Juan Alberto Negroni’s exhibit highlights the role of color, the nobility of paper, and the clash between figuration and abstraction.
By Integrated Communication
Visual artist and art educator Juan Alberto Negroni, whose work is part of public and private art collections internationally, presents the exhibit Maneras de Llegar (Ways to Get There), which covers four of the six years he has been based in Texas.
The exhibit will open on Friday, April 22, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the Art Gallery of the Sagrado Corazón University. Maneras de Llegar has works created mostly on paper and focused on different ideas about Puerto Rico.
“The pieces (of Maneras de Llegar) constitute a fragment of an archive of ideas about displacement, politics, folklore, and notions of ‘high art versus low art,’ that have emerged within my practice,” Negroni explained to inSagrado.
According to Negroni, since his arrival in the United States, he has been asked many times where is he from, why he moved to Dallas, and how Puerto Rico compares to Texas. Despite his willingness to explain the Island’s political, religious, and cultural history, he often discovers that there are certain topics that words cannot describe. Through Maneras de Llegar and his works, the artist has developed a visual language that mimics the multi-layering of such responses and the idiosyncrasies of his homeland.
“Some pieces focus on thoughts about Puerto Rico, in which the cultural and sociopolitical environments of the Island are symbolically discussed. I allude to those aspects in question by using different symbols as an open coding system, among them: the rock, the flowers, the fish and objects such as the vase,” the artist said.
“However, at the same time, I include other pieces that were produced primarily as abstractions that address concepts such as improvisation, randomness, and unpredictability. Most are displayed without frames to create a closer bond with the audience,” he added.
For her part, the cultural manager and coordinator of the Sagrado Art Gallery, Norma Vila, said:
“The programming for this academic year (2021-2022) was curated with the interest of rescuing and making room for the work of Puerto Rican artists based in the United States. As a university art gallery, our artistic programming serves as a pillar for encounters, bonds, and cultural integration within our diverse communities. We are proud to exhibit the work of our colleague Juan Alberto Negroni, who has a 20-year proven track record as an artist, educator, and art administrator.”
Maneras de Llegar, which will end on Saturday, June 25, will be available to experience virtually (sagrado.edu/galeria) and in person from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., by making a reservation via email through galeriadearte@sagrado.edu. Visitors must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Negroni will offer a guided tour of the Gallery on Friday, April 22, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Access the Sagrado Art Gallery’s Facebook page or call (787) 728-1515, extension 2561, for additional information.