Edel Bordón, Yamille Bordón, and Pablo Bordón exhibit “It Runs in the Family”

Edel Bordón , “Navegando por la Nacar” oil on canvas 48in x 30in — **Edel Bordón , “Navegando por la Nacar”** oil on canvas 48in x 30in

EDEL BORDÓN | “Crowds and a Touch of Distinction” Edel Bordón’s “Crowds and a Touch of Distinction” series is defined by the need to understand and express one’s individual identity within the context of a clamoring society. This recent series oscillates between the individual’s experience and how those individuals amass into a collective, which acts as a different entity altogether. “The Crowd”, as Edel refers to it, demonstrates how a group of people can shed their individual perspectives and become easily manipulated by the persuasion of a group, a mentality prominent in the polarized world today.

Edel’s portraits capture the human form and their detachment from reality. “The Crowd” is characterized by simple outlines of people compressed together with a single element with which to interact. These elements create a dialogue with “The Crowd” about the risks, difficulties and uncertainties of existence. The doors, windows, drains, and ledges are all commentary on the risks in life that guide and spur the course of human existence.

Edel primarily approaches his paintings with a stream of consciousness rather than a concrete idea that has to be materialized. He does not execute preliminary sketch; he uses an experimental technique with diluted oils to mix a wash similar to watercolor in transparency. This creates a subdued color palette for expressing distance and detachment. In some works this palette is also paired with bold colors to emphasize contrast. Edel eventually becomes the spectator of his paintings rather than the author.

Edel Bordón received his Master’s Degree in Fine Art at the Superior Institute of Art and the National School of Art. Bordón has had solo exhibitions internationaly including Brazil, Germany, Mexico, US and Switzerland. Edel’s artwork can be found in the collection of Museum Beatriz Liaskosky in Zurich, the Museum of Finest Cuban Art Maximilian Reiss in Austria and the private collection of Michelle Wojcik in the US. Edel is a member of the National League of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC). Edel has been painting for the last 40 years and continues to work in Havana, Cuba.

Yamilé Bordón, “Pieza II” Wood and Metal, 3” x 2” x 1” — **Yamilé Bordón, “Pieza II”** Wood and Metal, 3” x 2” x 1”

YAMILÉ BORDÓN | “Speculation” Yamilé Bordón is a sculptor working with three dimensional readymade objects. Her series “Speculation” is about the transformation of everyday items into moments that are both personal and historical. She rejects a purely visual aesthetic in favor of a conceptually driven approach. Yamilé is fascinated by the fundamental and architectural beauty of regular objects rather than their functional use. By modifying, reassembling, deconstructing, reconstructing, and rotating these objects she is able to reinterpret their meaning based on their new context. She casts aside the original function and explores how the items exist in reality now that she has changed their form. Her process is fueled by the discovery of new ways to look at the piece in a three dimensional space.

Yamilé often reflects on Duchamps Readymades by choosing her sculptures instead of sculpting each piece from raw material. However, her pieces derive a much stronger nostalgia from moments in her life. She refers to her creative process as “checking boxes” in her memories. Simply rotating an object on its side can write a new narrative for the object; it overcomes its past self and becomes a representation of Yamilé’s memory. Through her female perspective each piece represents evolutions of herself and the world she understands. They are akin to poetry for her and through them we can understand glimpses of her world.

Yamilé Bordón received her degree from the National Academy of Fine Arts of San Alejandro in Havana, Cuba where she also resides as the Department Chair of Sculpture. Yamilé’s work is exhibited in private collections and galleries in Cuba, Brazil, Switzerland, Mexico, USA, France, Germany, and Venezuela. Her work can be found in permanent collections including Gallerie Havana in Switzerland, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, the UNESCO Exhibition Hall in Paris and the Visual Arts Development Center in Havana, Cuba.

Pablo Bordón, “Machado” Gelatin Silver Print, 35.4” x 35.4” — **Pablo Bordón, “Machado”** Gelatin Silver Print, 35.4” x 35.4”

PABLO BORDÓN | “Ludo” and “HDRs” Pablo Bordón is a photographer that works with both analog and digital film typically using a monochromatic palette. His photographic series, “Ludo” and “HDRs”, question objective reality by deconstructing and creating other realities. These new realities are founded on the transformation of identity as well as abstracted and hyper realistic urban landscapes.

The “HDRs” series is about the deconstruction of an urban landscape. Pablo first finds the environment he wants to photograph and then digitally enhances it in order to create an abstract hyper-reality. The result is a barrage of layered information representing the hectic movement of cities.

The “Ludo” series is inspired by Neue Sachlichkeit or “New Objectivity” of the 1920’s and 1930’s photography. Pablo exposes the objective truth of the reality depicted in his photographs. First, he provides a diving mask for the model. By providing this mask he allows the model to conceal themselves thereby liberating them from their sense of self. The mask gives the model an opportunity to try on different identities and allows them to be less self-conscious. It disinhibits their reservations about who they think they should be in lieu of who they want to be in that moment.

Pablo Bordón earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Art at San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts where he studied cinematography, videography, photography, and design. He completed a residency and his Master’s Degree at the The University of Arts of Cuba (ISA) where he worked as a professor of photography on the Visual Arts faculty for 5 years. Pablo received the Gutstav Schübeck Scholarship (DAAD) to develop his studies in Alfter, Germany. His work has been shown in Mexico, Germany, USA, The Bahamas, and Cuba. He has participated in the III Latin American Photographic Conference in Cuba, the First and Second International Festival of Video Creation in Mexico, and a new media workshop exchange with the University of Stockholm, Sweden, as a representative of the University of the Arts (ISA), Havana, Cuba.