KEVIN UMAÑA Wax and Wane
DAVID RICHARD GALLERY
ISBN: 978-1-955260-78-7
Front Cover: Installation Kevin Umaña Wax and Wane at David Richard Gallery Title Page: Installation Kevin Umaña Wax and Wane at David Richard Gallery Back Cover: Installation Kevin Umaña Wax and Wane at David Richard Gallery
Kevin Umaña Wax and Wane at David Richard Gallery September 29 - October 22, 2021 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 Wax and Wane
Kevin Umaña Wax and Wane
2
David Richard Gallery is pleased to present Wax and Wane by Kevin Umaña, his first solo exhibition in New York and with the Gallery. This presentation of 17 new artworks created during 2021 is part of a larger body of work comprised of five different, but related and interdependent bodies of works that differ by size, supports and media. The phrase, “wax and wane” means “the increase and decrease in size, number, strength, or intensity” as well as references “the phases of the moon” with its monthly change in size, shape and brightness, according to the artist. Thus, making it the perfect title to describe the range of artworks within this exhibition. The various bodies of work in Wax and Wane include: 1) seven large canvases made of acrylic and oil media that also include a range of additions that model and provide tactile and sculpted surfaces of the individual geometric shapes; 2) four smaller paintings that experiment with novel supports, media and additions to the media as well as specific geometric shapes and compositions that have a direct dialogue with the larger paintings; 3) two flat(ish) glazed ceramic wall pieces; 4) two hybrid paintings with additions of flat glazed ceramic fragments adhered to the canvas and integrated within the compositions; and 5) one painted wooden, free-standing sculpture on a pedestal. 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 edge-to-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 representa-
tions 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 New York 2021
3
Kevin Umaña A Snug Collar in a Coquettish Pose, 2021 Acrylic, ceramic, fiberglass, grout and polyurethane on canvas 18 x 16”
8
Kevin Umaña Bloom, 2021 Acrylic, oils, salt and silicone on canvas 48 x 38”
10
Kevin Umaña Constituting a Core, 2021 Acrylic, ceramic, watercolor, pastel, ink, and oil on canvas 15 x 13”
12
Kevin Umaña Multi Leveled Towers joined by Two Centeal Areas, 2021 Glaze on speckle stoneware 10 x 9”
18
Kevin Umaña Wooden Roof, 2021 Acrylic, oils, glassbeads on canvas 50 x 50”
20
Kevin Umaña Striped Marbled Columns of Siena Cathedral, 2021 Glaze on black stoneware and acrylic 11 x 9”
24
Kevin Umaña Coconut Palm, 2021 Acrylic, oils, gemstone sands, glassbeads on canvas 50 x 50”
26
Kevin Umaña Propagation, 2021 Arcylic, oils, color pencil on canvas 38 x 32”
32
Kevin Umaña Carpentry Workshop Situated on the Floor. Above, 2021 Acrylic and gouache on burlap 12 x 12”
34
Kevin Umaña El Poder Del Sol, 2021 Acrylic, oils, tar, ceramic stucco on canvas 50 x 50”
36
Kevin Umaña The Black Velvet Petunia Baths in the Sun, 2021 Acrylic and gouache on burlap 12 x 12”
40
Kevin Umaña Mango Street, 2021 Acrylic, oils, flocking, and stucco on canvas 48 x 38”
42
Kevin Umaña I Love to Say Dada, 2021 Acrylic on canvas 16 x 16“
48
Kevin Umaña Uphill Pebble Road, 2021 Acrylic, oils, terracotta and flocking on canvas 50 x 50”
50
Kevin Umaña Meditation in Repetition, 2021 Acrylic, gouache and marble dust on canvas 20 x 18”
52
Kevin Umaña Tulip, 2021 Enamel on Wood 17 x 9.5 x 3.5”
56
Kevin Umaña Broken Marriage, 2021 Acrylic and ceramic on canvas 16 x 12”
58
62
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