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Werllayne Nunes: Dance of the Colors in the Zumbi Nation
Opening Reception
Thursday, February 14, 2008
7pm-10pm
Artist Talk
Saturday, February 16, 2008
2pm -4 pm
Flat Choreography: Werllayne Nunes’ “Dance of the Colors in the Zumbi Nation” at Diaspora Vibe Gallery
Essay by Dinorah de Jesús Rodriguez
For those seeking to add culture to their Valentine’s Day celebration, check out the opening of Dança das cores na Nação Zumbi (Dance of the Colors in the Zumbi Nation) opening at Diaspora Vibe Gallery in Miami’s Design District on the evening of February 14. This series of paintings by Brazilian artist Werllayne Nuñes depicts a vibrant and dynamic celebration of color, migration, and the legacy of African ancestry. However, this work is not really just a comment on the lifestyle of the Zumbi Nation: actually, it’s about us.
In this day of global expansion and transcontinental migrations, it is not surprising that art should reflect our continually evolving cultural hybridism, our sense of ancestral displacement, and our celebration of the elements that make up our identiy as children of the African Diaspora. No longer can we, as consumers of imagery, satisfy our need for cultural identification by simply presenting historical and anthropoligical references to Africa. We, as modern hybridized beings who carry some remnant of Africa in our genetic makeup and in our pre-consicous ancestral memories, require a sort of translation of Africa into our globally complicated, present-day cultural existence – wherever that may be. And Nuñes’ body of work embraces that task with pure glee, invoking our pre-consicous wanderings and inner fantasies, not only through fragmented and displaced images of Africa, but also through colloquial references to the artist’s native country of Brazil, and to the present-day environment of architecture and design that surrounds us in any modern city. In a sense, the works affirm for us that Africa continues resonating across the entire diaspora in virtual reality.
In one painting, three African children are positioned along the lower edge of the canvas against a background of broad periwinkle stripes dotted with carnavalesque flying sunglasses. One child seems to stare in wonder at a red patterned elephant whimsically suspended from two ropes above him, while another seems to ponder the situation, clutching a small bouquet of bright flowers and looking demurely at the viewer. In another piece, a boy wearing a traditional Zumbi garment contemplates a group of mystical giraffe-like creatures while the skyline of Rio de Janeiro stretches behind him.
In contrast to the highly stylized, expressionistic backgrounds in these works, the characters in Nuñes’ pieces appear almost photographic. Many look directly at the viewer as though establishing a kind of visual dialogue. Others seem to be somehow reacting to the poetic arrangements of colors, geometric patterns and imaginary animals that surround them. In many cases, the patterns, colors, and manners of dress of the characters are in fact directly inspired by Zumbi traditions, yet what we receive from the overall arrangement of these elements is a sense of fantasy about the Zumbi, and about Africa in general. The work embarks on its task of translating Africa purely through colors, shapes, gestures, and fragments, abandoning all concern with history, anthropology or factual reality. In fact, Nuñes ’ preocupation is admittedly not about factual or anthropological representation, but about something more mystical and universal. “My travels have exposed me to the stark contrasts of social classes and the ways in which people, across a spectrum of cultures, use spirituality and imagination to transform their realities. These pieces combine elements of photorealism and abstract expressionism to create a visual representation of the unique virtual reality that the people in my paintings create through their imaginative and spiritual powers. “ And as an extension of this power of imaginative creation, much like the characters we see inside the paintings, we too as viewers are encouraged to imagine our own virtual reality of Africa.
Hailing originally from the province of Goiás in central Brazil, Nuñes has been living in the United States for 4 years, currently residing in Gainesville after spending several years travelling in South America and Spain. Influenced by his father’s artistic tendencies, he taught himself to paint as a young child, learning techniques from his father as well as other artist friends. Nuñes admires and is influenced by several well-known Black artists, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley and Wangechi Mutu. However, his primary inspiration comes from people he meets on the street. Nuñes strives to express “positive spiritual elements that can emerge from harsh physical and social realities such as poverty and repression.” He is particulary inspired by images of children and the elderly, because, in his mind, “they express the unique sensitivity and energy of the future or the past. These groups are at once the most vulnerable to suffering and the most imaginative in using their minds and experiences to create a virtual and spiritual world that transforms their reality.”
Nuñes’ work has been featured in solo and collective exhibitions in Brazil, Bolivia, Spain, and the United States. Dança das cores na Nação Zumbi will be on display at Diaspora Vibe Gallery from February 14 through March 25, 2008. Diaspora Vibe Gallery is located in Miami's Design District at 3938 North Miami Avenue, second level. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, February 14th, from 7pm - 10pm and the artist will be giving a public talk about his work on the afternoon of Saturday, February 16th from 2pm - 4pm. The exhibition, reception and artist talk are free and open to the public. For more information, please call 305.573.4046 or log onto www.diasporavibe.net.
Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator is supported in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, Dade Community Foundation; John S. & James L. Knight Foundation Donor-Advised Fund; Burger King Corporation, Carl and Toni Randolph; Delancyhill, PA; National Distributing Company, Inc; and Dr. Michael Hill. Founded by its current Director/Curator, Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Diaspora Vibe is a membership organization, currently celebrating its 12th anniversary of supporting emerging immigrant artists from the Caribbean and Latin America.
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