| Issue #41, January 19, 2007 |
art commentary
THE ART SCENE: FAR FROM THE HAMPTONS
With Marion Wolberg Weiss
Part 1: Looking for Art in the Yucatan
You don’t have to leave the Hamptons to encounter change, but it’s still a jolt visiting your favorite places and seeing the kinds of alterations that we experienced in Mexico’s Yucatan. Some changes were not positive, even if they were predictable, namely more construction, traffic, and tourists.
Even so, a funny thing has happened on the road to change. There’s more art than there was five years ago. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all good, nor does it mean there are necessarily loads of artists painting local scenes. Nor does it mean that the “art” is necessarily the conventional kind, like paintings and sculpture. But at least there’s more recognition of original art, along with the countless souvenir stands selling Mexican manufactured crafts.
Let’s take Isla Mujeres, for example, a small island near Cancun that shows little signs of Hurricane Wilma but lots of signs spelling progress. This little-known place (up to a few years ago, that is) has a rich and long history regarding Mayan culture, although it was the Spanish who discovered the area in 1517, promptly naming it “Island of Women.” (We’re glad to report that one significant woman was the wife of the prevailing Mayan god who was also the patroness of weaving. In an odd way, then, the region has always had a connection to the “arts.”) Present day Isla Mujeres doesn’t particularly pay homage to its Mayan roots, however. New, high-styled hotels and bed and breakfasts are decorated with Asian artifacts or contemporary abstract paintings from Merida, to name two isolated examples. Hotel Francis Arlene is the only hotel there that suggests Isla’s past, with its lovely Colonial architecture and its vibrant courtyard.
There are also not many shops devoted to original arts and crafts (we found only two), but that’s more than on a previous visit when there were none. Both stores are run by “foreigners” who have found Isla a tropical respite: Canadian Bairlyn Gildea who owns “La Esperanza” and Rosemarie, a resident of Peru, who runs the home- made ice cream shop. We particularly liked the surreal prints by Octavio Campa at Ms. Gildea’s place.
Unlike the Hamptons, there aren’t many art exhibitions in Isla, although there was one show when we were there, featuring works by Jess Zimmerman. Originally a local Long Island resident, Zimmerman has been painting and exhibiting periodically in Isla for the last few years. Using oil crayons and a primitive style, Zimmerman depicts local dwellings with colorful energy and spirit. (Quite a change from his School of Visual Arts days when he did conceptual sculpture.)
Conversely, Argentinean artist Guillerme Esrinasse (who used to live in East Hampton) is a full-time resident of Isla. His mixed media abstractions are provocative and technically first-rate, featuring both Surrealism and Expressionism. Coincidently, his works will be shown at Greenport’s De Cordova Studio/Gallery this coming summer.
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