Greene Contemporary is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Omar Chacón entitled Sancocho Vitae – "Tata," on view at the gallery from Thursday, February 12 to Sunday, March 15, 2009. There will be an opening reception on Wednesday, February 11 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Omar Chacón's vibrant abstract paintings refer to rich colors and patterns of indigenous Latin American textiles, but fuse these formal and cultural traditions into a process that is very much his own recipe. The effect of this sancocho ("stew"), as Chacón calls it, is an experiential mixture of European and South American histories that infuse cultural signifiers into Abstraction. Chacón's work is guided by the memory and respect for his grandfather, a self-taught artist who made only seven abstract paintings during his lifetime. Also consisting of small dots, one of his grandfather's paintings is included in the show as a literal and metaphorical reference point.
Even with a visual sancocho as a guide, Chacon has had to assemble his own source of colorful ingredients. From his studio containing a myriad of multi-colored drips to dots, Chacón uses each gesture like a building block to painstakingly construct a series of interlocking layers. Using layer upon layer of poured and dripped paint Chacón's work uses non-representational means to reference a broad range of subjects from art history to world politics, and to call forth the co-existence of shared histories and cultural variation.
Omar Chacón was born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1979 and lives and works in Astoria, Queens. Chacón received his BFA from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida in 2002 and his MFA from San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California in 2004. He has recently been included in exhibitions at the Queens Museum of Art, The Hunterdon Museum of Art and the Bronx River Arts Center. This is Chacón's third solo exhibition with Greene Contemporary.
www.greenecontemporary.com
Credit: Untitled Painting #187, 2009, 22" x 24", acrylic on canvas
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