Repeating Islands

Two up-and-coming artists, Mariela Restrepo and José A. Díaz, are exhibiting their work at the Conde de Mirasol Fort Museum in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The exhibition opened on February 20 and will be on view until March 28, 2010. It includes oil paintings by Restrepo, a Colombian artist residing in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rican artist Rodríguez, of Viequense parents, depicting historical scenes and landscapes of the Dominican Republic, Spain, Puerto Rico and Vieques.

Mariela Restrepo’s work is characterized by predominance of nature; she is fascinated by the sunsets, rivers, flora, and fauna of the Caribbean. She explains, “I feel my purpose is honoring nature. When I see the mangroves’ intertwined roots entering water and another looking up to the sky devoid of its greenery, I am saddened. It awakens my ecological awareness and the desire to protect it.”

José A. Díaz’s series of oil paintings on canvas show important elements of the landscape and history of the “Isla Nena”(Vieques). According to the artist, “being a descendant of viequenses makes me feel that I belong to this land that my father called his ‘homeland.’”

For more information, you may call (787) 741-1717.

For full article (in Spanish), see http://dialogodigital.com/es/cultura-hoy/2010/02/cambiados-canones-piezas-arte-0

Also see Mariela Restrepo’s site at www.marielarestrepo.com