JUAN USLÉ - Al Clarear

About

Uslés idiosyncratic abstractions, constructed with translucent layers of handmade saturated colours, evoke the environs and energy of his homes in Northern Spain and New York City. Dividing his time between these two, Uslé says he has always felt a sense of displacement, which is an important theme in his work. In his paintings Uslé exploits the nature of opposites: between organic and geometric forms, randomness and order, and the simultaneous physicality of paint and its ability to disappear into sheer, ethereal surfaces and illusions of light.

These paintings are not a window on the world but are an area of dialogue, which the artist probes and explores. Many of his works lead the viewer into a labyrinthine space in which precise articulation seems to point in a specific direction while still, paradoxically, leaving the way open to the viewer's interpretation.

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Juan Uslé was born in Santander, Spain in 1954. His work has been very widely exhibited internationally, recent solo exhibitions include: Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany 2014,Nudos y rizomas, Es Baluard, Museu d'Art Modern I Contemporani de Palma, Palma de Mallorca, Spain Switch on / Switch off Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga and Valencia Bancaja (2007 ௿½ 2008) Open Rooms Palacio de VelaÌ௿½zquez, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofiÌ௿½a, Madrid FundacioÌ௿½n Marcelino BotiÌ௿½n, Santander; SMAK, Stedlijk Museum voor Actuale Kunst, Ghent; Irish Museum of Modern Art, DubliÌ௿½n (2003- 2004). Juan UsleÌ௿½, Cheim and Read, New York (2002). Distancia Insalvable, Centro Cultural Casa del Cordón, Burgos, Museo de Bellas Artes de Santander, Centro Cultural Caja de Cantabria, Sala Luz Norte. Santander (2000). Notable group exhibitions include: 51st Venice Biennale (2005) and Monocromos: De Malevich al presente, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofiÌ௿½a, Madrid, (2004). His work is included in many major collections world wide including: Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Vienna Museum, Vienna, M.A.C.B.A., Museu d'Art Contemporani, Barcelona, Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Ministère de Culture, Paris, Colección Arte Contemporáneo Fundación La Caixa, Barcelona