Latin American artists heating up the globe: molten glass to snow sculptures

"Alebrije" -  Mexico's winning entry in snow sculpture competition.

Menos Tiempo que Lugar/Less Time than Space: 2 Feb. - 20 Feb. 

This is artistic fusion: Latin American and German documentary filmakers teaming up and investigating the Bicentenario of South America's independence.

Each film offers distinct visuals on similar themes.

From gritty slums to a faux Barack Obama acting out fantasies in front of the Reina Sofia Museum in Spain. Among featured film makers: Martin Sastre, Bjorn Melhus, Mariana Vassileva and Alexander Apostol.

The Hispanic Society of America in New York hosts the show, which is funded by the Goethe-Institut New York. According to the institute, the exhibtion's theme confronts the paradox of less time than space, and when applying it to the present, compreses time radically, extremely, offering it no location as a permanent home....except: "Therefore, only art can locate the present time and offer it shelter."


Mexican team wins international snow sculpture competition in USA: Last week, the Thai ice and snow sculpture team won in France and proceeded to melt down in Cairo's chaos.

On 1 Feb, Mexican artists, seeking Colorado's freezing cold, worked 65 hours over five days to win the 21st annual International Snow Sculpture championships in Breckenridge, Colo. against 15 opponents.

They won with a massive kinetic "Alebrije," showing three Mexican mythological figures fused together. The many sculptures remain on show as long as the bad weather in the States continues until, yes, sadly, eventual meltdown.

Carlos Cruz-Diez: Color in Space and Time: 6 Feb. - 4 July.  MFA Houstin, Texas 6 Feb. opens a retrospective of more than 150 works by Carlos Cruz-Diez, drawn from 50 years. Mari Carmen Ramirez, director of the International Center for the Arts for the Americas at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, curates the show.

Cold America: Geometric Abstraction in Latin America (1934-1973): 11 Feb. - May 15.  300 works--including paintings, architecture, photography and sculptures, go on show at the Fundacion Juan March in Madrid.

About 70 artists from Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuala and Cuba are represented, notably Joaquin Torres-Garcia and Jesus Rafael Soto. Collaborating with guest curator Osbel Suarez: Ferreria Gullar, Cesar Paternosto, Luis Perez Oramas, Gabriel Perez Barreiro, Maria Amalia Garcia and Michael Nungesser.

Latin American Glass Art Invitational: 14 Feb. - 10 April. This exhibition at the Joseph Gross and Lionel Rombach Galleries on the University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ campus, features works by six modern glass artists from Mexico, Chile and Venezuela, including: Edison Osorio Zapata, Josefina Munoz and Susan Plum.

The artist's chocolate fix: The Candy Shop:  2 Feb. - 18 Feb.  Until I read about three Latinos - candy artists - designing delicious, tasty works of chocolate art....I mean, who would want to eat a work of art? I'm not sure if there's a tasting preview audience, but the exhibition is at The Spacetaker ARC Gallery in Houston, Texas. Thanks to journalist Thomas Merka for this tasty tid bit.

Colores de Latinoamerica 2011: 25 Jan. - 5 Feb.  The Arts Project in London, Ontario continues its Sunfest 5th Annual Visual Art exhibition showcasing works by Martha Quiroga, Salome Perez, Pilar Rey de Castro, Maria Alejandra Rojas, Diana Rosa Pupo Latourt, Maca Suazo, Marcela Elizondo. Elizondo also curates this exhibit.

Rock on and practice peace and love.

See ArtTraveler videos on YouTube; also, check up on Dutch walkers Joost and Rob on their Via de la Plata pilgramage from Seville to Santiago de Compostela. There are photos you will rarely otherwise see on this 1,000 km walk of the Way of St. James.

Sfefan, the ArtTraveler(TM).