Exokademia, currently on show at Espace Robert Poulin, features a collection of works by Spanish speaking artists, Erik Jerezano, Mauricio Limon, Romulo Cesar, Matias Sanchez and Cristina Lama with special emphasis on the work of Osvaldo Ramirez-Castillo.

A common theme in the work presented at Exokademia is the use of similar media such as pencil, ink, colour pencil on paper or mylar. Altered representations of the human form and   surrealist creatures bring about a vivid expression of the human condition.

The majority of Espace Robert Poulin is reserved for the work of Osvaldo Ramirez-Castillo, with the works of Erik Jerezano, Mauricio Limon, Romulo Cesar, Matias Sanchez and Cristina Lama displayed in the smaller exhibition space.
Working diligently with colour pencils on mylar, Ramirez-Castillo presents his graphic vision of the civil war which ravaged his homeland, El Salvador from 1980-1992. His work is an allegory for a world gone mad torn apart by war, greed and degeneration of the human condition.

The artist chooses to place his subjects in a circular position to convey the cyclical nature of the horrors that scarred his childhood.

As with any conflict, the subjects in Ramirez-Castillo’s work are stripped of their humanity and civilized veneer as they are pushed towards raw aggression to survive their dire predicament. The people are grotesque in appearance. Their protruding eyes are large with fear and delirium and many of them have accentuated large sharp teeth indicative of the madness brought on by civil war as seen through the eyes of a child.

Other themes explored in Ramirez-Castillo’s are that of myth and surrealism. One consistent theme is the representation of three-headed dogs along-side menacing people. In Roman and Greek mythology, Ceberus, a multi-headed dog was a guardian to the underworld and had the task of preventing the dead who had crossed the river Styx from ever escaping. In a realistic context, dogs are often used to prevent prisoners from escaping and therefore the transition between myth and reality is seamless.

Ramirez-Castillo’s work is powerful and holds our attention with a narrative linked to memory and personal trauma.

Erik Jerezano’s work has an almost childlike quality to it with simple shapes and the use of muted colours set against vast white space which draws the eye directly towards the subject. In Exokademia, Jerezano incorporates soft hues of blue, brown and green to create his anthropomorphic creatures with a donkey’s head on a human body preceded by elk with three layers of antlers that float freely above the head. A large aquatic bird with goggles completes the scene.

Positioned next to Jerezano is the work of Mauricio Limon which continues on the theme of animals such as a pencil drawing of a crocodile by a yellow dog, a green cow and a small creature which is standing on the nose of a larger human figure. The style is almost reminiscent of Peter Max in movement and simplicity.

Matias Sanchez makes an interesting use of charcoal on paper with a selective use of colour blocking. His figures are caricatures, painted over with broad strokes of beige water colour.

Similar to Sanchez, Romulo Cesar prefers to work mostly with black ink on white background with minimal use of water colour which permeates some of the figures. Cesar makes deliberate use of negative space to focus the eye on his story board style. Straight lines using pen and ink capture figures that are encapsulated in small little boxes that are to carve out neat little boxes which are reminiscent of a graphic novel.

With Cristina Lama’s work we are first presented with a commentary on the female condition. In her larger painting, we see the figure of a woman drawn with ink on paper and overlaid with a wash of red colour which acts as a silhouette of the female form presented. Next to this picture are three other works which are reminiscent of story boards with the use of crayon and colour pencil.

Espace Robert Poulin, space 411
Osvaldo Ramirez-Castillo, Romulo Cesar
Erik Jerezano, Mauricio Limon
Matias Sanchez and Cristina Lama
Exokademia
Until August 11, 2012 (closed July 31 – August 4, 2012)
www.espacerobertpoulin.com