Artpace San Antonio Unveils New Works: 09.3

11.14.09

Artpace San Antonio is pleased to announce New Works: 09.3 opening November 19, 2009. Guest Curator Jens Hoffmann, Director, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, California, will present new projects by Adrian Esparza (El Paso, TX), Adriana Lara (Mexico City, Mexico), and Mario Ybarra, Jr. (Los Angeles, CA).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Adrian Esparza is a Texas-based artist who produces artworks from low-cost and recycled materials such as T-shirts, serapes, posters, and ceramic figures. He transforms and elevates these common items by disassembling the source materials and reconfiguring them into new patterns and arrangements. For his Artpace project, Dream Drought Landscape, Esparza created an interactive installation consisting of an altered set of musical chimes, a table with a working Connect Four game board, and a wall-sized reproduction of a geometric drawing. Suspended from the ceiling is a massive quilt consisting of 17,000 small pieces of blue, tan, and black fabric. This sewn curtain recalls the El Paso landscape as it now appears-a reference to West Texas's wide open sky and parched soil with a dark black shape that sweeps across the horizon like the 110 miles of border fencing currently under construction between Texas and Mexico.

Co-founder of the curatorial collective Perros Negros, Adriana Lara's practice de-emphasizes object making in favor of a conceptual reimagining of artistic production and the exhibition space. Lara playfully acknowledges the lack of originality in the art world and turns her attention to utilizing gallery environments to set up problems or situations for the viewer to decode. As an artist and a curator, Lara questions the function of objects that are created or selected for display. For her Artpace project, Artificial, she will present elements in a variety of artistic media including prints, photography, and a video in which she documents the processes and studios of 20 San Antonio artists.

For his residency exhibition at Artpace, Silver and Blacks, Mario Ybarra, Jr. created a series of works on paper constrained by a self-imposed set of rules. The artist chose to produce drawings on paper using only silver, black, and white. His drawing tools could only include markers, inks, and aerosol paint. Ybarra described the process as entering the "batting cages"-limiting advance planning and choosing to react to the parameters in place. The result is an installation filled with both abstract and figurative works showcasing Ybarra's distinct calligraphic handwriting and caricature portraits punctuated with a variety of skulls, masked figures, and multi-headed creatures.

ABOUT THE CURATOR
Jens Hoffmann was appointed Director of the CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco in 2006. Before assuming his position at the CCA Wattis Institute, Hoffmann was director of exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London where he organized several group exhibitions, including Alien Nation (2006); 100 Artists See God (2004-5); and Artists' Favorite (2004). He has curated solo exhibitions for John Bock, Cerith Wyn Evans, Tino Sehgal, Jonathan Monk and Martha Rosler. Hoffmann has worked for institutions and exhibitions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Dia Center for the Arts, New York, NY; Documenta X, Kassel, Germany; and Portikus Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, among others. Recent publications include Ice Cream: Contemporary Art in Culture (Phaidon, 2007), co-authored with nine other curators; The Next Documenta Should be Curated by an Artist (Revolver, 2004); and Perform (Thames & Hudson, 2005), co-authored with Joan Jonas.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
New Works: 09.3 is made possible by Linda Pace Foundation; the City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs; National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; Nimoy Foundation; and Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy.

ABOUT ARTPACE
Artpace San Antonio serves as a laboratory for the creation and advancement of international contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org