Couturier Gallery is very pleased to present Alexis Lago: Possible Moves, the first West Coast exhibition for the Cuban artist. The show includes large format watercolors and paintings of Lago’s fantastical worlds of animals, humans and heavens depicting psychological moments in various stages of universal life. The exhibition runs from April 5– May 10, with an Artist’s Opening Reception on Saturday, April 5, 6-8pm.
Alexis Lago (b. Havana, Cuba, 1962) paints journeys to places found in ancient myths and sites here on earth and the heavens in search of self-knowledge to discover personal uncertainties, fears and yearnings. His touchingly painterly poetic gestures, be they with watercolor or oil paint, imbue his imagery with dynamic yet gentle soul which make reaching for the stars and touching them appear logical and correct. Their freshness and immediacy embody the dynamic fluidity that exists in the relationships he constructs. In some works Lago depicts human figures carrying their own home or protection, such as a turtle shell or caracole (as in the work Patron de vuelo (“Patron of Flight”) ), suggesting protectors and guides to the future. In much of his imagery ancient myth combines with transcendent knowledge, old world views combine with imaginary ones:
“My work is formally evocative of old worldviews and imaginaries since they have always been an inspirational source for me, not only because most of them encode timeless and meaningful contents that anyone can perfectly relate to contemporary issues, but because they have shaped an archive that encloses endless possibilities for
inquiring about my own place in the whole existence”.
First trained as a biochemist at the University of Havana, Alex Lago entered art school to study painting at the San Alejandro Academy. His scientific background informs his artistic vocabulary coming from an understanding of the microscopic composition of biological matter combined in delicate intricate detail with the universal. The fluidity of his watercolors, done freehand without prior sketching in graphite, compliments the predominant theme in his work, be they marine or not, linked in one way or another to water, a connective primeval element.
Lago has exhibited in Latin America, the United States and Europe and his work is included in public and private collections worldwide. He has also illustrated numerous children and young adult books for prestigious Hispanic publishers including Panamericana Editorial, Santillana, Alfaguara SA and Everest Editorial.
For further information or images please contace cg@couturiergallery.com .