Behind door number one
By Michaella Rodriguez

Ruben Morales at Bordello Galería

Where are all the art exhibits? Weeks ago the great task was deciding which art opening to go to first, or how many openings you wanted to fit into a night. Now it might seem that art in San Miguel went on vacation, or maybe someone bought it all, but that isn’t the case.

Numerous ongoing exhibits are found all over town, and you can stop in at your leisure to see displays of art from A to Z.

Starting at Fábrica La Aurora

Fábrica La Aurora is home to 40 galleries, studios, shops and restaurants. You can spend a whole day there, or at least from 10am–6pm, exploring the impressive art and design complex. Here are a few of the ongoing exhibits you can catch this week.

Rainer opened his exhibit of sculptures at the Galería William Martin a few weeks ago at Fábrica’s monthly Art Walk. Rainer creates new dimensions with the uncommon materials he often uses to express his preference of innovating with new forms and finishes. His sculptures talk about duality, the yin and the yang, the mystery of the feminine, of power and of modern myths.

Generator Gallery features sculpture, painting and photography in a large contemporary gallery now housing new works from 25 artists in the “New Directions” collective exhibit. See recent creations in a variety of media from Donna Ames, Ann Bontatibus, Angélica Castañeda, Humberto Chávez, Jeff Coffin, Alfonso Alarcón, Edna Dickinson, Gregory Ellis, Blanca García, Barbara Johnson, Gene Johnson, Mike Kleimo, Mattieu Kuhn, David Leonardo, Shirli Marcantel, Frances McConkey, Keith Miller, Siobhan O’Donoghue, Agnes Olive, Lavinia Ruiz, Elsa Spaulding, Steve Thompson, Lulu Torbet, Rita Torlen and Sílvia Velásquez.

Ongoing exhibits in the Manuel Chacon Gallery feature works from Sergio Hernández and Margarette Dawit. Hernández’ “Retrospective” series includes watercolors, drawings, oil paintings, ink, mixed media and sculptures created between 1976 and 1988. Dawit’s large-format drawings and paintings are, as always, impressive. Both artists opened their exhibits last month and continue to have their work showcased until October 7.

Sisal features a special exhibit of art from Oaxaca with works by Raúl Herrera, Phil Kelly, Maria Rosa Astorga, Eddie Martínez, Jonathan Barbieri, Gerardo de la Barrera and Alejandro Santiago. Sisal offers a fusion of artwork and home decor, allowing one to envision those elements together in a different context.

Around Town

Manuel Paredes rushes to capture moments never to be repeated with his lens; this compulsion spills out in the creation of his photographs. His photography exhibit, “Corteza Vulnerable,” is presented in the Flor Acosta Atelier at Tatanacho 8 in Colonia Guadalupe as part of Mexico’s biannual convocation, Fotoseptiembre.

Ruben Morales’ opening exhibit a month ago was a great success. Bordello Galería, at Órganos 19, is throwing a “closing of the show” party for the Morelian artist. Morales’ impressionist renderings of typical Mexican subjects may seem simple at first, but his use of rich colors and light make these seemingly naïve paintings reveal a more complex and intentional piece of art. The closing reception starts at 6pm on September 19.

Encounter impressive paintings, sculptures, ceramics and ironwork by Navarro Tadeo in his gallery at Hernández Macías 118. The gallery is open every day, 10am–2pm and 4–7pm.

John Adam Gallery of Art & Piel continues to display Lourdes Cordero’s paintings through October 28, as well as work by artists Sergio Bustamante, Tomás Burkey, Karl Gerzan, José Luis Viveros, Béa Aaronson, Stephen Eaker, Judy Eager and Mitzi Bidner. One also can find leather creations by designers Rebecca Fass, Karen Kell and Roberto. The gallery is right around the corner from the Jardín at Canal 9.

Atenea Gallery continues the collective exhibit of five artists from around the Mexico. Work by Norma Carmona of Guanajuato, Claudia Nery from Guadalajara, Binitair Krusted from Ajijic, Mauricia Fernández from Puebla and Leticia Tarrago from Xalapa can be seen every day in the gallery at Jesús 2.

On the three floors of La Casa Verde you’ll find an oasis of art, with sculptures, assemblages, collages, oil and acrylic paintings, ink renderings, photographs and drawings. Artists Béa Aaronson, Stephen Eaker and Alejandro Justo feature new works. The gallery on Prolongación de Pila Seca is open every day by appointment; call 152-5237.

José Luis Arias’ latest paintings are part of a progression. He is going in a new direction and experimenting with fragmentation. The new canvases are quite large, each composed of several rectangles, sometimes six or seven, appropriating recognizable images from Cubism, Abstract Expressionism and line drawing. The gallery at Correo 73 is open 10am–2pm and 4–8pm

Ongoing this week as well is an exhibition of traditional ceramics created by Gorky González. He celebrates 50 years working in the craft of majolica—tin-glazed earthenware with intricate design and detail. See his work in the Casa de Sierra Nevada Art Gallery at Recreo 27 by appointment, calling 154-7671.

Take the opportunity this week to peek behind the magical and mysterious doors of San Miguel de Allende to find beautiful and innovative creations from both local and international artists. ¡Viva el arte!