Phyllis Kind Gallery - Exhibitions

Phyllis Kind Gallery is honored to present Elsa Mora's third exhibition in New York on view from 12 November through December 2005.

This exhibition, BIRTH, is composed of seven discreet series, each one exploring the profound and mysterious phenomenon of birth, while at the same time responding to the startling trauma of death. The artist's experience of finding a dead humming bird on the floor of her studio resulted, she feels, in a pre-mature birth. The next day, five weeks before it was due, her first child was born.

"Having my daughter was such a revealing experience for me as much as seeing that little dead bird on the floor the day before. Both images penetrated my mind, opening little doors to the mysteries of life and death..."

The first series of small (16 x 12 inches) paintings, Cosas sin Nombre, was made in 2003; they are each composed of a profile drawn in ink of a full-term pregnant women but the womb, instead of containing a human baby, contains ink drawings from nature (leaves, fish or butterflies) or an actual three-dimensional space which contains, variously, a feather, three rose petal-groups, or five cactus needles collaged on the surface. Some acrylic paint is used, sparingly, in these paintings to add to the subtle mystery of the work.

The second series of small paintings (16 x 12 inches), done in 2005 is entitled Coordenadas, they are all profiles of birds rendered in acrylic but variously collaging sea shells, watch-faces (and their interior parts), twigs, vintage photographs (of Cuban girls, butterflies or fish), aluminum foil, crystals, stitching and even some baked clay. These are meticulously rendered, impersonal, yet somehow nostalgic.

The work named Pajaras relates to the death of the humming bird. It consists of fifty birds each using a glass bottle as a torso and each having baby-doll legs somehow attached to same. The bottles contain messages in forms of text and images. Each bird has a meticulously carved and painted head and beak. All fifty birds are displayed on a six foot wide table made by the artist, yet all are available singly or in groups. The third series entitled Caminos is an intricate series of drawing and collage.

Three other series will each play a part in this rich, diverse show. Two of them are porcelain, the first, Tijaras, made in 2005, is a series of eight scissors (each 7 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches) and the second, made in the same year, is a series of four hearts entitled Corazones (each 7 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches). The third, called Re-Encarnación is photographs, Imbue prints on handmade watercolor paper, each 20 x 30 inches. Two large (60 x 48 inches) paintings, (just finished this year) will also grace this show, one of which is pictured above.

"Elsa Mora's works act as a universal cultural barometer, beyond localism, to integrate into a global labyrinth of human emotions that accept contemporary time with its imperfection and beauty. She is a multi-faceted artist that is comfortable with herself in her hybridism and individuality. She knows how to assemble a complex contemporary universe of cultural references and assimilations, shaping a wide range of personal imagery." — Magda Gonzalez-Mora, Independent Curator and Critic, Havana Cuba