrado sus propias estructuras, sus propias interpretaciones del mundo.
DEEP SURFACE The art world unfolds like an oxymoron: prison of liberties, prison without walls, chains of freedom. Since, at the end of the s. In the nineteenth century, artists spread the wings of the struggle to exercise their artistic practice outside the rigid corset of the Academy, each liberating “advance” was turning into an “alternative academy” with rules and manifestos, followers and detractors. Like a honeycomb, the reality of the artistic world is building its cells: where one ends, the next one adjoins to form a complex community of criteria, practices and opinions. Around the idea of limitless expression, creative freedom and other ways of speaking that place the contemporary artist in a world of infinite possibilities, operates the metal fence of a series of canons whose existence cannot be denied. The world of art has been compared to a religion, one would say polytheistic: there are gods, sects, dogmas, temples, saints, pontiffs, who in their beliefs are unified in a consensual surface below which one begins to find even more great variety of artistic manifestations that coexist today. Returning to the canons, these, also install themselves in the gaze of the viewer, who, generally, wanders rooted in the idea of freedom of opinion. Even so, when faced with a work of art, what provides a first aid network are the categories, the labels, a first way of “understanding” what we are seeing. This, far from being a criticism, speaks of normal human behavior: structure, parameters, objectives and order are needed. Although we are talking about creativity, which comes from another world, one without limits, its landing is, in any case, among mere mortals. As an abstract painter, Antonio Puri (1966, Chandigarh, India) comes across the first and uncomfortable label; Despite this, abstraction itself constitutes the beginning of the descent into the depth of meaning. It is at this starting point that a dance of interpretations begins between the surface and what we find below it. The work, deprived of literalness, becomes a vehicle and receptacle of spirituality and personal healing shared with those who want to accept the invitation to lose themselves in a sea of reddish vibration. One of the first metaphors that Puri talks about refers to the liberation of the glass beads, - common element in the culture of India and the dominant material used by the artist, - of the thread that normally unites them, the latter symbolizing religion who wants to control everything. This gesture speaks of a deep desire for freedom, of not being controlled, of freeing oneself from the labels that the art world imposes. This desire for freedom, of not being constrained, runs through the artist’s production and therefore his way of thinking and seeing the world. Having lived in various cultures, Puri has internalized the fact that each conviction is relative, capable of reinterpretation. He is also aware that there are some things that are part of a necessary structure, although this one sometimes wants to cover up. With the swing of change and with artistic practice as a source of self-knowledge, the artist has found his own structures, his own interpretations of the world.
CURAR LA RAÍZ Uno de los conceptos que podemos revisar a través de su trabajo es el de Tantra, palabra que da título a la presente exposición. Encontramos una interpretación hindú, referente a la energía sexual del chakra raíz, la fuerza de la vida, que se encuentra en la base de la columna; una segunda acepción sería la budista, referente al paso del alma por todas las vidas hasta lograr el moksha, la iluminación o liberación espiritual;por último está lo que Tantra significa para Puri: para él es una forma de meditación que lo conecta con la raíz, con la tierra como fuente para curar la energía durante el confinamiento obligatorio en tiempos de la pandemia del Covid-19. La pieza Cien días de Tantra responde precisamente a esto: cien bastidores cubiertos por miles de chaquiras, colocadas una a una, reflejan diferentes tonos de rojo, siendo este el color del chakra raíz. Durante esta situación de cuarentena, Puri ha realizado una obra por cadadía de encierro hasta llegar a cien, número con un significado especial para él. Todas están hechas con el mismo material, proyectan el mismo color en distintas tonalidades y representan una forma circular dentro del cuadrado del bastidor; en esta unidad minimalista cada unatiene una vibración flotante particular; hace pensar en Rothko y en su deseo de situar al espectador es una situación de emotiva contemplación e introspección espiritual. Es, en últimas, una abstracción del Tantra y en su multiplicidad un reflejo de la posibilidad de cada individuo de reinterpretar y apropiarse de lo que ya ha sido definido. Al abrir la interpretación de la obra al plano espiritual y de autoconocimiento, la mirada puede perderse en los detalles, la profundidad, las sombras y buscar el significado en el interior, más allá de la ayuda racional de las etiquetas. Hace pensar en la libertad de conciencia sobre la que escribió el filósofo Spinoza en un momento en el que los reinoseuropeos de la modernidad querían ejercer un monopolio sobre la misma. Si bien la libertad de conciencia, en términos religiosos, es algo que en una parte del mundo se da por hecho, es interesante trasladar esta idea a la apreciación estética; todavía está ligada a un conocimiento previo, a un bagaje intelectual. Frente al temor de no saber qué pensar, al miedo de no entender, Puri ofrece una vía de inmersión en la libertad y la profundad de uno mismo. La superficie de la obra nos lanza a nuestro propio interior donde podemos explorar los límites de éste.
HEAL THE ROOT One of the concepts that we can review through his work is that of Tantra, the word that gives title to this exhibition. We find a Hindu interpretation, referring to the sexual energy of the root chakra, the life force, found at the base of the spine; A second meaning would be Buddhist, referring to the passage of the soul through all lives until achieving moksha, enlightenment or spiritual liberation; Finally there is what Tantra means for Puri: for him it is a form of meditation that connects him with the root, with the earth as a source to heal energy during mandatory confinement in times of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Hundred Days of Tantra piece answers precisely this: one hundred frames covered by thousands of beads, placed one by one, reflect different shades of red, this being the color of the root chakra. During this quarantine situation, Puri has carried out one work for each day of confinement until reaching a hundred, a number with a special meaning for him. They are all made of the same material, project the same color in different shades, and represent a circular shape within the square of the frame; in this minimalist unit each one has a particular floating vibration; It makes one think of Rothko and his desire to position the viewer is a situation of emotional contemplation and spiritual introspection. It is, ultimately, an abstraction of Tantra and in its multiplicity a reflection of the possibility of each individual to reinterpret and appropriate what has already been defined. By opening the interpretation of the work to the spiritual and self-knowledge plane, the gaze can be lost in the details, the depth, the shadows and search for meaning inside, beyond the rational help of the labels. It suggests the freedom of conscience that the philosopher Spinoza wrote about at a time when the European kingdoms of modernity wanted to exercise a monopoly on it. Although freedom of conscience, in religious terms, is something that is taken for granted in one part of the world, it is interesting to transfer this idea to aesthetic appreciation; it is still linked to prior knowledge, to an intellectual baggage. Faced with the fear of not knowing what to think, the fear of not understanding, Puri offers a way to immerse oneself in freedom and depth. The surface of the work launches us into our own interior where we can explore its limits.
ASUMIR SIN MIEDO
ASSUME WITHOUT FEAR
Otras obras que nos facilitan la entrada al proceso y al pensamiento del artista son las que hacen referencia a la serie Lengua negra. Estas palabras conforman una expresión que en India se refiere a alguien que hace profecías; en principio, no tiene una buena connotación y es visto por los supersticiosos como algo negativo. Desde pequeño, Puri oyó que le decían así: lengua negra. Después de haberlo vivido con miedo y rechazo, Puri consigue aceptar que en realidad es algo único que debe abrazar. Así surge la idea de hacer visible lo que no se quiere ver y con ella la serie de obras arriba mencionada. Otra forma de profundizar más allá de la superficie. Lengua negra es una declaración de un artista que asume su identidad como individuo y como pintor: instalaciones de múltiples cuadros trabajados con chaquiras y acrílico, mostrando su reverso y laterales desnudos, todoaquello que normalmente borramos de la pintura. La “lengua negra” sale de la pared hasta el suelo, desplegando, - como un abanico, todas las huellas del proceso pictórico, el esqueleto que sostiene la práctica pictórica, como las vigas que impiden que una casa se derrumbe. Esas estructuras que bajan al mismo ritmo geométrico hacen pensar en Donald Judd.
Other works that facilitate the entrance to the process and the artist’s thinking are those that refer to the series Lengua negra. These words make up an expression that in India refers to someone who makes prophecies; in principle, it does not have a good connotation and is seen by the superstitious as something negative. From a young age, Puri heard them say it like this: black tongue. After having lived it with fear and rejection, Puri manages to accept that it is really something unique that she must embrace. Thus arises the idea of making visible what one does not want to see and with it the series of works mentioned above. Another way to delve beyond the surface. Lengua negra is a statement by an artist who assumes his identity as an individual and as a painter: installations of multiple paintings worked with beads and acrylic, showing his back and bare sides, everything that we normally erase from painting. The “black tongue” comes from the wall to the ground, unfolding, - like a fan, - all the traces of the pictorial process, the skeleton that supports the pictorial practice, like the beams that prevent a house from collapsing. Those structures that go down to the same geometric rhythm make us think of Donal Judd.
Como artista, la práctica en ocasiones conlleva el mismo oxímoron del inicio: aunque como artista contemporáneo quiera ser libre, es imposible no tener referentes, es inevitable citarlos, honrarlos, pero paralelamente, se inicia un camino personal en el que uno debe perderse por todos aquellos senderos transitados con anterioridad a través de los cuales se empieza a construir unopavimentado de honestidad y con identidad propia. Más allá de la primera impresión, las obras esconden pensamientos, procesos, oraciones, emociones y más. A través Lengua negra Antonio Puri, invita a mirar en las entrañas del artista,pero también de la tradición pictórica.
As an artist, practice sometimes carries the same oxymoron of the beginning: although as a contemporary artist you want to be free, it is impossible not to have references, it is inevitable to quote them, honor them, but at the same time, a personal path begins in which one must lose oneself for all those previously traveled paths through which one begins to build one paved with honesty and with its own identity. Beyond the first impression, the works hide thoughts, processes, prayers, emotions and more. Through Lengua negra Antonio Puri, invites to look into the bowels of the artist, but also of the pictorial tradition.
Por último y volviendo al contexto actual de la pandemia que azota al mundo, Tantra pone ante el público un proceso de sanación personal que es a la vez una invitación a tomarconciencia de nuestro propio proceso. La enfermedad pone en jaque los sistemas conocidos, que hasta hace poco dábamos por hecho, desde lo cotidiano hasta lo profesional, dándonos de bruces con una aproximación de la Teoría del Caos: una pequeña variación en el sistema puede provocar que, en un punto, en su comportamiento sea impredecible. Independientemente de la forma exterior, la estructura interior necesita, ahora más que nunca, estar bien sólidamente fundada. Caridad Botella
Finally, and returning to the current context of the pandemic that is plaguing the world, Tantra puts before the public a process of personal healing that is at the same time an invitation to become aware of our own process. The disease puts in check the known systems, which until recently we took for granted, from the everyday to the professional, hitting us face to face with an approach to Chaos Theory: a small variation in the system can cause, at one point, in your behavior be unpredictable. Regardless of the exterior shape, the interior structure needs, now more than ever, to be well-founded. Caridad Botella
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Mi expresión del yo evoluciona continuamente en un esfuerzo por desafiar las percepciones y deconstruir etiquetas de identificación usadas por otros. Los constructos de diferentes aspectos del yo son limitados; ¿Es mi existencia un microcosmo dentro del universo o hago un arte que trasciende la individualidad para conectarme con la Unidad? ¿Son todas las descripciones de quién soy realmente completas? Mi arte proviene de la expresión personal. Es complejo y tiene múltiples capas de carillas, esmaltes, barnices de emociones, transgresiones, singularidad, obsesión y enigma. Me interesa comparar las conexiones entre mis raíces orientales y mis experiencias occidentales. Abrazo la posibilidad de que podamos existir en un mundo libre de etiquetas.” “My expression of the self continuously evolves in an effort to challenge perceptions and deconstruct identifying labels used by others. Constructs of different aspects of the self are limited; is my existence a microcosm within the universe or do I make art that transcends individuality to connect with Oneness? Are all descriptions of who I am truly encompassing? My art comes from personal expression. It is multilayered and complex with veneers, glazes, varnishes of emotions, transgressions, singularity, obsession, and enigma. I am interested in comparing connections between my eastern roots and my western experiences. I embrace the possibility that we can exist in a world free from labels.”
100 days of Tantra
100 days of Tantra
100 days of Tantra
100 days of Tantra 30 x 30 cm cada una - InstalaciĂłn de 100 obras acrĂlico y chaquiras sobre lienzo 2020
100 days of Tantra
Tantric Explosiรณn
Tantric ExplosiĂłn 1 170 x 170 cm acrĂlico y chaquiras sobre lienzo 2020
Tantric ExplosiĂłn 11 170 x 170 cm acrĂlico y chaquiras sobre lienzo 2020
Tantric ExplosiĂłn 111 170 x 170 cm acrĂlico y chaquiras sobre lienzo 2020
Tantric Droplet
Tantric Droplet 50 cm de diĂĄmetro acrĂlico y chaquiras sobre lienzo 2020
Lengua Negra en Tantra
Lengua Negra en Tantra 286 x 432 x 86 cm acrĂlico sobre lienzo 2020
Antonio Puri
Curriculum Vitae
Chandigarh, Punjab, India
Antonio Puri
ESTUDIOS 1995 1994 1989 1986
Facultad de Derecho, Universidad de Iowa, Iowa City, IA (JD) Facultad de Derecho, Universidad William & Mary, Madrid, EspaĂąa Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA (Licenciatura en Bellas Artes e InglĂŠs) Academia de Arte, San Francisco, CA
Selected Solo Exhibitions 2020 Museo Bolivariano de arte contemporaneo, Tantra, Santa Marta, Colombia 2019 Museo de Arte del Tolima, Monumental, Ibague, Colombia Museo Casa Conde Rul, Attaching/Detaching, Guanajuato, Mexico La Cometa Galeria, Visions en Concreto, Bogota, Colombia 2018 Elvira Moreno Gallery, Concrete + Structure + Multiples, Bogota, Colombia (catalog) 2017 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Antonio Puri: Paintings, Singapore Casa Tres Patios, Attaching Detaching, Medellin, Colombia 2016 Government Museum and Art Gallery, I love the beauty of grey, Chandigarh, India (catalog) 2015 Nu Art Gallery, Layers, Santa Fe, NM Twelve Gates Gallery, Defining Home, Philadelphia, PA 2014 Loft Gallery, Varna, Mumbai, India 2012 Art Depot, Weight of my soul, Innsbruck, Austria (catalog) Twelve Gates Gallery, Multiples, Philadelphia, PA Nu Art Gallery, Centered, Santa Fe, NM 2011 Symbol Art Gallery, Movement, Budapest, Hungary 2010 Penn State: Pennsylvania College of Technology Art Gallery, I AM, Williamsport, PA (catalog) 2009 Robert Roman Gallery, The Tenth Door, Scottsdale, AZ Rosenfeld Gallery, Antonio Puri, Philadelphia, PA 2008 The Guild Gallery, Antonio Puri: The Tenth Door, New York, NY (catalog) 2007 Rosemont College, Push & Pull, Rosemont, PA 2006 Heineman Myers Contemporary Art, Journey into Mysticism: Abstract Paintings by Antonio Puri, Bethesda, MD West Chester University, Journey into Mysticism: Abstract Paintings by Antonio Puri, West Chester,PA(catalog) The Noyes Museum of Art, Path of Cosmologies & Technology, Oceanville, NJ (catalog) - 2 person 2005 Philadelphia Art Alliance, Outside the Mandala, Philadelphia, PA 2004 Chashama @ 234 W 42nd St, No Trespassing, New York, NY 1999 Planet Art Gallery, Antonio Puri, Cape Town, South Africa
Selected Group Exhibitions 2021 Massey Klein Gallery, Geometric Objective: curated by Susanna Gold, New York, NY 2020 San Marco Galeria, Constructive Narratives from the Braun Collection, Budapest, Hungary Trojan Donkey, Performance Art Online, curated by Sara Pagganwala, Pakistan 2019 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Alterations Activation Abstraction, New York, NY 2018 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Art Stage, Singapore 2017 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Art Stage, Singapore AGAS, curated by Euginia Tan, Fiction of Precision, Singapore Beatriz Esguerra Art, Group show, Bogota, Colombia 2016 Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Summer Group Show, New York, NY Penn State: College of Technology, Take 10, Williamsport, PA (catalog) 2015 Delaware Art Museum, Layering Constructs, Wilmington, DE (catalog) Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE (catalog) 2014 Print Center, Pressed and Bound, Philadelphia, PA (catalog) 2013 India Art Fair, Loft gallery artists, New Delhi, India United Art Fair, curated by Meera Menezes, New Delhi, India (catalog) Hammond Museum, Erasing Borders, North Salem, NY Flushing Town Hall Gallery, Erasing Borders, Queens, NY 2012 Gallery Espace, varied media artists, New Delhi, India Religare Art Gallery, Conservation on Canvas, New Delhi, India (catalog) Lalit Kala Academy, Multiple Encounters, New Delhi, and Lucknow, India MOP Gallery, Pintura Fresca, Sydney, Australia Harvard University Business School, Living Legacy, Boston, MA 2011 Edsviks Konsthall, Pintura Fresca, Stockholm, Sweden Twelve Gates Gallery, Organics, Philadelphia, PA Queens Museum of Art, Erasing Borders, Queens, NY Aicon Art Gallery, Erasing Borders, New York, NY Jorgensen Gallery, University of Connecticut, Erasing Borders, Storrs, CT Charles B. Wang Center, Stony Brook University, Erasing Borders, Stony Brook, NY 2010 The Sky Box, Art is Ageless: New Courtland Fellowship Artists, Philadelphia, PA Santa Monica Art Studios, South Asian American Art Festival, Santa Monica, CA Nothburga Gallery, Pintura Fresca, Innsbruck, Austria Totovo Selo Exhibit, Residency Artists, Serbia Inter-Art Gallery, Art Camp residency artists, Auid, Romania Essl Museum, India Awakens: Under the Banyan Tree, Vienna, Austria (catalog) 2009 Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Visual Arts of the Indian Diaspora, Mauritius(catalog) frei raum, Paintings by Petronilla Hohenwarter, Connie Noyes & Antonio Puri, Jenbach, Austria Dowd Fine Art Gallery, SUNY, Erasing Borders 2009, Cortland, NY Tamarind Art Gallery, Abstract Etude, New York, NY
West Chester University, McKinney and Knauer Art Galleries, Pintura Fresca, West Chester, PA Tria Gallery, Malescapes, New York, NY 2008 Salisbury University Art Gallery, Into Intuition: Towards a Redefinition, Salisbury, MD Tabla Rasa Gallery, Erasing Borders 2008, Brooklyn, NY The Guild Gallery, Erasing Borders 2008, New York, NY Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Gallery 31, Art Anonymous, Washington, DC Brownson Art Gallery, Manhattanville College, Erasing Borders 2008, Purchase, NY Hammond Museum, Erasing Borders 2008, North Salem, NY Affordable Art Fair, The Guild Gallery, New York, NY Queens Museum of Art, Erasing Borders 2008, Flushing Meadows, NY (catalog) California Institute of Integral Studies, Pintura Fresca: The Beat of Global Abstraction, San Francisco, CA (catalog) Musée du Chateau, Arthur Secunda et ses amis, Montbéliard, France (catalog) Rosenfeld Gallery, Gigantic Small Works Show, Philadelphia, PA 2007 The Guild, Erasing Borders: Indian Artists in the American Diaspora, New York, NY Queens Museum of Art, Erasing Borders: Indian Artists in the American Diaspora, Queens, NY Heineman Myers Contemporary Art, Colorfield Remix: Saturated, Bethesda, MD Artyfact Gallery, Out of our Minds, Singapore Gallery 435, Is Abstract Art Dead, Slough, UK Bergen Museum of Art and Science, Works from the Collection; The first 50 years, Paramus, NJ 2006 The Noyes Museum of Art, Telling the Story: Artists Books, Oceanville, NJ ARC Gallery, Gates Project, Chicago, IL Fort Mason Center, Gates Project, San Francisco, CA chashama @ 208 West 37th St., Abexbox, New York, NY The Gallery at Penn College, ReMix - Wax and the Intuitive Process, Williamsport, PA 2005 SomArts Cultural Center, Bayennale presents Crossings: a gathering of artists, San Francisco, CA Susquehanna Art Museum, Re Pop, Harrisburg, PA The Noyes Museum of Art, Encore: More from the Permanent Collection, Oceanville, NJ Moore College of Art & Design, A Show of Hands - MANNA Auction, Philadelphia, PA 2004 Bergen Museum of Art and Science, Four Visions: Transcultural New Jersey, Paramus, NJ (catalog) The Noyes Museum of Art, Altars, Icons and Symbols: Exploring Spirituality in Art, Oceanville, NJ (catalog) Susquehanna Art Museum, Inner Circles, Harrisburg, PA (catalog) Sharadin Art Gallery, Kutztown University, Inner Circles, Kutztown, PA (catalogue)
Bibliography 2019 Vásquez, Camila, Una exposición Monumental, El Nuevo Dia, March 31 2017 Blouinartinfo, Non-Identity: Antonio Puri at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore, October 03 Nair, Uma, The intricate tapestries of this artist are an ode to Le Corbusier’s concrete works, September 21 Ochoa, Ursula, Sin dogmas, sin etiquetas, sin ataduras: Antonio Puri en C3P, El Mundo, May 13 Libertad de etiquetas y de apegos, El Colombiano, April 23 2016 Badnore inaugurates painting exhibition, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, September 28 Kaur, Amarjot, Fifty billion shades of grey, Tribune, September 27 Parul, Chandigarh-born US artist to pay tribute to Le Corbusier, The Indian Express, September 27 Celebrating the grey of the city of his birth, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, September 28 2015 Pant, Neha, An Artist’s attempt to end discrimination on skin color, Hindustan Times, Dehradun, India, August 29 Ramola, Ajay, Woodstock School alumni Puri’s project on caste discrimination, Tribune, Mussoorie, India, Aug 28 Lahu ka rang ek phir kyon hai bhed, Amar Ujjala,Mussoorie, India, August 2014 Sen, Debarati, Artist Antonio Puri showcases in the city, Times of India, Mumbai, India, February Dalan, Phorum, What color is your skin, The Guide, Ahmedabad, India, January 5 Lakhe, Amruta, Under the skin, Indian Express, Mumbai, India, January 3 Sam, Julie, Color and Creed, Mumbai Age, Mumbai, India, January 3 Kher, Ruchika, Art Attack, The Guide, Mumbai, India, Jan 7 Shaw, Kurt, Expansion, Tribune, Christine Frechard Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 7 2012 Von Edith Schlocker, Auf der Suche nach dem Feeling von Chandigarh, Tiroler Tageszeitung, Austria, August 17 Shukla, Shubhalakshmi, Centered by Antonio Puri, Art & Deal Magazine, India, June 2011 Donohoe, Victoria, Two for the show at Serpentine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 25, Pennsylvania Dion, Melanie, Organics, South Asian Arts, November 1 Donohoe, Victoria, Organics, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, Pennsylvania 2009 Bodin, Claudia, Art das Kunstmagazin article: Kunst gegen Zahnfüllung, April BBC World News America, First Person: Art 4 Barter, March 27 Rosenberg, Amy S., A Barter Economy for Art in Phila, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 8, Pennsylvania DeCastro, Lavinia, Art for barter’s sake gives artists a break, Courier Post, February 27, New Jersey Schmidt, Alex, Arts and the Economy, WHYY Arts and Culture Reporter, February 12, Philadelphia
Mitman, Hayden, Eliminating the need for money, North Star, February 5, Philadelphia Hammer, K. Andrea, A Group’s Unique Bailout for Artists, The Bulletin, January 30, Philadelphia Ligaya Figueras, Pros and Cons of Collaboration, Art Calendar, February issue, p. 18 2008 Strauss, R. B., Art: Small Works, AroundPhilly.com, Dec 17, Pennsylvania Vora, Swapna, Antonio Puri and the Tenth Door, AsianArt.com, July 18, New York Genocchio,Benjamin, A Collection Born of Cultural Dislocation, The New York Times, July 13, New York Pais, Arthur J., Erasing Borders, blending cultures, India in New York, March 7, New York Ehrhardt, Ursula, Philadelphia artists display works in “Into Intuition”, The Daily Times, February 17, Maryland da Costa, Virginia, My Kid Could Do That, Montgomery Newspapers: Ticket, January 30/31, Pennsylvania 2007 McCann, Courtney, A.C. Art Center sets ‘Sights’ on solo exhibit, Press of Atlantic City, October 18, New Jersey Fowler, Marie, Rosemont exhibit features a melding of cultures, forms, Main Line Times, September 20, PA Donohoe, Victoria, Rosemont College, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 16, Pennsylvania Gargus, Nicole Drumheller, Rosemont College, Montgomery Newspapers Ticket,September 12/13, Pennsylvania Corbett, Jennifer, Montessori School gets special visitor, The News Journal, February 10, Delaware Rajendran, P., Art of the Diaspora, India Abroad, February 9, New York Deitch, Lew, The Universality of the Circle, ArtBook of the New West, Spring/Summer, Arizona 2006 Dawson, Jessica, Antonio Puri, Far-Out Man, The Washington Post, December 23, District of Columbia Schafer, Karen, Remembering his Dharma, Puri does it his way, The Gazette – Bethesda, December 20, Maryland Jane Golden, Robin Rice, and Natalie Pompilio, More Philadelphia Murals, Temple University Press, 2006, p.145 Donohoe, Victoria, West Chester University, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 10, Pennsylvania Talbot, Mary, Nirvana: three takes, Tricycle – The Buddhist Review, Fall 2006, New York Sozanski, Edward, The decoys at the Noyes, other fine art on its bill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 9, PA Johnson, Pat, Artists’ Collaboration Weds Eastern Spirituality to Modern Technology, The Sandpaper, June 28, NJ
Murray, Rick, Haddon Township artist displays work at Noyes, Haddon Herald, May 25, New Jersey NJN Public Television – State of the Arts, Wired, May 19, New Jersey Chambless, John, A new home for the arts, Daily Local News, February 10, Pennsylvania Donohoe, Victoria, American emphasis at Holland, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 5, Pennsylvania Quillman, Catherine, A new way of pairing art, people, The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 5, Pennsylvania Rice, Robin, Spring Arts Preview, Philadelphia City Paper, January 19 – 26, Pennsylvania Hartmann, Cassidy, The Art of the Deal, Philadelphia Weekly, January 11-17, Pennsylvania Cornfield, Josh, Artist pays price for party, Metro Philadelphia, January 4, Pennsylvania Harrington, Michael, 7 Days - Entertainment Highlights, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 1, Pennsylvania 2005 Rosof, Libby, Technical Bravura, Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof’s Artblog, December 29, Pennsylvania DeCastro, Lavinia, Lights help showcase mural, Courier Post, December 29, New Jersey Donohoe, Victoria, Holland Art House, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 17, Pennsylvania Sablove, Ricki, Susquehanna Art Museum Exhibits 360 Degrees of Unity, Alternative Central, Sep/October, PA Lewis, Zachary, Art to bring you full circle, The Patriot News, July 18, Pennsylvania Pizzoli, Frank, Susquehanna Art Museum Presents “Inner Circles” & Alexander Calder, Alternative Central, May, PA Gehman, Geoff, ‘Inner Circles’ exhibit stretches and burns, The Morning Call, February 12, Pennsylvania Baver, Kristin, Modern art comes full circle, The Keystone, February 5, Pennsylvania Catalogue Essays 2020 Rogers, Elizabeth; Botella Caridad, Tantra, Museo Bolivariano de arte contemporaneo, Santa Marta, Colombia 2019 Merali, Shaheen, The Arc of Gnosis, La Cometa Gallery, Bogota, Colombia Perez, Rafael Alonso, Monumental, Museo de Arte del Tolima, Ibague, Colombia 2018 Fonseca, Alejandra; Alonso, Rodrigo, Concreto + Estructura + Multiples, Elvira Moreno Gallery, Bogotá, Colombia 2017 Tarazona, Emilio, Un Religare, Cra 21, #65-67, Bogota, Colombia 2016 Rogers, Elizabeth; Bhalla, Seema, I love the beauty of grey, Government Museum Chandigarh, India
2015 Hixson, Maiza, Isaacs; Susan J., Winslow, Margaret,Layering Constructs, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware 2011 J. Susan Isaacs, Contrast, Serpentine Gallery, Pennsylvania 2010 DaCosta, Virginia and Dave Mukherji, Parul, I AM, Pennsylvania College of Technology Gallery, Pennsylvania Pande, Alka, India Awakens: Under the Banyan Tree, Essl Museum, Austria 2009 Dave Mukherji, Parul, Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Visual Arts of the Indian Diaspora, Mauritius 2008 Klein, Paul, Pintura Fresca, California Institute of Integral Studies, California Kumar, Vijay, Erasing Borders 2008, Queens Museum of Art, New York Rice, Robin, The Tenth Door Paintings, The Guild Gallery, New York 2006 Kuspit, Donald, Antonio Puri’s Abstract Paintings, Heineman Myers Contemporary Art, Maryland Zimmer, William and Weaver, A.M., Noyes Museum of Art, New Jersey 2004 Miller, Debra, Inner Circles, Susquehanna Art Museum, Pennsylvania Kolodzei, Natalia, Four Visions: Transcultural New Jersey, Bergen Museum of Art and Science, New Jersey Seidel, Miriam, Antonio Puri Paintings, New Art Center, New York
Residencies and Awards 2021 Plataforma Canibal, Barranquilla, Colombia 2017 Casa Tres Patios Artist in Residence, Medellin, Colombia 2016 Artist in Residence Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India 2015 Maiden Tower VI Art Festival, Baku, Azerbaijan 2014 Artist Residency Space 118, Mumbai, India 2013 Artist Residency at Arts Reverie, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India 2010 2nd International Almasi Gabor & Dorothea Fleiss Residency, Totovo Selo, Serbia The International Artcamp Inter-Art Auid XVth Edition Residency, Romania 2009 IV International Art Festival Dryanovo Symposium, Bulgaria Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Visual Arts of the Indian Diaspora Artist Residency, Mauritius New Courtland Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA 2007 Meulensteen Art Centre: Grafisch Atelier Daglicht, Artist Residency, Eindhoven, Netherlands 2005 Artists’ Fellowship Inc. Grant, New York, NY 2004 chashama artist-in-residence subsidized space grant, New York, NY
Selected Collections Museo de Arte del Tolima, Ibague, Colombia American Embassy, Islamabad, Pakistan Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin, Philadelphia, PA Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Princeton, NJ Post & Schell, Philadelphia, PA Post & Schell, Washington, DC Ritz Theatre, Oaklyn, NJ Dansko, West Grove, PA Moriarty & Associates, P.A., Tampa, FL The Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ Bergen Museum of Art and Science, Paramus, NJ NY Hospice Program, New York, NY Chashama, New York, NY Direct Insurance, Tampa, FL Planet Art Museum, Cape Town, South Africa Grafisch Atelier Daglicht, Eindhoven, Netherlands New Port Tampa Bay - Waterfront Condos, Tampa, FL Penn State: Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA Arizona State Credit Union, Scottsdale, AZ Alfred I. du Pont Hospital, Wilmington, DE MusĂŠe du Chateau, MontbĂŠliard, France National Art Gallery, Mauritius Museum of Art, Satu-Mare, Romania Wagner Foundation, Serbia Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, India High Court (landmark building designed by Le Corbusier), Chandigarh, India Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria Braun Collection, Hungary Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy, Chandigarh, India Punjab Lalit Kala Academy, Chandigarh, India
Credits ARTWORKS. Antonio Puri Texts. Caridad Botella Project manager and Curator Museo Bolivariano de Arte Contemporáneo Stefannia Doria Director of Museo Bolivariano de Arte Contemporáneo Zarita Abelló de Bonilla Photography. Antonio Puri | Elvira Moreno Gallery Archives Graphic Design. Ángela Lozano Special thanks to Elvira Moreno Gallery
Carrera 23 # 72a 61 San Felipe Bogotá, Colombia (+571)3561964 (+57) 3144098032 galeriaelviramoreno@gmail.com GALERIA_ELVIRAMORENO DISCLAIMER COPYRIGHT © 2019 ANTONIO PURI. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers.
Antonio Puri
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EXPOSICIÓN ANIVERSARIO XXXlV MUSEO BOLIVARIANO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO