SANTA FE, NM.- Gerald Peters Contemporary to host, Cholla Galáctica, an exhibition of new works by José Sierra.

The Albuquerque-based artist grew up in Mérida, Venezuela and his practice is intrinsically linked to these two places and their dramatic landscapes. From the lush, mind-bending forests of Venezuela to the sprawling cholla of the Albuquerque valley, Sierra’s seeks to capture the memory, emotion, and physicality of the natural world.

Movement and energy erupt in Sierra’s biomorphic ceramic vessels. His undulating forms pulsate with bold colors and delicate surface details immersing the viewer into Sierra’s personal expression of the land.

My goal is not mimesis but to capture the energy of these spaces and how they are part of my lived experience. In the dialogue between the object and me, that energy somehow always comes to the fore, creating hybrid forms between life in the deserts and memories of mountain forests that become more like dreams.

José Sierra was born in Mérida, Venezuela in 1975 and introduced to ceramics at the University of the Andes in Mérida, Venezuela, where he learned the basic skills of mixing clay, glazes, and wheel throwing. In 1996, Sierra began working professionally as an artist; by 2000, he was able to build his first American studio in Iowa. A decade later Sierra moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he maintains his studio today.

Sierra’s work is included in the collections of the Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID; University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN; Las Cruces Museum of Art, Las Cruces, NM; University Art Collection, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA; Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX; University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA; Central College, Pella, IA; Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, KS; and in numerous private collections in the United States and Latin America.

This exhibition marks the artist’s second solo presentation with Gerald Peters Contemporary.

Gerald Peters Contemporary
José Sierra: Cholla Galáctica
November 3rd, 2023 - March 2nd, 2024