The artist explores the theme of migration and displacement through the juxtaposition of elements.
Juan Carlos Rivero-Cintra's upcoming series Don't Leave Me in the Dark is a follow-up of one of his past series, Memories as Metaphors. In both, the artist explores the theme of migration and displacement through the juxtaposition of elements. He uses organic objects to depict the nostalgia of what migrants leave behind as they move away from their homeland, and in search of new opportunities.
Throughout his work, the artist has often stressed the importance of certain objects in evoking that lush, Latin American sensation. He usually portrays it through the use of fruits and vegetables, elements that are reminiscent of the tropics and the Caribbean. The Volkswagen, on the other hand, is a nostalgic emblem more closely related to a European romanticism. The artist uses it in his work as the means by which one reaches this desired place, this new life.
The contrast between these two elements illustrates the internal struggle of which migrants are prey: a desire to embrace new and different aspirations, while still wanting to hold on to some vestige of the territory they are leaving behind.
The exhibition consists of 30 small scale works and 2 large scale pieces, all elaborated in the technique of oil on canvas.
