Fernando Vignoli
EXPRESSIVA
M E N T E
SURREAL
Book Presentation and Exhibition Opening
5 September, 2009, 5-7 pm
On view through 19 October 2009
CLOSING RECEPTION WITH THE ARTIST Saturday, 17 October, 4 p.m.

To view the installation and works Click here

SOLAR announces the return of Brazilian artist, Fernando Vignoli, to the East End, presenting a new book on his life and art: Vignoli. On Saturday, 5 September, from 5-7 p.m., the artist will be signing copies of this 200-page, bilingual (Portuguese-English) monograph that includes a biography by Bill Falçao and Carolina Godoi illustrated with black and white drawings by Vignoli and photographs of the artist and his family; an introduction and critical texts by historian and critic Guiomar Lobato; a closing essay by Evandro Baião Pessoa; and a selection of essays and testimonies from critics and admirers, including John Ensley Hooker, Esperanza León, and Morgan da Motta. The book contains over 85 colour plates of works dating from 2001 to 2009, which is the time Vignoli has spent living and working between the Hamptons and his native Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Accompanying the launch of the book, SOLAR will present thirteen recent paintings, including iconic pieces like Crises (Wall Street), 2008, Amazon in Check, 2008, and a small version of Kyoto Protocol, 2007. In these and so many of his works, Vignoli comments on political, social, and environmental issues with a surrealist style that is punctuated by his expressionist brushstroke. Some of the paintings include collage, but generally it is the artist’s deftness at creating dramatic textures, intense atmospheres, spatial illusions and trompe l’oeil effects that heighten the power of these works.

In addition to the paintings, a selection of jewelry designs will be on display that are inspired in specific paintings from the artist’s oeuvre. These beautifully crafted pieces are in 18k gold with aquamarine, diamonds and other precious and semi-precious stones native to Brazil. This marvelous jewelry line is created by Zimbabwe and the company’s founding designer, Giulliana Moreira.

The book was launched in June 2009 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and will be presented first in the United States at SOLAR, followed by different locations around the world through 2011, including Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Tokyo, Dubai.