Puerto Rican Scenes Featured at Cultural Center Art Exhibit

The passage of time and its effects on memory or the natural environment is the theme in the works of two artists – including a student at the School of Art – that will be displayed in the newest exhibition at La Casa Cultural Julia de Burgos.

“Tiempo, Espacio y Transformacion” “Time, Space and Transformation” features photographs by second-year School of Art student Larry Gonzalez and prints by visual artist Nayda Collazo Llorens, both natives of Puerto Rico, who explore in their works their relationship to the island as well as the theme of the passing of time.

Mr. Gonzalez, who produces his work alternately between the United States and Puerto Rico, explores concepts of memory, culture and the passage of time in his photographs, which focus on both the Puerto Rican landscape and his family.

“His most recent photographs, produced in the context of several trips to Puerto Rico, capture the shifts back and forth between the landscape, Mr. Gonzalez’s family and environment, and the intermediate and intimate physical spaces that exist between these,” says Val Ramos, director of La Casa Cultural and assistant dean of Yale College. “These spaces then become visual articulations of his memories of childhood while he constructs a loose poetic narrative that attempts to unify these subjects.”

Mr. Gonzalez began his studies at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1992. His work has been displayed in many solo and group exhibitions and in international competitions. He has won several arts awards and fellowships.

Ms. Collazo’s work explores the transformation of spaces and surfaces due to natural causes, such as erosion caused by water and wind. She has been described by art critic Manuel Alvarez Lezama in The San Juan Star as “… an artist who is totally in command of her aesthetic venture.”

A native of San Juan, Ms. Collazo also earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Massachusetts College of Art. She now works and lives in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She has exhibited her work at numerous solo and group shows, and has also illustrated a book, titled “Three Kings Day.”

A reception will mark the opening of the exhibit on Saturday, April 6, at 7 p.m. at La Casa Cultural, 301 Crown St. The artists will attend the event, which is free and open to the public. For more information on the exhibit, call Dean Ramos at 432-2906.