Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? Spanish Version The exhibition «Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?» by Eddie Ferraioli is dedicated to the Georgetti Mansion, designed by Czechoslovakian architect Antonin Nechodoma (1877-1928), and honors his memory. The theme of this exhibition–the rescue and conservation of our heritage, both natural and built–has been a constant in Ferraioli's works and exhibitions. Four vectors energize Ferraioli's body of work: the condemnation of the pillaging of a sacred space (desecration), the pressing need for environmental and architectural conservation, the urgency of keeping our memories alive, and the life project inspired by the mosaics and stained glass of this destroyed architectural jewel. And so, in putting forth the question 'who?', it becomes a compelling call–almost an inquest– to find those responsible for this devastating loss of our patrimony. Where do houses go when they die? In what dimension do the human sensations and experiences, the joys and tribulations which accumulated during decades now subsist? Personally, for the artist, the accumulated memories of this house still vibrate because of the immediacy of a lived memory. Each object recovered and transformed into a mosaic, each door and window redeemed by art, attests, as clearly as a hologram, the sonorous beauty of this mansion lost to us because of indifference and neglect. It is the defiling of a structure which, because of its architectural perfection, appreciated through a cult of beauty, was a sacred space. Let us then imagine that the walls of this museum are the support for the doors, windows and chairs (inspired by Nechodoma's designs) that were once a part of the Georgetti Mansion, and that the visitors are witnesses of an archaeological montage. Although Ferraioli has dedicated a large part of his life to stained glass, it has been mosaics which have captured his interest in recent years. Recently, he has ventured into fused glass, and it is this medium which we will most frequently encounter in this collection, whose core consists of twelve pieces in wood from the doors and windows retrieved from the Georgetti Mansion. Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher and essayist, introduces the concept of 'aura' in reference to the vibrant presence that the artist (through tactile contamination) imbues in his works. Will we be able to feel the 'aura' of the house when we come in contact with its authentic wood? The presence of absence… Of the twelve works constructed from the original doors and windows, it is the twelfth piece which catches us off guard: a tryptic of shutters and mosaic with the message that erupts in the form of a grievance and serves as the title of the exposition: Who desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? It is not a coincidence that there are twelve pieces in this collection, since Ferraioli, through numerology, portrays the magic, the power and the meaning of the sacred ensembles in different cultures beyond the Biblical. In addition to the twelve doors and windows, for this exhibition, the artist surprises us with a foretaste: ten women morphed into hyperbolic chairs, drawn out from a hallucination of Nechodoma. Some were constructed by the artist; others had been discarded and were salvaged; and some were recycled from other houses. The twelve doors and windows retrieved from the Georgetti Mansion, as well as the chairs/sculptures, only make up the nucleus of the totality of works presented in this exhibition. Most of the mosaics are part of the artist's collection, and many were part of previous exhibits. There is one unifying and distinctive theme par excellence: the celebration of the fruits and flowers which embellish our countryside, some of which have been forgotten. Let us celebrate, then, this wonderful tribute to the beauty and richness of our flora transformed into art, and which we see displayed before us together with the artist's commitment to protect and preserve, not only our natural environment but also our architecture and culture. Let us protect those 'ships of our past' to which we see what we are. It is the same message carried forth…whether it be through glass, through poetry or through song. Sonia CabanillasCurator, August 2023 Eddie Ferraioli | Biography

Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion? English Version The exhibition Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?, by Eddie Ferraioli, is dedicated to the Georgetti Mansion—designed by Czech architect Antonin Nechodoma (1877-1928)—and honors its memory. The theme of this exhibition, about the rescue and conservation of our heritage, both built and natural, has been a constant in Eddie Ferraioli's work and exhibitions. Four vectors energize Ferraioli's work: the denunciation of the violation of a sacred space (desecration); the imperative of environmental and architectural conservation; the urgency of keeping memory alive; and the life project inspired by the stained-glass windows and mosaics of this destroyed architectural gem. Asking the question "who?" is a pressing call, almost an investigation, to find those responsible for this heritage loss. Where do houses go when they die? In what dimension do the experiences, joys, and sorrows that accumulated there over the decades survive? For Ferraioli, the memories accumulated in that house still vibrate with the immediacy of a vivid memory. Each piece recovered and transformed into a mosaic, each door and window redeemed by art, attest, almost like a sound hologram, to the beauty of this mansion lost to the lack of love and neglect of many. It is a desecration of a building that, through the cult of beauty and architectural perfection, was a sacred space. Let us consider, then, that the walls of this museum are the support for the doors, windows, and chairs (inspired by Nechodoma's designs) that once formed part of the Georgetti Mansion, and that visitors are witnesses to an archaeological display. Although Ferraioli has dedicated much of his life to stained glass, it is the mosaic that has captured his interest in recent years. More recently, he has ventured into fused glass, and it is this medium we will find most frequently in this exhibition, the core of which is formed by twelve pieces made from wood from doors and windows salvaged from the Georgetti Mansion. Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher and essayist, introduced the concept of "aura" to refer to the vibratory presence that the artist, like "contamination by touch," leaves in the work. Can we feel this "aura" of the house upon coming into contact with its authentic wood? The presence of absence... Of the twelve works constructed with the original doors and windows, the twelfth catches us off guard: a triptych of shutters and mosaic with the message that emerges as a denunciation and serves as the title of the exhibition: "Who Desecrated the Georgetti Mansion?" It is no coincidence that there are twelve, since Ferraioli captures, through numerology, the magic, power, and meaning of sacred objects from different cultures, in addition to the biblical. In addition to the twelve doors and windows, for this exhibition the artist surprises us with a first: ten women metamorphosed into hyperbolic chairs, taken from a hallucination of Nechodoma. Some were built by the artist, others were collected from the trash, and still others were recycled from other houses. The twelve doors and windows recovered from the Georgetti Mansion and the chairs/ladies comprise only a core of the total pieces in this exhibition. Many of them were part of past exhibitions, and most of the mosaics come from the artist's collection. They are united by the distinctive theme par excellence: the celebration of the fruits and flowers that adorn our countryside, some of which we have relegated to oblivion. Let us celebrate, then, this beautiful tribute to the beauty and richness of our flora transformed into art and unfolding before us, in conjunction with the artist's commitment to protect and conserve not only the natural environment but, with it, our architecture and our culture. Let us protect these "ships of the past" to which we owe what we have become today. It's the same message... whether it's glass, poem, or song. Sonia Cabanillas, Curator, August 2023, Eddie Ferraioli | Biography

Aby Ruiz | Sin pena ni gloria Spanish Version Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 1971, Aby Ruiz is a visual artist working with oil painting, drawing and installations. His work explores human nature in different situations in which human behavior is exposed. The body is the primary source of expression in highly charged compositions where sometimes an element of humor appears. The themes most developed by the artist are related to childhood, sexuality, mortality, innocence, violence, and tenderness and are addressed in undefined spaces and cropped images. Ruiz was involved in the arts early in life; he took painting classes with Pablo San Segundo and studied painting, drawing, and printmaking at the Specialized School of Fine Arts in Arecibo, under the tutelage of professor and artist Rolando Borges Soto. Ruiz's work has been presented in many international exhibitions in the United States, Panama, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. He is the recipient of several awards, and his work is held in many private and public collections, such as Museo de Arte de Caguas, Puerto Rico; Museum of Contemporary Art, Puerto Rico; Ana G. Méndez University Museum, Puerto Rico; Puerto Rican Athenaeum and The Lannan Foundation, New Mexico. Sin pena ni gloria is the artist's first survey exhibition, encompassing more than two decades of painting, drawings, and installations.  

Transitions in Time | English Version Spanish Version Time changes, minute by minute… In each painting there is no repeatable traces in a certain year, transiting on the long journey of emotions. Yesterday was present and today is past. The infinite creativity is riding the horse of time, footprints embodied in unrepeatable symbols and colors, forming part of the great human collection and traversing, with my deep and ethereal message, the soul of the beholder. Olmedo Quimbita "I always say that I can tell his painting apart... He has cultivated and refined his own style during a long and permanent career in so many exhibitions, in the most unusual places in the world. Using a palette of very clear color tones and a summarized drawing, Olmedo Quimbita stopped painting the Andean world a long time ago, changing his gaze to the tropics, its inhabitants and their daily life, as well as to the birds and foliage of our coast." Juan Castro and Velázquez, Critic and and art curator BIOGRAPHY EXPOSITION CATALOG

Paradoxes in Counterpoint by Luis de Jesús The work of Luis Miguel de Jesús that we have for our judgment epitomizes the intellectual flow of an era in which similar goals were opened in order to propose futuristic projects, aimed at new conceptions of the world, humanity, and life. Our artist has sought, within traditional frameworks, centrifugal paths to lay the foundations of an aesthetic discourse that allows us to understand the cognitive elements of a period in order to find bifurcations that take the existing as a basis and at the same time establish a range of investigative routes to aesthetics. The equation to which the artist has paid special attention is the resulting fusion of thought and creation. In a certain way, it takes the arts to a Pythagorean plane where theoretical functions come into effect, charged with determining the paths to be taken into consideration in order to achieve the aforementioned combination. At the same time, he recognizes his limitations so that they serve as a guide to the creative ambiguities that shape the style. Hence, I occasionally feel the imperative to enter abstract realms, with the intention of reconfiguring an image that responds to the creator and his time. Momentarily achieving non-objectivity gives rise to a phenomenon of alignment where the artistic product, its producer, and the viewer begin to weigh the natural changes that occur in the spirit, the psyche, and natural life that determine the times to which the individual responds. In a certain sense, he is creating chromatic poetry through the visual arts, for it integrates internal and external gravitational forces, as well as the mysteries and contradictions that keep the vital flames alive. In the work before me, there is a consciousness of consolidation. It aspires to simultaneously see the soul of the West. In his creations, Luis somehow proposes to discover the alpha and omega of existence. For in his work, there is only the spark of unplanned eccentricity, because his artistic production has deliberately entered into encyclopedic intentions that seek the universal in the particular. From this emerge enigmatic images where the self is suppressed to give way to an incorruptible knowledge, where the ego gives way to naked reality. In this regard, it coincides with a maieutics through which it reminds us of the Socratic approaches that formed the basis of the consolidation of Western civilization. Dialogue is the factor that keeps all aspects of life and esoteric factors coherent. This opens horizons to convictions and enigmas, hence the figure with its back to the Theater of the Absurd, whose actors are represented with similar masks made of brown paper bags and whose spectators remain oblivious to the televised spectacle, symbolizes the tragedy of dehumanization, to the point that the only one who shows face is the family dog. It thus signifies the alienation of a generation in search of a new imaginary to give substance to their lives. They are, therefore, ready to continue a spontaneous dialogue that allows them to substantiate their stay in the world. They seem to cry out for realities, even if they are elusive, that provide answers to their questions and function as emotional mutations whose value gains strength with approximations. In this way, de Jesús gives us an existential and highly critical vision of the moment in which we live. José Pérez Ruiz, Ph.D., Art Critic, International Association of Art Critics (AICA), San Juan, PR – February 13, 2016  

Garvin Sierra | A Cry in the Hand English Version By Humberto Figueroa, Curatorial Advisor The graphic message from protest art is a demand for justice and truth. A valuable aspect of this expression is the poster, which, due to its location on the wall and in the public's transit space, enjoys greater visibility. In times of advanced use of virtual technology, the art of denunciation and protest acquires greater capacity for multiplication through electronic networks. Its capacity for deployment is equivalent to a powerful force. The exhibition A Cry in the Hand recognizes the classic definition of the poster as a cry on the wall. Nowadays, the wall is the screen of a cell phone or any device that receives the signal emanating from a transmitter connected to the electronic medium. The Museo de Las Américas shares the exhibition by Puerto Rican artist Garvin Sierra from one of its galleries. A Cry in the Hand brings together a selection that summarizes the most discussed and debated topics in the media in recent years. Creating at ground level – Ana Teresa Toro A cry in the hand – Humberto Figueroa Garvin Sierra – Antonio Martorell

Entrelazados English Version By Irma V. Arzola, Art Historian Federico Farrington is an artist who playfully explores human interaction while manifesting a singular inner openness. “Entrelazados” is a playful exploration of the ambivalence perceptible in the human spectacle through the iconographic syncretism of sexualized, androgynous, zoomorphic bodies, distorted and fused in indeterminate spaces. The traces of the pictorial process, the history of its becoming, are evident on the surface of the substrate. These constitute a plastic deconstruction that serves as testimony to the development of Farrington's visual art. From the moment I met Federico, more than a decade ago, he was already creating enigmatic and provocative images with polyvalent readings that seem to emanate from a bestiary of chimeras. Farrington conveys dreamlike scenes that confront the viewer with the paradoxical nature of existence. "Interlaced" externalizes his meditations on social roles and the different personas each individual constructs and employs to relate to others. The undefined environments contain mythological figures and characters from the circus world, whose physiognomies embody their psyches and who participate in narratives about violence, power, and love. In this new series, Farrington works on altarpieces in a way that reveals the fluidity and experimental, intuitive, and historical nature of his process. The artist carefully considers each stroke, tone, and volume captured, studying its effect on the whole. He intervenes in the surface using oil brushstrokes and occasionally alters them with sandpaper and stencils transferred with spray paint, thereby deconstructing the pictorial technique and the assumed result. The surfaces are rich and luminous, even when the palette is limited to a few colors and their grisailles. The polychromatic effect intensifies the sensation of penetrating and participating in a fantastical world that engenders curiosity and incites synesthetic experiences. “Entrelazados” achieves a space filled with stimuli and convergences that invite reflection, feeling, and close observation. The distorted, extended, and undefined interstices of form and concept make the viewer a participating agent of the meaning revealed in each representation. ARTIST STATEMENT My creative process brings with it a narrative where diverse images and topics simultaneously converge, from the most mundane, the deeply psychological, the ritualistic, the political commentary, the humorous, the erotic, to the sublime. With the strokes and colors of my works, I explore the planes of a distorted reality that navigates between caricature-like innuendos and the transpersonal plane. Paradoxically, elements of unreal truth persist in this reading, where locality disappears in a timeless space and characters interact in a playful atmosphere with irreverent humor. The density and lightness of human existence are polarized, acting as a pendulum that moves between opposites or variants; Ambiguity and vulnerability are responses to the quantum world of multiple possibilities, to the ever-present uncertainty of knowing and not knowing, and above all, to appreciating the beauty of mystery. Federico Farrington BIOGRAPHICAL DATA