El Nuevo Día (ENDI) reminds us that Maestro Antonio Martorell will open his latest exhibition— “Mapas” [Maps]—tomorrow, April 3, 2025, 7:00pm, at Galería Petrus, located at 726 Hoare Street, Miramar, Puerto Rico. Here are excerpts from the article “Antonio Martorell revisa su cartografía en ‘Mapas’ [Antonio Martorell revisits his cartography in ‘Mapas’]; read the full article and access more photos at ENDI.
Geography and cartography are highlighted in “Maps,” a showcase of recent pieces in which master Antonio Martorell once again portrays the world we inhabit through his playful eyes. “Maps” will be presented at the Petrus Gallery, located in Miramar, beginning Thursday, April 3, 2025.
“Since childhood, I have been fascinated by maps. The cartographic magic glimpsed in National Geographic magazine has found its way to these pressing times of war, climate catastrophes, and global migrations. During a recent visit to Orlando, Florida, I realized that I had exhibited, given lectures, and given art workshops in many parts of the United States, including Hawaii, where I was invited by the Honolulu Academy of Arts to celebrate the centennial of the Puerto Rican migration of 1900. We are everywhere. That’s why, with the help of my friends, I arranged for our Puerto Rican flag to be embedded in each of the states of the Union, using an embroidered sequined map. The world atlas became the stage for a skeletal spiderweb that looms over us, like a deadly embrace. This brought me back to the island of Puerto Rico, U.S.A., threatened by “Darkness, but still shining in the Caribbean Sea,” says maestro Martorell.
Martorell distances himself to broaden his view and, as if he’d climbed onto a satellite, observes planet Earth in its entirety.
“This world and the atlas that represents it are narrowing dangerously. The Middle East is drawing closer, Ukraine is no longer so distant, ¡Ayti! [Haiti] is a neighboring lament, our Mirror Island is parceled out as an export product, and the Gulf of Mexico officially belongs to the Gulf of America. I learn about geography every day,” says the artist from Santurce, adopted son of Playa de Ponce, through a playful play on words.
“Maestro Martorell continues to surprise us with his profound visual narratives. In this exhibition, maps transport us from the nostalgia of our school days to a journey around the world, as we confront the disturbing realities of our time: wars, migrations, and global change. Each cartographic trace is an invitation to reflect on the fragility and connection of the world we inhabit,” said Sylvia R. Villafañe, founder and director of Galería Petrus.
Galería Petrus is located at 726 Hoare Street, corner of Las Palmas, in Miramar. For more details, please call 787-318-8993 or email info@petrusgallery.com. Also find us on Instagram and Facebook: galeriapetrus.
The opening takes place on April 3, 2025, 7:00pm, at Galería Petrus (726 Hoare Street, Miramar, Puerto Rico). Please confirm your attendance.
Excerpts translated by Ivette Romero. Read original article and view more artwork at https://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimiento/cultura/notas/antonio-martorell-revisa-su-cartografia-en-mapas/
Also see https://www.instagram.com/galeriapetrus/reel/DH6nOgwy7Rp/