Angel Otero

Description

Angel Otero’s practice is process-driven. Whether made on canvas or with porcelain and steel, Otero’s creations mine the fissures of art historical canons, as well as the personal histories that they evoke. His works, while abstract, are embedded with deeply personal narratives. While the artist rejects the literal nature of narrative, it is explicit in the work, particularly in his early figurative paintings and his more recent bodies of “transfer paintings,” created using coal dust and charcoal on linen. Occupying a liminal space between abstraction and figurative work, Otero’s “transfer paintings” provide viewers with a glimpse into the landscape of the artist’s familial memories. The publication includes an introduction and essay by the organizing curator, Valerie Cassel Oliver, as well as contributions by scholars in the field of contemporary art. The monograph also features color and black-and-white images of the works presented in the exhibition, a bibliography of general reading, and a chronology of the artist’s life and work.