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WORK OF CARIBBEAN ARTISTS SHOWCASED IN NEW BANANA FACTORY EXHIBIT BETHLEHEM

DATE: Feb 1, 2012
CONTACT: Mark Demko, ArtsQuest, 610-332-1300, ext. 342, or mdemko@artsquest.org

BETHLEHEM, PA-A diverse array of work by six modern Caribbean artists is showcased in the new exhibition in the Crayola Gallery of ArtsQuest's™ Banana Factory®, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem, from now through April 8

"Contemporary Caribbean Artists: Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico" features the art of Alexis Mendoza, Jesús Rivera, Luis Stephenberg, Marina Gutierrez, Ismael Checo and Rigo Peralta. These artists are diverse in style and sensibility, yet when viewed side by side, their works reveal a common tendency toward a highly imaginative mode of representational painting.

A graduate of the University of Havana in Cuba, artist and author Alexis Mendoza has exhibited his work throughout South America, Europe and North America. Co-founder of the Bronx Latin American Art Biennial, he has published three books: "Latin America, The Culture and the New Men," "Objective Reference Painting: The Work of Ismael Checo, 1986-2006" and "Reflections: The Sensationalism of the Art from Cuba." Mendoza currently lives and works in New York City.

The visual oeuvre of Jesús Rivera, transcendent images that could be defined as simultaneously simple and obtuse, continues to focus on whimsically manipulating human comprehension by transgressing boundaries that delineate the alleged beauty that surrounds us. Rivera graduated with a degree in fine arts from the National School of Fine Arts San Alejandro in Havana in 1984, as well as the Superior Institute of Art in Cuba in 1988.

A graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Puerto Rico, Luis Stephenberg is co-founder of the Bronx Latin American Art Biennial. His artistic concepts are expressed through mixed media, video art, installation and performances. Stephenberg was the co-founder of the "Movimiento Sintesista Actualizado" in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the end of the 1970s, as well as Internacional Sintesista para las Artes at Solidaridad Humana, Soffolk Street, N.Y.

Known for her unique imagery and brightly colored symbols, Puerto Rican artist Marina Gutierrez developed her fascination with art at a young age. Gutierrez, who earned her master's degree in fine arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 1995, has exhibited her paintings and mixed media works in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as in Mexico. In addition, she runs the Saturday Program at Cooper Union, which offers free studio art classes to more than 200 public high school students in New York City.

A master of the genres of still life, portraiture and landscape, Ismael Checo looks to emphasize the twin sources of creativity-art and life. Checo entered the National Academy of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1981, and then went on to study at the Art Students League in New York City in 1984. After his studies, Checo served as apprentice to painter Nelson Shanks from 1985-'89. He currently teaches painting and drawing at the Rye Arts Center in Rye, N.Y.

Artist Rigo Peralta, a native of the Dominican Republic, uses symbolic imagery in his art that often depicts the contradictory aspects of human nature. Artistically, Peralta seeks to reconcile primal nature within the confines of modernization and technology. His religious education has a marked influence on his imagery and subject matter. Peralta, a resident artist at the Banana Factory and the curator of Contemporary Caribbean Artists, has exhibited his work in numerous galleries throughout the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Crayola Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The opening reception for Contemporary Caribbean Artists will take place Feb. 3 from 6-9 p.m. as part of the Banana Factory's monthly First Friday celebration. For more information on the exhibit, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.

ABOUT ARTSQUEST

ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest's programming reaches more than 1.5 million people annually.

For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.