SueĂąos
Celebrating the Surreal
Point of Contact Gallery Staff Sara Felice Managing Associate Director Natalie McGrath Curator and Assistant Director Juan Juarez Exhibition Design Consultant Rainer Wehner Preparator Weisi Liu Financial and Administrative Specialist Tere Paniagua Executive Director of Cultural Engagement
Cover: Joseph Kugielsky, The Last Supper negative installation, 1994, film negative and light box, Point of Contact Gallery
SueĂąos
Celebrating the Surreal Featuring artwork from Point of Contact Gallery, Light Work, Syracuse University Art Galleries, and Community Folk Art Center
This exhibition is made possible thanks to the generous support of The College of Arts and Sciences, and the Coalition of Museums and Art Centers at Syracuse University.
A Message from the curator Following in the footsteps of the Surrealist movement, contemporary artists continue to draw inspiration from dreams and the subconscious mind. Nothing is impossible while we dream; the visual and physical limitations of the waking world are inconsequential. Titled after the Spanish word for “dreams,” and in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, this exhibition is designed to highlight works by Latin American artists in CMAC’s permanent collections that share in the characteristics of dream-like imagery. This work challenges us to see the world as it cannot be, while stirring many of the emotions that we experience daily: joy, sadness, fear, discomfort, shame, frustration, excitement, and curiosity. Many of the objects on view display peculiar configurations of the body, nature, and technology arranged within their surroundings. The cinematic quality of many of these images elicits a need for narrative, the absence of which reminds the viewer of a dream that instantly slips away upon waking. Other images are more abstract, pushing the limits of space and form. These works intermingle fact and fiction, memory and imagination, the mundane and the sublime. Sueños: Celebrating the Surreal aims to establish a visual connection between our dreaming and waking selves. Natalie McGrath Curator and Assistant Director
Sandy Skoglund, Cats in Paris, 2006, Photograph, Point of Contact Gallery.
Salvador DalĂ, Surrealist Landscape, date unknown, lithograph on wove paper, SUArt Galleries.
Viewing the Impossible This lithograph by Salvador Dalí demonstrates many of the quintessential features of Surrealist art, such as everyday objects which have been distorted in size and shape, illogical landscapes, and illusory abstract forms. The familiar image of a household telephone is precariously cradled on a single pole, with its cord winding beyond the picture plane like an industrial power line. Egg yolk and amorphous human flesh seep from the earpiece of the phone, attracting oversized ants. The telephone is positioned in the center of the image, with its size imposing itself on the rest of the landscape and on the viewer. It appears as though Dalí is inviting the viewer to reach for the telephone and answer it. Dalí’s works are known for engaging the viewer in clever ways such as this.
For this exhibition, Dalí’s image can be viewed as an invitation and point of reference to observe the surreal and dream-like elements of the other works in this space. Though these contemporary artists are not Surrealists, viewers can trace the influence and direction provided by the movement to several generations of artists. Their works are presented as puzzling, provocative, and introspective through their unique manipulations of figures, objects, and landscapes.
Joseph Kugielsky, The Tower, 1995, Mixed media, Point of Contact Gallery
Reimagining Reality Joseph Kugielsky’s sculpture installation, The Tower, presents the images of The Last Supper and the artist’s other photo series through an even more chilling, Orwellian lens. The sculpture is comprised of a cold metal frame fitted with numerous windows into a bizarre world of Kugielsky’s invention. The viewer may peer into these strange scenes while experiencing the eerie sensation of being watched from within. The Tower imposes a panopticon effect upon the exhibition space. Though The Tower was completed in 1995, many of its window images date back to Kugielsky’s first roll of film, shot in the 1970s and the years that followed. The artist’s mentor and founder of Point of Contact, Pedro Cuperman, has described Kugielsky’s work as “...a journey that wants to last, a methodical study in the language of retention perfected by photography.” Cuperman, then a professor of Latin American Literature and Theory at Syracuse University, worked with Kugielsky to develop the concept for this project as an intersection between textual and visual language. Kugielsky utilizes referential objects, iconic works of art, and religious iconography as tools to distort reality in his carefully planned compositions. According to Cuperman, Kugielsky’s manipulation of the familiar into the mysterious is an act of self-examination: “Nothing in itself confers superiority to a piece of paper except play, and play is the other side of form, play is Catharsis: the healing measure. Art as a diving board. Where is reality and where illusion? On which side of the camera is the subject matter? Photography can also be a form of self-exploration, for the artist as well as for the spectator. The real or the imaginary world—between these two points stretches the hard tightrope Kugielsky’s photography forces us to walk.” Notes from Pedro Cuperman provided by the artist
Alessandra Sanguinetti, Hortencias from the series The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of their Dreams, 2002, inkjet print, Light Work.
Don Gregorio Antรณn, A Donde Vas? (Where do you go?), 2006, mixed media, Light Work.
the Inner world of Adál Puerto Rican contemporary artist Adál Maldonado’s first photographic series, The Evidence of Things Unseen (1975), presents an illogical realm of apparitions, scattered anatomy, and disheveled interiors. An otherwordly energy eminates from each image, as Adál utilizes a photo collage technique to construct seamlessly deceptive compositions. This series has been referred to as a Post-Surrealist project, with the artist’s subconscious serving as its inspiration. Adál’s total embrace of the irrational is demonstrated by a palpable sense of calm present in each image. For example, in The Logic of Limitations, a gentle breeze separates a tapestry from a bedroom window. That breeze fails to disturb the bedsheet that is draped across a pair of disembodied feet. The inverse of this scene is reflected in a mirror that rests against the corner of the room, revealing a mysterious figure who faces away from the viewer. While Adál’s compositions are indeed uncanny, he depicts this world in such a way that chaos appears to be order. These bizarre configurations are presented as tranquil and quiet. For those who can vividly recall their own dreams, this is not an outlandish proposition. For Adál, the mind can produce a reality all its own, and he has provided the evidence.
Adรกl Maldonado, The Logic of Limitations from The Evidence of Things Unseen series, 1975, offset lithograph, Light Work.
Lucas Audubon, The Guardians of Earthly Delights, 1974, oil on canvas, Community Folk Art Center.
Works in this exhibition Lucas Audubon Guardian of Earthly Delights, 1974 Oil on canvas 28 ½” x 32 ½” Community Folk Art Center, 2005.044
Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin To Be, 1993 Photograph 10” x 7” Point of Contact Gallery, 1993.006.001
Enrique Chagoya El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstrous (The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters), 2012 Etching and aquatint with letterpress on revere ivory wove paper 8 ¼” x 5 7/8” SUArt Galleries, 2015.0715.06
Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin Manyness, 1993 Photograph 10” x 7” Point of Contact Gallery, 1993.006.002
Salvador Dalí Surrealist Landscape, Date unknown Lithograph on wove paper 15 7/8” x 22 ¾” SUArt Galleries, 2003.0142 Jennifer Garza-Cuen Untitled (Girl with a Snake) Rabun, Georgia, 2017 Inkjet print 24” x 30” Light Work, 2017.037 Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin Lunation, 1993 Photograph 10” x 7” Point of Contact Gallery, 1993.006.004 Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin Calender, 1993 Photograph 10” x 7” Point of Contact Gallery, 1993.006.003
Felipe Gonzales Huichol [represents history, to know how to listen to what the gods are saying], c.1976 Yarn and beeswax on plywood 32” x 48” SUArt Galleries, 2017.0707 Don Gregorio Antón A Donde Vas? (Where do you go?), 2006 Mixed media 7 ¾” x 9” Light Work, 2007.070 Don Gregorio Antón Recorrido (Travel), 2006 Mixed media 7 ¾” x 8” Light Work, 2007.071 Don Gregorio Antón Untitled, 2000-2007 Mixed media 11 ¼” x 8” Light Work, 2008.036
Works in this exhibition Joseph Kugielsky The Last Supper series, 1994 Photographs 8” x 10” or 10” x 8” each Point of Contact Gallery, 1994.006.001-5
Adal Maldonado Examining the Evidence, 1975 Offset lithograph 9 7/8” x 8” Light Work, 1986.034
Joseph Kugielsky The Last Supper negative installation Film negative and light box Point of Contact Gallery, 2018.001.002
Adal Maldonado The logic of limitations, 1975 Offset lithograph 11” x 10 ¾” Light Work, 2015.123
Joseph Kugielsky The Tower, 1995 Mixed media Gift of the artist Point of Contact Gallery, 2018.001.001 Mauricio Lasanky The Vision, 1956 Color etching on wove paper 23 15/16” x 21 ¾” SUArt Galleries, 1960.156 Adal Maldonado ...and as I Began to Disappear, I realized Someone was Beginning to Forget Me., 1975 Offset lithograph 9 ¼” x 6” Light Work, 1986.035 Adal Maldonado A Threat and a Promise, 1975 Offset lithograph 11” x 10 ¾” Light Work, 2015.112
Adal Maldonado Memorias Olvidadas, 1975 Offset lithograph 11” x 10 ¾” Light Work, 2015.104 Adal Maldonado the Tragic Joke, 1975 Offset lithograph 11” x 10 ¾” Light Work, 2015.120 Adal Maldonado The Unexpected Return of the Missing Part, 1975 Offset Lithograph 7” x 7” Light Work, 1986.036 Luis Felipe Noe One Son and Four Transformations, 1982 Ink on paper 8” x 10” each Point of Contact Gallery, 1982.001.001-5
Works in this exhibition Francisco Palacios Chopin #2, 1971 Oil on masonite 12 3/8” x 14 7/8” SUArt Galleries, 1988.197
Sandy Skoglund Cats in Paris, 1996 Photograph 8” x 10” Point of Contact Gallery, 1995.005.003
Judy Pfaff Sightshow, 1997 Photograph 10” x 7” Point of Contact Gallery, 1997.003.001
Sandy Skoglund Babies at Paradise Pond, 1996 Photograph 8” x 10” Point of Contact Gallery, 1997.005.005
Pedro Roth Celebrate the Artist Series, 2009 Acrylic and ink on paper 10” x 14” each Point of Contact Gallery, 2011.002.003-4
Sandy Skoglund Dogs on the Lawn, 1996 Photograph 8” x 10” Point of Contact Gallery, 1997.005.002
Alessandra Sanguinetti Hortencias from the series The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of their Dreams, 2002 Inkjet print 24” x 24” Light Work, 2002.034
Lawson Smith Flea Market Fantasy, 1995 Pencil on wove paper 40” x 30” SUArt Galleries, 2006.0027
Sandy Skoglund Squirrels at the Drive-In, 1996 Photograph 8” x 10” Point of Contact Gallery, 1997.005.001
Linda Stine I Planted these Last Year, 1993 Linocut on wove paper 22 ½” x 15” SUArt Galleries, 1994.001.11 Rodrigo Valenzuela Barricade #3, 2017 Inkjet print 54” x 44” Light Work, 2017.104
Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin, Manyness, 1993, photograph, Point of Contact Gallery.
Pedro Roth, Celebrate the Artist series, 2009, acrylic and ink on paper, Point of Contact Gallery
Selected Bibliography Cuperman, Pedro. Notes on Joseph Kugielsky, Personal notes provided by Joseph Kugielsky. Drucker, Johanna. Sweet Dreams: Contemporary Art and Complicity. London; Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2005. Falconi, Jose. “ADáL Maldonado.” Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire 8, no. 2-3 (2008): 10-11. Gerlovina, Rimma, and Valeriy Gerlovin. “Biography.” Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin. Accessed May/June 2018. http://www.gerlovin.com/biography.html. Gerlovina, Rimma, and Valeriy Gerlovin. “Excerpts from Publications.” Rimma Gerlovina and Valeriy Gerlovin. Accessed May/June 2018. http://www.gerlovin.com/biography_resume/eng_quotations_0.htm. Jiménez, José, Dawn Ades, Georges Sebbag. Surrealism and the Dream. Madrid: Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, 2013. “Linda Stein.” Brooklyn Museum. Accessed May 2018. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/linda-stein. Maclean, Hope. “Huichol Yarn Paintings, Shamanic Art and the Global Marketplace.” Studies in Religion 32, no. 3 (2003): 311-335. Maldonado, Adál Alberto. The Evidence of Things Not Seen. New York: Foto by Da Capo Press, 1975. Maldonado, Adál Alberto, Doris Sommer, and David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Out of Focus Nuyoricans. Cambridge, MA: ADAL, 2004. “Mauricio Lasansky: The Artist: Biography.” The Lasansky Gallery, Home of Artist and Printmaker Mauricio Lasansky. Accessed May 2018. http://www.lasanskyart.com/artist/biography.shtml. “Nierikas.” Artes De México no. 161 (1972): 37-38. Noé, Luis Felipe. “Works.” Luis Felipe Noé: Cronología. Accessed June 21, 2018. Valenzuela, Rodrigo. “Statement.” Rodrigo Valenzuela. Accessed April/May 2018. http://www.rodrigovalenzuela.com/text/. Tonderai Mudede, Charles. “Essays: Rodrigo Valenzuela Barricade #3, 2017.” Light Work Collection. Accessed May 2018. http://collection.lightwork.org/Detail/artworks/2017.104.
Lawson Smith, Flea Market Fantasy, 1995, pencil on wove paper, SUArt Galleries
Adรกl Maldonado, ...and as I began to disappear I realized someone was beginning to forget me... from The Evidence of Things Unseen series, 1975, offset lithograph, Light Work.
Jennifer Garza-Cuen, Untitled (Girl With a Snake), Rabun, Georgia, 2017, inkjet print, Light Work.
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