Dana Caldera

Tag: art gallery

  • Paper Works at Site:Brooklyn Gallery

    Paper Works at Site:Brooklyn Gallery

    I’m thrilled to share that two of my large paper and textile collages were accepted into Paper Works, an online juried exhibition by Julia Halperin at Site:Brooklyn Gallery. It’s exciting to be part of the programming at Site:Brooklyn and to be included in the thoughtful curation of paper work in contemporary at by Julia Halperin.

    Julia Halperin, juror, is a cofounder of the Burns Halperin Report and executive editor of artnet News 2017-2022.

    The exhibition is on view April 26, 2023 – May 26, 2023 online at sitebrooklyn.com.

    Excerpt from the Curatorial Statement by Julia Halperin

    In the art world, paper is often treated like a middle child—it’s underestimated and overlooked. But the material is one of the most versatile ones we have. As the works assembled here show, paper is far more than a tool for preparatory sketches. It can be the main event. 

    The artists included in this show use paper as raw material for sculpture and other three-dimensional works; they use it to document the everyday; they use it to explore unique cultural histories; and they use it as a means to imagine beautiful, sometimes monumental worlds.

    Historians disagree about the origins of paper, but many say it dates back to 200 BCE in China, where it was first used to wrap and preserve tea. From the very beginning, then, paper was used not only to record and retain, but also to make and assemble something new. 

    In this digital age, we touch paper less and less often. We read books on a Kindle, we write lists on our iPhone notes app, we use credit cards and Venmo instead of paper money. The artists whose works are assembled here remind us of paper’s tactile qualities, its versatility, as well as the distinct role it plays in countries ranging from Korea to Mexico. Allow them to take you on an adventure. 

    Julia Halperin, Paper Works Curatorial Statement

    After the introduction, Halperin’s writing takes us through each of nine “walls” of the online show, grouping the paper work by theme or material. My pieces are included in the final wall, Wall 9: Paper Collage.

    Wall 9: Paper Collage | Collage has a long history stretching back to the origins of Modernism, but each of these artists—Jim Zver, Dana Caldera, and Reinaldo Egusquiza—gives the form a contemporary twist of their own.

    Julia Halperin, Paper Works Curatorial Statement
  • Dana Caldera: Are These Portraits?

    Dana Caldera: Are These Portraits?

    After years of working with found photographs, I found myself drawn to the memories one chooses to keep: correspondence, recipes, books, and notes, the personal records of a life lived. In this collection, these mementos are combined with abstract marks of mixed media, built up in layers over days and weeks. The details unfolded like a conversation as I worked, revealing themselves one layer at a time, much like getting to know someone. I hope that viewing the work feels like the same unraveling of a complex visual story, one that is at once familiar and strange.

    Visual Vocabulary

    As I worked, I found that a consistent visual vocabulary began to surface. The colors of the work are drawn from the delicate greys and ochres of the aged paper and the black and blue colors of ink, with some additional warming pinks, peaches, and oranges. The marks are controlled scribbles, made with conté or pastel, sometimes loose and other times confined to a shape or overlapping a piece of found paper. I’ve added some new textures to this work, embracing the unpredictability of acrylic ink pooled and left to dry flat, and the playful texture of the oil pastel scrawled on the raw paper, often creating negative space shapes.

    Themes

    Water, time, and tension emerged as important themes in this work. The use of water was essential to the handmade paper process (the first pieces I made when imagining this body of work) and the abstraction made with the pooled acrylic ink. Working with water in this way was unpredictable and brought the passage of time to the forefront of the work because I had to rest between layers as the water dried. There was an element of relinquishing control. Water represents strength, steadfastness, and cleansing. Over time, a little bit of water is a powerful force.

    Time is ever-present. I’m creating new artwork using old material, the layering process of creating the work is time-intensive, and the art needs time to rest between each layer. This gives the artwork a chance to breathe and I get a chance to respond to how it forms. Time is a necessary component of working with the water and adhesives in layers.

    As I worked, I was thinking about tension and balance. The construction of new artwork is born from the destruction of the old primary material. The build-up of texture and collage is balanced with the negative space of the simpler compositions. Other tensions present are delicate with playful, new with old, recognition with anonymity.

    Questions

    Are these timelines?
    In a way they are, I’m creating the work from back to front, layering in collage material and mixed media as a new record of this time.

    Are these portraits?
    If I’m not using the likeness of a figure or a traditional face, can they still capture the humanness of a portrait? I’m working with found papers that evoke a poignant nostalgia, and I combine them sometimes haphazardly, mixing stories, mixing years.

    Who’s story is this?
    I’m both honoring the story of the original found object and reducing it to the basic formal elements of color, texture, shape, or line as with any other art media. This work is about all of us and none of us. A combination of abstract and playful mark making with distinct humanness and approachability because we see something of ourselves in the found collage material.

  • What You Can Expect The First Time You Buy Art From A Gallery

    What You Can Expect The First Time You Buy Art From A Gallery

    Galleries are an essential player in today’s art world, and they serve many functions. A gallery supports the artists on their roster through showing, promoting, and selling their work, as well as behind-the-scenes support like financial management or book publishing. Galleries are knowledgable about art history, the art market, and current art trends. Buying through a gallery can give you peace of mind in the quality of your art investment.

    Shopping at a gallery for the first time can feel intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. I recommend following the gallery you like online and getting to know their artist roster and point of view. Go to their art openings and events. Research the artists they represent and the price point of those artists. Galleries typically share prices on request, and there will be a price list posted for every art opening.

    For this article, I’ve collaborated with local gallery owner and art historian, Cindy Lisica of Cindy Lisica Gallery (Houston), to help you know what you can expect the first time you buy art from a gallery.

    How does a new collecter typically approach you for the first time?

    If it’s a new person approaching the gallery, I wouldn’t necessarily know if they are a collector. So, anyone new is potentially a collector. People come to the gallery all sorts of ways, whether it be their first time in a gallery or just their first time in my gallery. Sometimes it is an opening or event that draws someone in, or perhaps a certain artist or show that they heard about. Or, they may just be “in the neighborhood.” I meet new collectors at art fairs and through social networks as well. In any case, I always make sure to welcome and encourage conversations, and I have converted art lovers into art buyers. Bringing art into the home is such a special and meaningful way to engage with the world and what you love.

    I think sometimes the reason shopping at a galley is intimidating for first-time buyers is a lack of understanding of the value of the art. What do you recommend that a new collector do to be confident in the value of the artwork they are acquiring?

    There are multiple answers to this. If they are concerned about the monetary value (beyond the aesthetic or “I just love it” connection), then there is nothing wrong with doing a little research on the gallery, its owner and the artists that show there. Reputable galleries and serious artists will serve as a guide to this through their activities, such as upcoming exhibitions, art fair participation, an active studio practice, museum shows, list of collections in which their work is found, and of course, their CV. Some artists have a history of gallery representation in multiple cities and therefore would have consistent prices and exhibitions between those venues, giving the collector the assurance that the work will continue to gain value into the future.

    If a collector wants to look at work from an artist that is not currently displayed, how should they ask you about it?

    Often I invite collectors into the “back room” and we also have inventory in art storage on site and off site. We have images and databases and can “pull” pieces from storage any time. I am always happy to show other work that is not currently on display. The gallery is constantly working to promote all of their artists, so the exhibition in the gallery space is just one facet of the whole business. We exhibit and represent artists working in various media as well (sculpture, painting, photography, new/mixed media, installation, etc.) so we welcome requests or inquiries accordingly and for specific needs.

    What advice do you have for first-time art collectors looking to shop at galleries?

    Look at a lot of art, and ask questions, but always pay attention to and trust yourself. It’s a bit cliché, but it’s true: buy what you love, and you can’t go wrong. Why talk yourself out of something that moves you? If you want it, have it. Treat yourself, if you can, and you will enjoy it more than that one time you saw it in a gallery. An artwork can be consistently “fresh” if it gives you that initial sweet reaction every time you see it. That is something that great art does – it speaks to you over and over, not just because it’s “new”. You have a relationship with it (and the artist/gallery that you’ve supported through its purchase). Someone created that unique piece, and now you get to live with it. Your collection is something that you can also enjoy sharing with guests, and you can be proud to have art in your home. Who wants to be surrounded by blank walls or empty space all the time, anyway?

    You can find Cindy Lisica Gallery online here for current and upcoming exhibitions. The next opening reception at Cindy Lisica Gallery is for artist Diane Burko, opening on Friday, May 3. This summer at Cindy Lisica Gallery is great for new collectors, as they are teaming up with PrintMatters Houston with a group exhibition of (affordable) limited edition prints in an International exchange show from Medellin, Colombia and HTX. And they’ll have another summer popup called “Heat Wave” which highlights local artists.

    Additional questions? Leave them below.

    If you’d like some additional reading, here is a helpful article from Artsy that details some critical steps for buying from a gallery. I also have a post on buying original art you can read here.