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May Issue 2005
Elder Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Presents Works by Leonel Matheu
Elder
Gallery in Charlotte, NC, will present the exhibit, Step by
Step, featuring works by Leonel Matheu. The exhibition will
be on view from May 6 - 31, 2005.
Walking into an exhibition of paintings by Cuban-born artist Leonel
Matheu is like walking into a child's memory bank. His paintings
and installations take the viewer back to a time when the young
artist's life was being shaped by the strong external political
forces that set the course for his formative years in Cuba as
well as young adulthood in the US.
Step by Step is loaded with childhood memories which speak to the innocence of youth in the hands of a greater power. Matheu's paintings depict the forces of nature leading the miniscule male figure through a series of playful events. His use of symbols transforms the viewer's perspective from current day events to a place in time where paper boats and toy airplanes are vehicles for transporting the boy to a new land where hopes and dreams become reality.
Matheu was born in La Habana, Cuba in 1967. His art has been, and continues to be, greatly influenced by the events and the people in his life. An HBO movie entitled For Love or For Country starring Andy Garcia, chronicles his young family's struggles in Cuba as well as their transition to freedom in the US. The son of Grammy-winning jazz musician Arturo Sandavol, Matheu practices his artistry with joy in the United States since his exile in 1993.
"Leonel Matheu is a young Cuban artist who has defined with substance, balance, and consistency an unmistakable and exceedingly accessible language in the time since his life and professional career were turned upside down by his exile in 1993," writes art critic Armando Alvarez Bravo. "His discourse is dominated by a world view that is as real as it is fantastic. The apparent simplicity of his work provides a vehicle for intense, rich, full experience, both in its execution and in its contemplation."
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337 or at (www.elderart.com).
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