Glexis Novoa’s Emptiness, New Intervention & Exhibition at the Lowe Art Museum
Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.
– Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
Like Calvino’s imagined cities, artist Glexis Novoa’s oeuvreis an artful blend of emotion, ideology, and memory.
Born in Havana in 1964, Novoa was part of the first generation of Cuban artists to have grown up under the Castro regime; the so-called “80s Generation.”
His experiences during that time – which were marked by equal measures of hope and privation, desire and oppression – left an indelible mark on his art.
Novoa’s “Romantic Period” dates to the 1980s and is notable for its youthful idealism and relative freedom from technical strictures.
After this early phase, which was marked by a significant performative aspect, the artist entered what he later came to refer to as his “Practical Period,” with art that was influenced by greater introspection and philosophical reflection as well as increased ideological sophistication.
It was also during this time – the early 90s – that Novoa left Cuba to take up residence in Mexico, before ultimately settling in Miami in 1995.
While in Mexico, Novoa began incorporating architecture and urbanism into his expressive lexicon.
In particular, he started experimenting with hybridized cityscapes that combined recognizable iconic monuments together with structures of the artist’s own invention.
These works were finely executed in graphite on a range of supports, including – notably – slabs of travertine and pieces of drywall, which were often still in situ.
They also frequently incorporated clear one-point perspective and a strong horizon line.
Novoa will be building on these characteristics in his new intervention/exhibition – Emptiness (On view through October 1st, 2015) at the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum.
Lowe Art Museum 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33124.