Press Releases

March 12, 1998
Art Exhibit by Kukuli Velarde Brings "Metamorphosis" to College

Contact:
Jane Finalborgo
Joe Dionisio
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

Southampton, NY -- Kukuli Velarde, a Peruvian-born sculptor, will exhibit recent clay sculpture and mixed media installations in an exhibit titled "Metamorphosis," in the Fine Arts Gallery at Southampton College of Long Island University from April 7-30. The exhibition is being organized by Catherine Bernard, assistant professor of art history.

A reception for the artist will be held Tuesday, April 16, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., with a demonstration/workshop at 2 p.m. and an Artist Talk at 5 p.m. in the Avram Family Gallery.

Velarde's sculpture co-mingles history and present day realities through subject matter dealing with historical and political issues. She also uses metaphors to express personal emotions as well as the reality of women's experiences in ancient and contemporary societies. In "Metamorphosis," Velarde has chosen mythological creatures to embody such questions. Her use of clay relates to pre-Columbian cultures of Peru, linking her sculpture to an ancient artistic tradition.

"Clay provides me with a voice to speak about life, its contradictions, its bitterness and its wonderful gift," said Velarde. "My work is at times opinionated, emotional, sarcastic... a conversation with no shame in which nothing is hidden. I do not believe in subtlety."

According to The New York Times, Velarde has "mined the themes of her own culture with a freer hand, irreverently re-interpreting the pre-Columbian folk art of her country."

Velarde, a resident of the South Bronx, has exhibited her work at the Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in New York at the Carla Stellweg Gallery, the Hostos Gallery, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Internationally, she has shown her work at El Puenta Gallery in Peru, Santa Fe de Bogota Gallery in Columbia, and Palais des Nations in Switzerland.

In 1993, Velarde won a fellowship given by the Rockefeller Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation and Merce Cunningham Foundation at the Museum of Modern Art.

Gallery hours for the exhibit, sponsored in part by Long Island University's John P. McGrath Fund, are Monday -Friday, noon to 5 p.m. For information call Beth Giles at (516) 287-8234.