Mobius, that continuous, twisted loop of paper with no origin or endpoint is both a metaphor and a title for Luis Gonzalez Palma’s latest series of portraits, now on exhibit at Schneider Gallery in Chicago through October 31, 2014. In Palma’s portraits, solo close-up images of native Guatemalans are entwined with history, their gazes meet the viewer – or not – with a beauty that is weighted with frailty and sorrow.
“Sin Titulo, 2014” from the series Mobius, 20”x 20” (unique) digital print on canvas, hand-painted with acrylic, by Luis Gonzalez Palma (courtesy of the artist and Schneider Gallery, Chicago)
To preserve a sense of universality, none of Palma’s subjects is named. Yet each portrait is a unique piece. Starting with digital B&W images printed on textured canvas, Palma coats his prints with acrylics to resemble archaic sepia-toned ambrotype or goldtone photographs. This imbues each portrait with a depth and translucency that glows. His educational training as an architect is evident for the first time in the Mobius series, as well. Using complementary colored acrylic paints, Palma overlays straight and angled lines and geometric shapes that play with the illusion of perspective, to compositional and symbolic effect.
“Sin Titulo, 2014” from the series Mobius, 36”x 36” (unique) digital print on canvas, hand-painted with acrylic, by Luis Gonzalez Palma (courtesy of the artist and Schneider Gallery, Chicago
That Palma’s portraits appear to carry the weight of the past and the intimacy of the present is no accident. His plaintive, soulful images and intricate techniques combine to expound Palma’s poetic vision: “To the observer, to discover himself in this internal, silent glance, accompanied by this immobile countenance that stares back at him, means to become aware that we all share a common destiny. A reflection on beauty as fragility, memory as pain and time as a continuous fall. Photography presents death with open eyes.”
“Sin Titulo, 2014” from the series Mobius, 20”x 20” (unique) digital print on canvas, hand-painted with acrylic, by Luis Gonzalez Palma (courtesy of the artist and Schneider Gallery, Chicago)
For more information about this exhibit, go to: http://schneidergallerychicago.com/section/398400_Summer_Home_Barbara_Diener_Tony_Favarula.html
For more information about Luis Gonzalez Palma, go to: http://www.gonzalezpalma.com/declaraciondeartista.php
Feature image: “Sin Titulo, 2014” from the series Mobius, 36”x 36” (unique) digital print on canvas, hand-painted with acrylic, by Luis Gonzalez Palma (courtesy of the artist and Schneider Gallery, Chicago)
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