KEVIN UMAÑA Paint Ceramics | Glaze Canvases
DAVID RICHARD GALLERY
ISBN: 978-1-955260-76-3
Front Cover: Kevin Umaña, Don’t Go Near the Water, 2021, Glaze on porcelain, 11 x 8.25” Title Page: Kevin Umaña, Sizzling Plaintains in the Early Evening, 2021, Glaze on terracotta, 11.5 x 11.5” Back Cover: Installation Kevin Umaña Paint Ceramics | Glaze Canvases at David Richard Gallery
Kevin Umaña Paint Ceramics | Glaze Canvases at David Richard Gallery February 18 - March 18, 2022 Published by: David Richard Gallery, LLC, 211 East 121st Street, New York, NY 10035 www.DavidRichardGallery.com 212-882-1705 | 505-983-9555 DavidRichardGalleries1 DavidRichardGallery Gallery Staff: David Eichholtz and Richard Barger, Managers All rights reserved by David Richard Gallery, LLC. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in whole or part in digital or printed form of any kind whatsoever without the express written permission of David Richard Gallery, LLC. Artwork: © 2021 - Kevin Umaña Catalogue: © 2021 David Richard Gallery, LLC, New York, NY Catalogue Design: David Eichholtz and Richard Barger, David Richard Gallery, LLC, New York, NY Artwork Image © Kevin Umaña Installation Images © Yao Zu Lu
DAVID RICHARD GALLERY
KEVIN UMAÑA Paint Ceramics | Glaze Canvases
Kevin Umaña Paint Ceramics | Glaze Canvases
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The focus of this presentation is Kevin Umaña’s recent interest in and experimentation with ceramics, in particular, the unique aspects of glazing. This process not only adds color, but also texture and depth to ceramic surfaces. The alchemical and fluid nature of the process softens the edges of shapes and compositions, while the surface changes add a dimension that imbues more content in the geometric compositions. These flat ceramic works read both as small paintings and objects. These ceramic works were conceived and created for Umaña’s recent exhibition, Wax and Wane, which included all new geometric paintings. The paintings explored many new additions to the pigment and medium to emulate ceramic glazes, adding novel and textured surfaces to the canvases. Similarly, he strived to use flat ceramic surfaces as supports for hard-edge geometric and curvilinear compositions. Also included are several hybrid paintings that have ceramic works adhered to the canvas surface. About the Exhibition, Wax and Wane: Wax and Wane is a seminal body of work for Umaña as it marks a significant transition in his studio practice at several levels: formally, conceptually, culturally and emotionally. All of the artworks are derived from painting and touch on the history of painting, the compositions are geometric and fill each support edgeto-edge. However, the exhibition focuses on three major changes in the artist’s approach and compositions. First is Umaña’s shift from a rigorous, precise execution of his compositions to a process-driven approach influenced by his experiences and experimentation with glazes and ceramics. This has affected his painting practice most notably in terms of color and surface. The second change is a move away from non-objective geometric abstractions derived from reductions, then amplifications and patterning of architectural details (from personally meaningful location-specific buildings and bridges in various international cities)
to a practice now rooted largely in picture making. The new compositions are geometric representations of specific places. The third notable change and relating to the second is bringing into his artwork cultural references evoked from memories of his family and youth while living in El Salvador. This includes strong influences of nature, beaches, plants, construction materials, food and religion, and thus, inherently brings a narrative that is alluded to in the descriptive titles. By David Eichholtz March, 2022, New York
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Kevin Umaña Unheard Shapes Before Nightfall, 2021 Glaze on terracotta 13 x 11”
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Kevin Umaña Playing Marbles at the Bottom the Boat, 2021 Glaze on brown stoneware 12 x 11”
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Kevin Umaña Free Standing Shackled Home, 2021 Glaze on brown stoneware 11.5 x 9.5”
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Kevin Umaña Don’t Go Near the Water, 2021 Glaze on porcelain 11 x 8.25”
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Kevin Umaña Striped Marbled Columns of Siena Cathedral, 2021 Glaze on black stoneware and acrylic 11 x 9”
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Kevin Umaña Sizzling Plaintains in the Early Evening, 2021 Glaze on terracotta 11.5 x 11.5”
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Kevin Umaña Multi Leveled Towers joined by Two Centeal Areas, 2021 Glaze on speckle stoneware 10 x 9”
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Kevin Umaña The First Stirrings of Emotional Interest, 2021 Glaze on porcelain 9 x 9”
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Kevin Umaña Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, 2021 Glaze on brown stoneware 9 x 9.5”
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Kevin Umaña A Snug Collar in a Coquettish Pose, 2021 Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, grout and polyurethane on canvas 18 x 16”
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Kevin Umaña Broken Marriage, 2021 Acrylic and ceramic on canvas 16 x 12”
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Kevin Umaña Constituting a Core, 2021 Acrylic, ceramic, watercolor, pastel, ink, and oil on canvas 15 x 13”
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Installation Views of Kevin Umana’s Ceramics Among His Paintings in Wax and Wane
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Kevin Umaña: Kevin Umaña was born in Los Angeles, spent his youth in El Salvador and received his B.F.A. in 2014 from San Francisco State University with a degree in Printmaking. He was awarded an artist residency in 2019 at the Center for the Book Arts in New York, New York as well as residencies in 2018 at the Sîm, Reykjavik, Iceland and Plop Residency, London, UK. Umaña lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York following his first residency. His artworks have been exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions in New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL, Columbus, OH, Omaha, NE, Kansas City, KS, London, UK, Reykavik, Iceland and Tapei, Taiwan. Umaña’s artworks are in private and public collections including the United Nations Headquarters in New York, New York, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, CA, San Francisco Public Library, CA and Center for the Book Arts Library, NY., among others.
DAVID RICHARD GALLERY