Long Island City Artists is pleased to present their first exhibition in their new space provided by LIC Arts Open and the Factory at LIC! We invite you to join us for the opening reception on Wednesday February 8th, 5-8pm at 30-30 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY. “The evolution of drawing in these days opens a field of new interaction in the universe of the cultures. Cultural pragmatism can easily transverse borders. The barrier that separates cultural evolution is a complex matrix with interplay of differences ranging from those of language and region to dietary habits. Every culture is aware of the existence of other cultural universes foreign to its own—. Broadly it revitalizes historical-political discourse, disarticulated dogmas of the drawing, linemaking, and symbols, prioritizes the specific values of art and operates the path of ownership.

​

A larger idea assimilates the visual communication of popular culture,

kitsch, wit, and anthropological reflection on nature, myth as an element of our own identity, autonomy, our personal view of the world and the freedom to create. This exhibition celebrates the creativity of contemporary drawing practices across an array of disciplines.

​

The exhibition spotlights traditional and unconventional approaches to mark-making, innovative techniques. An idea could be the genesis of a drawing and in this project we try to explore the close relationships between a drawing idea and the support artists choose: Paper, cardboard, canvas, stone, a metal plate, etc.

​

Drawing is a direct, and elemental tool at hand to materialize an artwork. As a very private medium, drawing departs from a moment of meditation to establish a dialog with the form and connect with the physical world. For artists, drawings can be the beginning of a larger idea. “-

Alexis Mendoza and Jorge Posada.

​

LICA’s First Annual Drawing Exhibition was curated by Jorge Posada in May 2020 during the NYC lockdown. This period of tremendous tension and fear was channeled into amazingly creative works by 136 New York-based artists. The show was titled Drawings in a Time of Social Distancing and artists sent in images of their current drawings from lock down: views out their window, an interior still life, portraits of family and friends, a thank you to essential workers, drawings of plants/flowers, outdoor sketches – whatever created inspiration and hope for them. Their stunning works were also accompanied by very moving artist statements from that time.

​

In June/July 2021, as NYC was just beginning to open up, LICA released online the second annual drawings exhibition. Drawings in a Time of Renewal. The core idea of that show was to gather artists’ works and statements during a time of returning to normalcy. Both of these shows remain available on LICA’s website for the public to view. Now with LICA’s new. Art Space at the Factory, we finally have a chance to present some wonderful artist drawings in a physical space for A Larger Idea, LICA’s Third Annual Drawing Exhibition!

​

About the curators:

 

Alexis Mendoza is an artist, writer and independent curator. Born in 1972, Havana City, Cuba and moved to the United States in 1995. His past education includes the National School of Fine Art San Alejandro (1988), graduated in Art History from Havana University (1994), Co-founder and co-creator of The Bronx Latin American Art Biennial. Alexis Mendoza is also the author of several books, including: “Latin America, The Culture and the New Men” and Reflections: The Sensationalism of the Art from Cuba. Mendoza lives and works in The Bronx, New York.

​

Jorge Posada is an American-born Colombian artist, draftsman, painter, printmaker and sculptor with a long career in the visual arts. Posada’s art works have been shown in major national and international exhibitions and are in private and public art collections in the USA, Europe, Japan and South America. He periodically curates and organizes art exhibits in different venues in New York, Europe and in his country of origin. Jorge Posada’s art studio has been part of the art scene of Long Island City for more than twenty-five years, and he is on the board of directors of Long Island City Artists, New York.

​

About LIC-A - Long Island City Artists, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) arts advocacy organization with a mission to increase the development and visibility of professional and emerging artists in Queens, New York.

​

The LIC-A Art Space is generously donated by The Factory LIC.

​

​