On view at K Contemporary (1412 Wazee Street, Denver, Colorado) is “Taking Up Space,” curated by Doug Kacena, owner of the gallery. This exhibition will be on view through April 29, 2023. The full title of the article excerpted below is “K Contemporary is hosting an exhibition about Latin American, Caribbean diasporas, colonialism and reclamation of space.” For full article and photos, see Isaac Vargas at the Denverite. [Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention. See previous post Art Exhibition: Taking Up Space.]

A pop-up exhibition called  “Taking Up Space,” opens at K Contemporary’s (1412 Wazee St) Tuesday night. The exhibit, organized to coincide with the inaugural Cities Summit of Americas, will feature the work of eight artists addressing topics of Latin and Caribbean culture related to colonialism, diaspora, inequity and the reclamation of space. [. . .] The gallery is free, open to the public and will run through Saturday, April 29. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The exhibition will feature “Ikebana” (2019), an inflatable sculpture created by Cuban-born, Mexico City-based artist, Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios, that swallows the entire gallery space and invites visitors to explore the playful, abstract vegetation.

The floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall sculpture seemingly brings the magic of outdoor art indoors. Titled after the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers, or making flowers come alive, the inflatable giant is a playful depiction of botanical vegetation. [. . .]

The sides of Souto’s triptych drawings called “Diaspora” (2022) are symbolic of walkways inside of Simón Bolívar International Airport, located just outside of the capital city of Caracas, Venezuela. It’s intended for those familiar with the same pattern, prevalent in a space that’s meant for Venezuelans both leaving and returning home. The Venezuelan artists’ exquisite colored-pencil drawings are of three piles of laundry, symbolic of the items left behind by millions of Venezuelan refugees, mounted in small panels that give it an orange neon reflection off the white wall on which it hangs.

Martiel’s “Encomienda” (2020) is on the opposite wall, displaying Martiel’s nude backside while he kneels on a map of South America, facing the wall of North America’s map. The queer and Afro-Latinx Cuban performance and installation artist is known for pushing the limits of performance art to bring into light the horrors of immigration, racism and the abuse of power. [. . .]

For full article, see https://denverite.com/2023/04/24/k-contemporary-cities-summit-of-the-americas-exhibit

[Shown above: Angel Ricardo Ricardo Rios’ inflatable sculpture, “Ikebana,” created by the Cuban-born, Mexico City-based artist and on display at K Contemporary. Photo courtesy of K Contemporary.]

For more information on the exhibit, see https://kcontemporaryart.com/show/k-contemporary-taking-up-space—a-selection-of-contemporary-latin-american-art-in-conjunc

Also https://www.facebook.com/kcontemporary (April 22, 2023 post)