Prachie Narain spent her childhood in India, Nepal and England before coming to the United States in 1994. With the frequent relocation of her early life, she developed a passion for exploring the energy of different people and different environments
through drawing and painting. Among her chief influences are Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Czech painter and color theorist Frantisek Kupka, Georgia O'Keeffe, and environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. She currently lives in Somerville, Massachussets.

Persi Narvaez tells his personal story through his painting, creating greatly expressive images of feeling and emotions. In his work, Narvaez explores the connection with his land, his people and himself. His work is based on the reaffirmation of his identity, the social, spiritual identity and the human being.

 

In his abstract works Narvaez represents the quotidian sexual life but the sexual life as a process of evolution. Thanks to his knowledge and development he can evolve into a spiritual form, continuing the search for the spiritual, if not the physiological center. Using juxtaposition and superimposing images and forms, finding pre-Columbian symbols, he creates the illusion of a sublime space as if from another world.

 

In his architectural works, Narvaez represents his social identity. In the series “Balconies of Lima” the ornate architecture is very different from his everyday surroundings. Unable to identify with the balconies, as if from another reality, Narvaez nonetheless takes ownership of the images by incorporating vibrant colors. In this series there are no people because the buildings and balconies are the characters.

 

In his religious architecture series Narvaez paints the churches from an aerial view. His emphasis here is the concept that for most people, the building is the Temple, but for him, the human architecture is the true Temple.

 

In his pre-Columbian series he merges pre-Columbian characters with the images of modern society. This reflects Narvaez need to reaffirm his roots without losing sight of his reality in the contemporary world.

 

The light in Narvaez’s paintings washes over the everyday scenes and cityscapes with all the colors of the spectrum. While his art is deeply personal, Narvaez creates space for the viewer to become involved in the works.

 

Nora Valdez

Curator of the Sumter International Symposium of Sculpture

SC, USA