Victor Cartagena Anatomy of La Mentira: Red Noses "We lie. We lie all the time, constantly, systematically. We lie for pleasure, we lie out of compassion, we lie to get out of an obligation, and we lie to win someone over. We lie about our age, out of pity, to be mischievous, to take advantage of another, to gain electoral votes, to start wars, out of fear - and we lie, just because, to lie. Lying, like laughing, is a human trait. Human beings have always lied to themselves and others. In lying, words become creative tools. We lie as a form of attack, and as a form of defense. Lies. Lying. Liars with red noses. There never have been as many lies, as in these times. Lying is happening at a massive scale, minute by minute. Avalanches of lies are covering the world, causing human suffering and complicity. Lies are fabricated in large quantities and are disbursed to the masses through the written word, through images, through sound bites. Technical progress exists in the service of lies. "We all carry a "red nose" along with us, to save us from the truth. A little lie now and then can't kill anyone. Or can it?" Victor Cartagena was born in El Salvador, relocated to the United States and has been an artist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay-Area since the late 1980s. Initially a printmaker, his works now include sculpture, audio/video installations, and set-design. He is the recipient of multiple grants, fellowships, and awards, among them a San Francisco Cultural Equity Grant (2005), the "Visions from the New California" grant (2004), a month-long residency at 18th Street Arts Complex in Santa Monica (2004), a grant from the Peter S. Reed Foundation (2004), and a Rockefeller grant (2002). His work has been included in numerous shows across the United States and in Mexico, Japan, El Salvador, Belarus, Ecuador and Greece, and in numerous public and private collections. Exhibition: May 11 - July 1, 2006 Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 11 am - 5 pm Stephen Cohen Gallery 7358 Beverly Boulevard USA-Los Angeles CA 90036 Telephone +1 (323) 937 5525 Fax +1 (323) 937 5523 Email sc@stephencohengallery.com www.stephencohengallery.com |
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