LUSO-AMERICAN Surrealism of the 21st Century

Dallas, United States, 03/12/2014 / SubmitMyPR /

LUSO-AMERICAN Surrealism of the 21st Century is a continuation of a series of exhibitions relating to Portuguese artist, Santiago Ribeiro's project “International Surrealism Now.” This unique exhibition will feature works of Portuguese artists Victor Lages, Paula Rosa, Francisco Urbano, and Santiago Ribeiro, and American artists France Garrido, Joe MacGown, K.D. Matheson, Shahla Rosa, Steve Smith, and Olga Spiegel.

International Surrealism Now began in Coimbra, in 2010, when Santiago Ribeiro conceived a major exhibition which was organized by the Bissaya Barreto Foundation. The event was presented in Conímbriga, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Conimbriga Monographic Museum (second most visited museum in Portugal) and, subsequently, went to Paris, with the support of the Bissaya Barreto Foundation and GAPP – Portugal Presente Art Gallery. The exhibition was later presented in Madrid, with the support of Yamal Din and in Berlin once more organized by Santiago Ribeiro. Afterwards, Santiago partnered with artist Victor Lages, who developed the project” Utopia of Fantastic Art,” for the purpose of organizing exhibitions in Lisbon and in other international venues.

The compositions of Shahla Rosa, a Canadian-American Modern Surrealist, are inspired by Andre Breton, Sigmund Freud, and Dante Alighieri and deal with themes of human nature and the subconscious. She paints her deepest thoughts on canvas in an attempt to shed light on her inner self, searching through what she calls the Awaken Subconscious and interpreting her emotional reactions to the world’s beauty and falsity in a search for universal truths. “By stepping into the fields of the unknown and possibility we surrender ourselves to the creative mind that orchestrates the dance of the universe.”

In Portuguese artist, Santiago Ribeiro’s paintings, complex compositions illustrate deep concerns about modern society and its individual and collective behavior. Santiago’s work is in numerous private collections as well as in the Collection of Contemporary Art of the National Museum Machado de Castro and in the Bissaya Barreto Foundation in Coimbra, Portugal.

The drawings of California based artist, Steve Smith are pure psychic automatism as defined by Andre Breton in the 1923 Manifesto of Surrealism, and closely relate to Taoist meditations on spontaneous, free expression. This allows the artwork to be freely created with as little planning or interruption from the conscious mind as possible, enabling the artist to explore the depths of the imagination and to tap into and express the fundamental nature of reality.

About LuminArte Gallery

LuminArte Gallery, conveniently located in the Dallas Design District, showcases contemporary award-winning artists, as well as bright emerging talent. Specializing in art placement and interior design consultation, the gallery presents collectors, designers and corporate clients with a diverse array of artwork in a variety of media, styles and techniques. Representing over forty artists from more than a dozen countries, LuminArte continues to embrace the local art community by hosting an artist in residence program, and by providing workshops and continuing education opportunities.

LuminArte Gallery is located at 1727 E. Levee Street, Dallas, Texas 75207. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11am - 6pm; and from noon to 6pm on Saturday. For more information, call 214.914.4503 or visit www.luminarte.com and follow on Facebook.

For hi-res images and interviews, please contact Matt Anzak- [email protected]