KATES-FERRI PROJECTS is proud to present Territorio Visceral, a collaborative exhibition by artists Lisu Vega and Juan Henriquez curated by Dainy Tapia from ArtSeen365. The exhibition will be shown in The B-Side of the gallery, located at 563 Grand Street, NYC 10002, from January 11 to February 4, 2024 with a reception on Friday, January 12 from 5 to 8pm.

Curator statement: The exhibition was originally conceived during the duo’s residency at Tomas Redrado Art in Miami, Florida, when Lisu Vega (a multimedia artist) and Juan Henriquez (a painter) worked on a collaborative project called Visceral Territory, a set of sculptural pieces of abstract forms in plexiglass and rope weavings. To realize this project, the artists combined key identifying elements of each of their practices. Having shared studio space for many years, and being closely acquainted with each other’s practice, they started by selecting some of Henriquez's paintings to extract interesting abstract shapes and modifying the resulting silhouettes to incorporate spaces for Vega’s rope to be

woven through. After considering various materials, they ultimately chose black acrylic for its rigid, monochromatic, and reflective qualities, which provided an excellent contrast to the rope. The resulting shapes evoke maps or territories that can be inhabited by the weaving, taking on various forms, including dense volumetric abstractions.

These sculptures are now travelling to New York City, where they will be on view at KATES-FERRI PROJECTS, together with two individual artworks from each artist. Lisu will display new, fiber-based artworks, while Juan will show large abstract paintings on canvas.

With this new body of work, Vega goes back to her beginnings on experimental engraving. Making use of family photos and residual material from her zero-waste fashion art practice, she creates evocative two-dimensional pieces, that give but a hint of familiar memories, enriched with the texture of the rope, an element that links her practice to her family heritage. Lisu's work endeavors to rewrite her personal stories, emphasizing her strong sentimental connections with people, geographies, and moments in her life and acknowledging her most fragile shortcomings. She grounds her artistic practice in the exploration of materials that either contribute to or take center stage in the narrative. This exploration involves using objects, photographic images, fabrics, and more, creating an intricate, poetic, and forceful method of narrating her perception of reality outside and within the context of her own experience.

Juan Henriquez presents two works in his signature style, delving into the abstract universe of painting, where he enjoys generating a complex pictorial system through mixed media, his intuitive decisions, and the exploration of the accident as an uncontrolled tool. His graphic narrative encompasses processes, configuration, and deconstruction of the image. He takes advantage of the indomitable force of the stain on the canvas, which appropriates the pictorial space, to establish territories of action. Upon arrival, a fortuitous blotch or spatter generates the basis and pillars supporting graphic expressions. Depending on their position on the multidimensional plane, Juan amplifies or attenuates these expressions, creating synesthetic and visceral moments.

About the Artists:

Lisu Vega (b. Miami, FL) was born in Miami, FL, and grew up in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She lives and works in Miami, FL. Vega is a multidisciplinary artist working with engraving, sculpture, installation, and fashion art. Her work explores ideas of sustainability, migration, memory, and identity. Selected Solo exhibitions include ‘Captive Body’ (2021), Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, Florida; ‘El Cuerpo de la Obra’ (2019), Laundromat Art Space, Miami, Florida, and a special guest invitation for a solo project at Pinta Miami Art Fair (2019) with her installation ‘El Nido’. Selected group exhibitions include a Special Project at Pinta Miami (2021), curated by Felix Suazo; ‘Women of Vision Exhibition: South Florida Women Artists at Large (2021), Doral Contemporary Art Museum, Doral, Florida, and ‘Fashion Art Exhibition’ (2019) at Appleton Museum, Ocala, Florida. Vega was recognized as Designer of the Year (2014) at one of the competitions of the Miami Art Fashion Week. Her work is in private collections in Florida, South Carolina, and New York.

Juan Henriquez is a Venezuelan-American visual artist based in Miami, FL. He began his art studies in 1995 at the Julio Árraga Art School and later at the Neptalí Rincón Superior Art Academy in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Henriquez has a diverse range of studies in graphic arts experimentation, art restoration, photography, cultural promotion, acting, and art direction for film. He was a co-founding member of La Tintota Art Collective, where he developed public art projects, art labs, and group exhibitions with the support and mentorship of art teachers José Ramón Sánchez and Víctor Fuenmayor. Henriquez's work has been showcased in national and international exhibitions in various countries, including Belgium, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, the Dutch Caribbean, and the United States. In 2002, he received the "Young Artist" award at the 27th National Art Salon of Aragua, Maracay, Venezuela. He is a resident artist at Laundromat Art Space in Miami, where he has been living and working since 2006.

About the Curator:

Dainy Tapia is a cultural practitioner based in Miami, FL. She is the founder and curator of ArtSeen365: a platform dedicated to promoting art and artists in Miami, South Florida, and beyond, by creating and publishing original digital content. Tapia holds a master's in arts in Communications and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. She collaborates with several art institutions in South Florida, among them the Doral Contemporary Art Museum, where she consults about Communications and Community Outreach; the Bass Museum of Art, where she is a docent; and the Women Artists Archive Miami (WAAM), where she serves as advisor. She has an independent curatorial practice and has organized multiple art exhibitions about women artists and their place in the art world, the environment, and people's ways of social communication. Tapia also partners with artists to support their professional growth and specific projects.

Available Art Works Press Release Video of exhibition on YouTube