Erick Alejandro Hernandez
International residency
November - December, 2019
Erick Alejandro Hernandez. Matanzas, 1994
Cuban artist living and working in New York City. He received his BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design (2017) and has been a fellow at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2017), Oxbow School of Art (2018), and The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (2018-19′). In addition, he has received a Scholastics Awards Alumni Micro-grant (2019) and an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2019).
Revolving around overarching narratives such as a car crash or the death of a loved one, his paintings are orchestrations of memories that have been fractured or reimagined in processes surrounding lived trauma. Rooted in traditional image making, his practice intends to disrupt classical vignettes within the genre of painting by inserting personages and spaces that are in flux. His images are populated with figures and amalgamations of figures from his experience in order to explore various simultaneous histories of loss and displacement.
Taking cues from the psychoanalytic process, his practice focuses on the unveiling of that which is dormant. Moments of insight play a directional role of the development in each piece, while smaller auxiliary works allow for further exploration into specific themes that delve into the intersections of memory, history, and emotion in relation to personal narrative. Formed by gluing together fragments of painted canvas, these large free form constructions follow familial narratives to generate an immersive experience. This process of quilting images of people, many of whom are deceased or absent, into timeless constructions is ultimately a search for reconcile with the pictured event. The aim is the development of an ongoing investigation into the effects and manifestations of these shared experiences through image making and allegory.
