Glenda León
The work of the Cuban artist Glenda León is articulated from a poetic way of observing the world, through everyday objects, materials, natural scenes, which convey a certain idea of attention, listening to earth and harmony. Her work ranges from drawings, videos, installations and photographs, rescuing her metaphorical potential, “spiritualizing” things through a deep gaze.
Stars rain (forthcoming project)
The project Lluvia de estrellas (Stars rain) is currently though as the next project Plataforma Atacama will developed, in which the artist continues her exploration of the cosmic (in her latest pieces she has explored, for example, imaginary geographies, fictional star maps made with butterfly dust), aiming at the sky recorded by the ALMA Observatory Operations Center, the largest astronomical observation center in the world.
In collaboration with Plataforma Atacama, the artist will capture the night sky on a night without moonlight in 4k video. This high-fidelity record will be used to carry out an installation consisting of video projection on a large sky-like screen. The project starts from the effect that the sun produces in its reflection in the water and the flashes that simulate stars on the sea or a river when observed. Starting from this natural phenomenon popularly known as “meteor showers”, the artist will seek to establish what was a literal interpretation of the expression.
The work will consist of creating a water mirror, on which drops of water would slowly fall, giving to see the waves that these create around until the pond is filled with stars. The viewer will end up observing the sky at his feet. Its sound will be amplified and the mirror will create an effect of infinity. The video installation will be charged with a contemplative atmosphere, a call to incite a poetic gaze, to sensibly appreciate nature when we progressively tend to ignore it. A moment of pause within the agitated mass-mediated world, whose materialization we live day by day.
Bio
Glenda León (Havana, 1976) began artistic visual studies at the age of 12, exhibiting professionally since 1999. She studied Classical Ballet and Philology at the University of Havana, where she also has a bachelor's degree in Art History. She graduated from the Academy of New Media in Cologne, Germany, in 2007. León has shown at CDAV, Havana, Cuba; Le Plateau Espace Expérimental, Paris, France; Castle of Adhemar, Montéllimar; Matadero, Madrid and at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno CAAM, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Other venues where she has exhibited include the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center's Museum of Fine Arts. She was part of the Cuban Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013), and has participated in the Havana Biennial; Santa Fe Biennial, Jafre's Biennial, Paiz Art Biennial in Guatemala and Dakar Biennial, Senegal. Her work has received The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award and residences such as the Couvent des Recollets, in Paris and the Fonderie Darling, in Montreal.
