FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kansas City, MO – Belger Crane Yard Gallery presents Salvador Jiménez-Flores' solo exhibition Arte-Sano: Soy libre porque pienso, opening Friday, February 2, at 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108. An Opening Night Reception will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm, where the artist will give remarks at 6:30 pm.
Salvador Jiménez-Flores is a Chicago-based artist and educator who, as a teenager, immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. His body of work is steeped in his experience as a bi-cultural, bilingual artist living “concurrently in two different worlds.” Arte-Sano: Soy libre porque pienso showcases the breadth of his practice through a range of media. His ceramics, glass, metalwork, photography, and prints reflect the artist’s continued exploration of the politics of identity and the state of double consciousness. He also highlights the struggles and complexities of Latinx people living in the U.S. Rich in symbolism and iconography, Salvador Jiménez-Flores draws upon Afro-Futurism, Funk Ceramics, Robert Arneson’s satiric comedy, and references pre-Columbian traditions and pop culture, to create a world that he calls “Rascquache Futurism.” In the true nature of “rasquachismo,” the concept of making the most of limited resources, Jiménez-Flores attests to his own defiance and inventiveness as an “artesano” (“craftsman”) which is a larger reflection of the resilience of Latinx people. The exhibition title Arte-Sano:Soy libre porque pienso directly translates to “Craftsman: I am free because I think.” Soy libre porque pienso references the freedom that comes with being able to think for oneself. Including a hyphen in the word “Arte-Sano” Jiménez-Flores creates two words and an expanded meaning “arte” (“art”) and “sano” (“healthy”) revealing his fascination with word play and the power of language. Salvador Jiménez-Flores is an Assistant Professor in ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been included in exhibitions at museums such as the National Museum of Mexican Art, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and Museum of Art and Design. Among his many awards and recognitions, Jiménez-Flores is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, a Burke Prize finalist, and a 2021 United States Artist Fellow. Currently, Salvador Jiménez-Flores is a member of The Color Network, an organization whose mission is to promote the advancement of people of color in the ceramic arts, and the Institutio Gráfico de Chicago, a socially conscious organization that utilizes printmaking to ignite community engagement in sociopolitical discourse.
Salvador Jiménez-Flores' exhibition Arte-Sano: Soy libre porque pienso will be on view through June 8, 2024. For high resolution images of the artist’s work and a pdf of this press release, click here.
| | Salvador Jiménez-Flores, El futuro es hoy, 2022. Stoneware, glaze, and ceramic decal, 13 x 10 x 1.5 in. Image courtesy of the artist. | | Belger Arts is committed to maintaining a safe place for our visitors, studio members, and staff. Masks are not required, but Belger Arts will continue to monitor City of Kansas City, MO mandates and CDC guidelines. | | About Belger Arts: Since 2000, the Belger Arts Center has encouraged viewers to explore, question, and deepen their understanding of art and of the world around them. Drawing upon the extensive John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation collection as well as a rich variety of local, national, and international artists, the Belger Arts Center has staged over 70 large-scale exhibitions that represent some of the best in contemporary art.
In 2013, Belger Arts expanded the Foundation’s commitment to the creative process by opening Belger Crane Yard Studios, an arts complex dedicated to providing studio and exhibition space for artists. A range of programming in ceramics education, in addition to the Red Star Residency program and Crane Yard Clay ceramics supply store, has made Belger a center for contemporary art.
The Belger Glass Annex is the third Belger Arts location and opened to the public in October 2021. It is the first public glass blowing studio in Kansas City of its scale and scope. The new facility boasts state-of-the-art glass blowing equipment and tools, a furnace that holds 300 pounds of molten glass, and three work stations. The Belger Glass Annex is primed to be a Midwest hub for glass art, education, and appreciation, strengthening Kansas City’s reputation as an arts destination.
For more information on upcoming exhibitions, classes and workshops, or to schedule a group tour, please visit BelgerArts.org or call 816-474-3250.
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