Lyle O. Reitzel Contemporary Art gallery celebrates its 26 years of existence, presenting a spectacular solo exhibition by the Dominican-Swedish artist Tania Marmolejo titled “Untamed Truths”, to open next Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7PM in its headquarters in Torre Piantini, Santo Domingo.
Her current work juxtaposes the intimate and personal with the monumental, creating large-scale paintings of ambiguous female facial expressions, exploring issues of gender and identity as a female artist from the Scandinavian Caribbean, and using portraits and physical expression as a communicative system to transfer emotions to viewers by creating affective and emotional empathy. In a different tone and sensitivity, Asian erotic paintings — especially the female portrait, with its subtle sensuality — influence the conceptual and developmental phases of her current work. The artist explores techniques and concepts creating a crossroads of contemporary styles, where all these influences overlap with those of German and Flemish art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and European figurative and abstract expressionists.
The exhibition is made up of a selection of works created in 2021, the year in which the artist made her debut in the Asian market with a massive success among important collections in Korea, China and Taiwan.
According to Tania Marmolejo: "Untamed truths are those experiences that we have had perhaps in adolescence, perhaps before, that have defined us. Secret or not, many of us want to forget them, but it is impossible for us to do so, it is impossible to deny that they made us who we are. The woman has quite a few indomitable truths because inside we are much more active, in our minds, and who we really are is much more than you can imagine looking at us from the outside. These paintings are both secrets and fun experiences. "
Tania Marmolejo Andersson was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1975). Influenced by her Scandinavian and Caribbean heritage, she studied Graphic Design and Illustration in Norway and returned to the Dominican Republic to study Fine Arts at the Altos de Chavón School of Design. She continued her studies at Parsons School Of Design, in New York, where she has resided ever since.
Marmolejo was selected to represent the Dominican Republic with her textile designs at the Fourth and Sixth Ibero-American Design Biennial (BID), in Madrid, Spain, in 2014 and 2018. Her artwork has been exhibited as part of important national cultural campaigns in the Dominican Republic, such as the Presidente Beer campaign “Celébralo con Orgullo” (Celebrate with pride) in 2020.
She has been recognized as a notable contemporary Dominican artist by important magazines and institutions, and is part of the book “Dominicanas fuera de serie. 150 women who transformed the Dominican Republic”, by Geraldine de Santis, 2021.
LOR Gallery has represented Marmolejo's work for over 10 years, organizing 3 memorable solo exhibitions, including Delicious Torment (2013), What was I thinking? (2015), Here VS. There (2018, LOR Gallery NY), as well as in various international fairs such as PINTA ART FAIR (2010 and 2011), CONTEXT - Art Miami (2012 and 2017) and multiple group exhibitions such as Super Heavy (2011) and 22 on Tour ( 2017).
The exhibition will be open to the public until January 30, 2022.