BRYAN FERNANDEZ

No Te Imaginas, where I'm from

January 20th - February 16th, 2020

BRYAN FERNANDEZ
NO TE IMAGINAS, WHERE IM FROM
SOLO EXHIBITION (MAIN GALLERY)
EXHIBITION DATES: JAN 21ST - FEB 15TH. 2023
OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY, JAN 21ST / 6:00 - 9:00 PM
GALLERY HOURS: TUES - SAT / 1 PM - 6 PM
NEW IMAGE ART. 7920 SANTA MONICA BLVD. LOS ANGELES. CA. 90046

New Image Art is pleased to present “No Te Imaginas, where I'm from” the debut solo exhibition of New York-based artist, Bryan Fernandez. In a series of vibrant mixed media assemblage large-scale works, Bryan invites the viewer to the colorful realm of his ancestral land, the Dominican Republic, and his home and everyday life in Washington Heights, New York. He paints a universe familiar to many immigrants and first-generation children: one filled with cultural motifs and semiotics from their places of origin to their new residence, molding their current apparatus into a familiar one of warmth.

Texturally Fernandez transforms everyday domestic objects through his maximalist tactile collaging techniques, bringing the physical world he encompasses to the foreground of the canvas.  His work not only mimics his surroundings by subject matter but also by the found objects.. The material list includes aluminum foil, cardboard, backpacks, hairnets, cut-up jeans, and shoelaces, along with the more conventional art supplies like; oil pastels, acrylic paint, and hand-printed monotypes. The sentiment embedded within each object Ferannadez uses is one of delicacy and honesty, offering a memento of his own home, providing an intimate opportunity to be a part of his world.  His use of raw materials serves as a metaphor for Dominican identity: whereas this blended community is composed of African, Taino, and Spanish peoples.  There is a liveliness that is rooted in each scene he builds, from the bodegas to street vendors to the everyday people around interacting. Fernandez’s characters play a vital role in expressing what it means to be Dominican today. The artist seeks to answer ongoing questions throughout his practice about his heritage, like, “What is our authentic culture? Nuestras experiencias sociales significativas? Transference? Quienes somos nosotros? As well as celebrating the culture, community, and people he’s grown to love. A community that is the reason for who he is  today.”

Introducing the Heights to Los Angeles is one of intention; it has always been New Image Art’s mission to expand the dialog amidst our region and introduce a new culture to a city that thrives on the vast differing communities it holds. The Heights is a place that is filled with collective activity that reminds its residents of life on the island, making it a vibrant second home for Dominican immigrants and a cultural foundation for those who were born in New York. Creating the foundation for the NYC populace is a true testament to the world-building this country is capable of. Bringing his Afro-Caribbean culture to the west coast is critical to enhancing the conversation of what it means to be seen.