christian curiel at david klein gallery
Ritual Migration
”Ritual Migration brings together a new series of paintings by Christian Curiel that explores ideas of the sea as threshold, a site of human passage and displacement. The intensely hued and luminous works of varying scale, made with oil, acrylic and mixed media on panel over the last two years, grow out of images of the Cuban raft migration from the late 1980s and early 1990s. This imagery continues to resonate within the shifting political and geographic conditions of the Atlantic crescent, in Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.” –Wayne Northcross
Christian Curiel was born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents who moved to Miami when Curiel was young. His paintings narrate a geographical voyage as much as one of identity, culture and inclusion.
La Ofrenda throws the viewing eye askew as it attempts to reconcile the tilted perspective. Heavy patterning decorating handmade canoes, pottery and blankets combine with dark, angry water generating forceful energy. Ghostly forms—representing those who didn’t make it? —hiding under an orange seat reach out with one hand hoisting a flag that can be Cuban and/or Puerto Rican. The main characters read like an underpainting, a destination not yet fully realized. The sparkly black pennants harken to childhood free time spent with his father working in an auto shop similarly festooned.
Crash Boat’s nuclear pink is jarring particularly on this scale. Today this beach is where families gather for fun but has a sordid past associated with the US. The site has been used by US military for pilots to practice crash landings as well as a launch pad to rescue distressed soldiers.
Loose, fluid strokes do not observe boundaries, landing and crossing where the brush leads. Perched in a knot of loops and dabs is a perfectly portrayed rooster in full plume regalia. In contrast, the stalwart youth’s attire is simple and torn. The opaque black streamers, disruptively unfurled, are reminiscent of piñatas that describe holding onto the unseen in anticipation, surprise and hope.
Ritual often denotes religion, but it can refer to any performance of a sequence of actions or gestures that have deep, personal meaning to the practitioner often providing comfort and connection to community. Shades of religious rituals are present in these works, but maybe the underlying ritual is human behavior itself as we tend to collectively repeat ourselves despite known consequences. We can also demonstrate extraordinary courage when called upon.
Humans have migrated for a myriad of reasons like hunger—literally and spiritually—involuntary capture, greed or a desire for something new. Widespread DNA testing verifies we’ve been far more mobile and interconnected than previously thought. People have consistently intermingled distributing diverse ideas, cultures and physiological composition, naturally strengthening both individuals and communities.
This flagship is laden with everything these travelers value. The vivid green affords some sense of calm despite the treacherous trip they’ve embarked upon. A single red flip flop floats past. Is it the one worn in La Ofrenda, lost but bravely riding the unforgivable currents as the wearers are?
Hijos De Dios—Children of God—sets sail in a patched up innertube carrying fresh catch that interprets like Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, a novella about a Cuban fisherman enduring a lengthy battle with a marlin symbolizing fortitude and perseverance. This vagabond is rendered more fully while the sea drips down the page. Redwing Blackbirds’ song is recorded in tiny notes swirling above their heads.
The colorations in this exhibition reflect Caribbean personality with brightly painted buildings dotting its landscape. Traditional Cuban gatherings include music, food—coffee to rival the Italians—and a good game of Dominos. Curiel created game tables with images of his family and accoutrement to an enjoyable evening including maracas and highly coveted cigars.
David Hockney’s death got me thinking about the figure and its evolving applications. Portraiture was the camera of an age reaching back before Henry VIII enlisted Hans Holbein to provide accurate reproductions of prospective wives. Sadly, Holbein got into some major trouble over excessively photoshopping Anne of Cleves. Sorry, bro. My bad. During that same period the Italian Renaissance was in full swing where the figure was employed to reenact biblical and mythological tales creating some of the world’s most famous paintings, murals and sculpture. 20th century treatment hit closer to home depicting everyday folks living anonymous lives. Sometimes incredibly stoically like Grant Wood’s American Gothic or playfully relaxed in Hockney’s California poolside sunny afternoons. Realism gave way to expression and stylization evoking emotion complementary to the scene.
Recent works are telling potent stories of visceral experiences from navigating the underground railroad to crossing the turbulent Florida Straights in a ramshackle contraption barely fit for land. It’s as much a testimony as a warning to those who attempt to suppress a drive embedded so deeply in our genetic makeup passengers are willing to take terrible risks in order to breathe free.
“Ritual Migration reflects on personal and history, myth, ritual, and lived experience, honoring those who cross physical and spiritual seas in search of refuge, identity, and new beginnings.”—Christian Curiel
On view through July 18th at David Klein Gallery 678 Livernois Ferndale
*images are mine
direct quotes from gallery materials, authors noted
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Beautifully described. Can't wait to see it.
You both inspire and crack me up. Thanks!!