BRONX, NY.- The Lehman College Art Gallery presents, Abya Yala: Structural Origins, an exhibition featuring the work of 20 artists from 14 countries across the Latin American diaspora from September 21, 2022 through January 28, 2023. Organized by the New York Latin American Triennial under the auspices of the Bronx Hispanic Festival, Lehman College is one of eight New York City venues to display the artistic and cultural legacies of the Latin American and Caribbean region.
The Triennial exhibition, last seen at Lehman College Art Gallery in Fall 2019, examines contemporary art and the inspiration it draws from historical epochs of cultural and intellectual growth across the American continent.
The title “ABYA YALA” means “Continent of Life” in Kuna, a language spoken in southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia. This exhibition seeks to represent life in all the Americas, and to celebrate the identity as well as respect the roots of the indigenous peoples, who live in this vast region. Abya Yala also indicates links, some direct and some more circuitous, between the ideas and practices inherited from our ancestors and the art forms employed by today’s artists, who often use traditional materials and concepts to convey contemporary views.
Abya Yala artists at Lehman Art Gallery show influences from the past that stem from Africa, Europe, and Latin American indigenous experience on the art and its values they present to us today. The exhibition also establishes the link between contemporary art and the premeditated use of materials, elements, and forms we see in the indigenous expression of the first inhabitants of Latin America − mats, baskets, goldsmith, pottery, textiles, altars, rituals, tapestry, and sculptures in clay, stone, and metal.
Participating Artists at Lehman College Art Gallery
Orlando Alandia (Bolivia), Juan Carlos Alom (Cuba), Julianny Ariza (Dominican Republic), Darlene Charneco (Puerto Rico), Colectivo Daro’s (Dario Román, Fuela Valerde & Dario Xavier Sinche Brito) (Ecuador), Coletivo Liberdade De Arte Marginal (Brazil), Gabriel Correa (Colombia), Edouard Duval-Carrié (Haiti), Lucia Fainzilber (Argentina), Alonsa Guevara (Chile), Gabriel Grela Mesa (Uraguay), Manuel Efrain Saldaña Minchala (Ecuador), Raul Morilla (Dominican Republic), Yolanda Petrocelli (Mexico), Elio Rodríguez (Cuba), Melquíades Rosario Sastre (Puerto Rico), Melvin Toledo (Nicaragua), Gustavo Vejarano (Colombia), Elizabeth Velazquez (Perú), Cristian Laime Yujra (Bolivia)
Background
Produced by the Bronx Hispanic Festival, Inc., the entire Triennial will be shown across eight venues featuring more than 200 artists, from September 3rd, 2022 to January 28, 2023 throughout New York City, featuring exhibitions, performances, video/short films screenings, outdoor installations, interactive workshops, panel discussions, and more, all free to the public. In addition to Lehman College Art Gallery, the participating venues also include BronxArtsSpace, Boricua College (Bronx Campus), Governors Island at 405-B Colonels Row, Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College, Pace University Art Gallery, Queens College Art Gallery, Teatro Latea at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center.
The New York Latin American Art Triennial
The New York Latin American Art Triennial is dedicated to organizing exhibitions and cultural programming through New York City to promote our Latin American culture. These exhibitions are intended to provide diverse educational programs that allow a place to engage with contemporary art expressions and investigate a deeper understanding of its role in society. The Triennial seeks to galvanize the cultural landscape of the communities, complement the academic and visual arts programs of the participating galleries and institutions, and foster a wider appreciation of contemporary art and cultural understanding.
