SANTIAGO PARRA Upheaval - 15th July to 15th August 2020 - JD Malat Gallery
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15th July to 15th August 2020
SANTIAGO PARRA
Upheaval
JD M A L A T
G A L L E R Y 1
Santiago Parra Untitled, 2020
2 Acrylic on canvas 3
167 x 262 cm
‘When suddenly without wanting it, my arms lift the brush and a splash It has taken the artist more than ten years to refine his technique and
marks the beginning of the painting, in stupor I watch how the brush to this day he denies having fully mastered it. He has learnt through
moves up and down, side to side and something gets written down on experimentation, trial and error and it has been a walk through an
the canvas, I know it’s my unconscious writing but while it happens I am uncharted path as no one before him has done this. What is interesting
a witness to it all. When the energy has come out I know it’s time to lift and unique about his work is that it is not constrained to the actual act
the brush out of the canvas. The painting has now finished, I look up, of painting but rather his entire life revolves around it and his painting
exhausted, seeing it for the first time, I am surprised, amazed, at how depends on how he lives his life. Indeed, of the painterly process, Parra
this intriguing image has come out of myself’- Santiago Parra describes that ‘I’ve had to learn to listen to myself, to become conscious of
life’s rhythm and of my own energy cycles, of how each thing has its own
JD Malat Gallery is proud to present Upheaval, a solo exhibition by time and how nothing can be hurried’
Colombian artist Santiago Parra.
His greatest influences are the Surrealists and their quest for truth by
Following Rising Action, the ground breaking solo exhibition that took researching the unconscious as a source for art. Many people describe
place in 2018, Santiago Parra is back with his most accomplished body of Parra as an abstract expressionist but there are many differences, mainly
work to date. Parra has described this exhibition as being more refined and in the production process. Although abstract expressionists pushed the
more attuned. He has changed the way paint is applied and chosen deeper boundaries of abstraction they were still immersed in the tradition of
blacks with subtle nuances resulting in a more defined brushstroke. The western painting, whereas Parra’s work is not inscribed in traditional image-
change of style can be attributed to the period of isolation enforced by making but rather, is the result of a ritual where inner pulsions leave a trace
Covid 19 which had a direct impact on the artist’s aesthetic. on a canvas.
The exhibition consists of fourteen mid to large format paintings created Colour is not used as a discursive or expressive element but instead it
in a span of six months. These paintings were produced during the Covid is used as a medium to render the gesture visible and fixate it. Abstract
19 lockdowns, a time of intense emotional tension for the artist. As a expressionism rather than being spontaneous gave the impression of
result, immense amounts of energy exude from the paintings. There’s a lot spontaneity as most of its paintings involved careful planning and were
of angularity and violent splatter, composition is highly dynamic, and the made during months or even years, while on the contrary in Parra’s work
brushstrokes appear to vibrate out of the canvas. Indeed, the artist called you are not seeing the impression of spontaneity but rather the real thing,
the exhibition Upheaval after seeing the paintings together. He liked how his paintings are created in seconds and in one single brushstroke. The
the word upheaval refers both to a massive telluric movement and also artist is more interested in discovering the possibilities of automatism
denotes a violent disruption of his inner feelings. rather than painting in the traditional way. Parra manages to master
automatism, unconscious is not depicted or illustrated in his work but
The subject of these works is simple: Parra yearns to express himself in the rather it is its source. His goal is to create the conditions where only the
freest possible way. In this quest, he has found automatism which was a unconscious is responsible for the creative process. Parra uses automatic
technique developed by Surrealists, its goal is to express one’s inner world painting to materialize his unconscious, to render it visible and at the same
in the purest most accurate way without the control or judgement of social time cathartic.
pressures exerted by consciousness. One prerequisite to this kind of work
is having the real urge to do it. Parra explains that his ‘objective is to let Since Rising Action, Parra had a daughter which he said has changed him
the practice develop on its own, the less conscious intervention the better’. in a way that he had not expected, he has become more focused, more
Covid 19 really helped the artist reach his ideal aesthetic by creating new clear minded and this has undoubtedly translated into his work. In addition,
emotions inside of him that led to these tormented yet energetic canvases. Covid 19 has given Parra the opportunity to rethink his place in life, to
question his values and aspirations. The upheaval that many worldwide
Every element of the painting: the brush, the paint and the canvas are experienced during the pandemic seems ever so accurately portrayed in
chosen following the principle of automatism, respecting the inner voice his monochrome paintings. Now more than ever, Parra’s greatest desire is
that decides without doubting it, the aim is to empower the natural to make truthful art. If this is indeed the case then his desire is fulfilled, as
creative instinct. With everything ready Parra stands in front of the canvas Upheaval is the greatest portrait of truth one could wish for.
and a multitude of feelings start to affect him, anguish, pleasure, fear, Santiago Parra is in the collections of the Perez Art Museum Miami
confidence... Here the objective is to decant one’s mind and calm down, (PAMM), Miami, USA, Jorge Pérez Collection, USA, Jean et Colette Cherqui
breathing is important in the way that each breath has its own tune and Collection, France, Tanya C. Brillembourg Collection, USA, Solita Mishaan
one has to find the one that attunes with the canvas. As Parra explains Collection, Spain, Cesar Gaviria Collection, Colombia, Kehinde Wiley
‘The concentration is beyond intense, every nerve on my body crisps, my Collection, USA, and Collection Lazaro, Spain.
muscles vibrate with tension and I begin to roar in an attempt to conquer
4 the canvas, this can last for hours...’ 5
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
180 x 180 cm
6 7
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 170 cm
8 9
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
155 x 155 cm
10 11
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
233 x 189 cm
12 13
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
167 x 262 cm
14 15
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
117 x 170 cm
16 17
Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 117 cm
18 19Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 117 cm
20 21Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 117 cm
22 23Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 110 cm
24 25Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 110 cm
26 27Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
110 x 170 cm
28 29Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on Canvas
163 x 109 cm
30 31Santiago Parra
Untitled, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
170 x 117 cm
32 33Santiago Parra CV 2016 ART LONDON, Lamb Arts, London, 2016 ARCO, Galería Filomena Soares,
b. 1986- Bogotá, Colombia UK Madrid, Spain
2015 PINTA MIAMI, Galería 2016 ARTBO, Galería Filomena
Selected Solo Exhibitions Sextante, Miami FL, USA Soares, Galería Sextante, Bogotá,
Colombia
2016 ARTLIMA, Galería Isabel Aninat, 2016 ARCO, Galería Filomena Soares,
2018 Rising Action, JD Malat Gallery, 2018 Monumental, Galería Sextante Lima, Peru Madrid, Spain
London, UK Bogotá, Colombia
2017 Galería ArteConsult, Ciudad de 2014 Galería Filomena Soares, Lisbon,
Panama, Panama Portugal 2014 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Bogotá, 2014 ESTART, Galería Filomena Soares,
2014 Galería Isabel Aninat, Santiago de 2014 Galería Sextante, Bogotá, Colombia Colombia Estoril, Portugal
Chile, Chile
2011 The Warehouse Art, Bogotá, 2010 Galería Sextante, Bogotá, 2014 PINTA, Galería Filomena Soares, 2014 ARTEBA, Galería Isabel Aninat,
Colombia Colombia London, UK Buenos Aires, Argentina
Selected Group Exhibitions
2014 ART BRUSSELS, Galería Filomena 2014 SP-ARTE, Galería Filomena Soares,
Soares, Brussels, Belgium Såo Paulo, Brazil
2020 Abstraction & The Natural World, JD 2019 Summer Exhibition 2019, JD Malat
Malat Gallery, London, UK Gallery, London, UK
2014 THE ARMORY SHOW, Galería 2014 ARCO, Galería Filomena Soares,
2018 MAC GALA, Museo de Arte 2015 En el Mismo Idioma, Galería Filomena Soares, NY, USA Madrid, Spain
Contemporáneo de la Ciudad de Isabel Aninat, Santiago de Chile,
Panama, Panama Chile
2014 ZONA MACO, Galería Filomena 2014 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Colombia
2014 Línea Blanda, curated by Oscar 2013 6 ̊ Salón de Arte Bidimensional, Soares, Mexico City, México
Roldán Alzate, Galería Sextante, Fundación Gilberto Alzate
Bogotá, Colombia Avendaño FUGA, Bogotá,
Colombia 2012 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Colombia 2012 ART MIAMI, Galería Sextante,
Miami FL, USA
2011 VOID AND FEELINGS, Arevalo
Gallery, Miami FL, USA
2011 ARTEBA, Galería Sextante, Buenos 2011 CHACO, Galería Sextante, Santiago
Aires, Argentina de Chile
Selected International Art Fairs 2011 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Colombia 2010 ART MIAMI, Galería Sextante,
Miami FL, USA
2020 Temple, ZONA MACO, JD Malat 2019 Contemporary Istanbul, JD Malat 2010 ARTE BA, Galería Sextante, 2010 CHACO, Galería Sextante, Santiago
Gallery, CDMX, Mexico City, Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey Buenos Aires, Argentina de Chile, Chile
Mexico
2010 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Colombia 2010 PINTA, Galería Sextante, NY, USA
2019 Seattle Art Fair, JD Malat Gallery, 2019 ZONA MACO, JD Malat Gallery,
Seattle WA, US CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico 2009 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Colombia
2017 ARTBO, Galería Sextante, Bogotá, 2017 ART LIMA, Galería Isabel Aninat,
Colombia Lima, Peru
Selected Collections
2017 ARTEBA, Galería Isabel Aninat, 2017 ARCO, Galería Filomena Soares, Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), Tanya C. Brillembourg Collection,
Buenos Aires, Argentina Madrid, Spain Miami, USA USA
2016 PINTA MIAMI, Galería Sextante, Solita Mishaan Collection, Spain
Miami FL, USA Jorge Pérez Collection, USA
Jean et Colette Cherqui Collection, France Cesar Gaviria Collection, Colombia
JD Malat Gallery JD Malat Gallery
30 Davies St, Mayfair, Kehinde Wiley Collection, USA30 Davies St, Mayfair,
Collection Lazaro, Spain
London W1K 4NB London W1K 4NB
+44 20 3746 6830 +44 20 3746 6830
34 35Special Thanks:
Victoria Aboucaya
Rafael Barros
Jean-David Malat
Richard Morrissey
Santiago Parra
Annie Pereira
info@jdmalat.com
30 Davies Street, London W1K 4NB
+ 44 203 746 68 30
www.jdmalat.com
Copyright © 2020 JD Malat Gallery
36 37jdmalat.com 38
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