Vital and Veiled: Valerie Brathwaite and José Gabriel Fernández / ISLAA Artist Initiative

Exhibition Dates: October 27, 2023 – January 26, 2024
Opening Reception: October 27, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Curated by Kaira M. Cabañas and Jesús Fuenmayor, Vital and Veiled focuses on the work of two artists, Valerie Brathwaite and José Gabriel Fernández. Brathwaite’s sculptures, created in the late 1960s, explore sensuality in nature through bronze, clay, ceramic, plaster, cement, and fabric, resulting in a unique fusion of collage, painting, and sculpture. Her art contributes to contemporary discussions about new materialisms from the perspective of a Black woman from the Caribbean. In contrast, José Gabriel Fernández’s work delves into representations of masculinity and veiled homoerotism in bullfighting, including studies of the bullfighter’s cape as a generative shape for abstract sculptures. Fernández’s art combines aesthetic sophistication with subtle references to sexuality and expands narratives on queer art. Both artists explore sensuality through sculptural experimentation and print media, and their work raises questions about the relationship between artistic practice and identity. 

This exhibition is the second in the ISLAA Artist Seminar Initiative / UG series. The initiative, designed by the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA), aims to facilitate exchanges between students and contemporary Latin American artists. Additionally, the show is accompanied by two other exhibitions: Valerie Brathwaite: Works on Paper, curated by Macarena Deij Prado, and José Gabriel Fernández: A Brief History of Drawing, curated by Claude Mohr, each offering unique insights into the artists’ creative processes.