The UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture presents ceramic works by Cuban-American artist Carlos Estévez in Palimpsest, on view in Storrs Gallery through March 27. The exhibition is a culmination of three ceramic series that Estévez produced between 2016 and 2018. Two series were produced by Estévez during a residency at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation in 2016. The collective body of work focuses on the relationship between visual art and literature: Each installation is inspired by a celebrated Hispanic writer.
Estévez is known for his draftsman style and focus on surrealistic subjects. Bestiary, consisting of 19 ceramic platters, was inspired by Dulce María Loynaz (1902-1997), a Cuban poet whose works are often considered precursors to magical realism in literature. Domestic Zoology, a dinnerware set for 12 people, was inspired by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986), whose works are known for their dreamlike subjects and complex symbolism. The third installation, consisting of 11 plates, was a collaboration between Estévez and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, a contemporary Cuban fiction writer who recently won the renowned Alfaguara Prize.
A recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant, the Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Visual Arts, and the Grand Prize in the First Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art in Havana, Carlos Estévez was born and raised in Cuba and moved to Miami in 2004, where he lives and works.
Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana; The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University, Miami; Center of Contemporary Art, New Orleans; and Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona. Estévez has participated in group exhibitions presented at the 6th and 7th Havana Biennials; the 1st Biennial of Martinique; Arizona State University Art Museum in Tempe; and several others.
Estévez has been an artist-in-residence in Academia de San Carlos, UNAM, Mexico; Gasworks Studios, London, England; The UNESCO-ASCHBERG in The Nordic Artists' Center in Dale, Norway; Art-OMI Foundation, New York; The Massachusetts College of Art, Boston; Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; Montclair University, New Jersey; Siena Art Institute, Italy; and McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, NC, among other places.
His work is included in numerous prestigious collections, such as those of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana; The Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany; The Bronx Museum, New York; Museum of Fine Art, Boston; Perez Art Museum Miami; Drammens Museum for Kunst of Kulturhistorie, Drammens, Norway; Arizona State University Art Museum; Fort Lauderdale Art Museum; The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at FIU, Miami; BNY Mellon Art Collection, New York; and The Lowe Art Museum, Miami.
Estévez will speak about his work at two receptions in the gallery: February 20 at 6:00 pm and February 21 at 12:30 pm.