Munson Artist-in-Residence

Felipe López explores colonialism and structures of power in new exhibition

“Felipe López: Autopoiesis” is on view March 1 to 28

Pratt Munson Artist-in-Residence Felipe López, with an opening reception and artist talk from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 1, at the Pratt Munson Gallery in Fountain Elms at Munson Museum of Art.

 

According to López: “My work is an observational exercise that leads to questions related to something specific: a situation, a place, everyday subjects, sometimes tangible objects; usually because they have triggered images from the past or an emotional response close to the world that I experience. Here, I am interested in the nostalgic content of an image, the remembrance and the impression built in the gaze of the observer.”

As Munson’s artist-in-residence, López teaches classes at Pratt Munson College of Art and Design and in the Community Arts program while using Munson studio space to work on his own projects. López has a BA in art and an MA in art education from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.

Trained as a traditional painter and draftsman, López uses traditional drawing tools, reproduction, handmade paper, printing, embossing, and graphite to create concrete images that are usually recognizable and figurative.

The exhibition’s title, “Autopoiesis,” expresses the artist’s practice and life experience as a living system that allows it to maintain, adapt and renew itself by conserving its original boundaries.

“As a Colombian that has decided to emigrate, I started to wonder about the sense of belonging. My questions have grown from the uncomfortable feelings of knowing little and feeling like I do not have the right to talk about the nation’s past,” López said. ““I am drawn by the idea of power structures left over from colonialism, how they relate across the history of our countries, and how their similarities, meanings and ideas linger on as symbols”

Lopez’s work has been included in more than 20 group exhibitions around the world, including in Boston, New York City, Mexico City, Paris, Hamburg, and throughout Colombia.

Pratt Munson Gallery is located in Fountain Elms at Munson Museum of Art. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit munson.art.

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