Serrano Gallery at Red Dot Miami

Above (left to right): Rolando Rojas, Valentina Atkinson, Fariba Abedin, Ryan T. Schmidt and friend.

Serrano Gallery participated as an exhibitor at Red Dot Miami 2019, this past December 4-8. The five-day contemporary art experience happens in tandem with the excitement and prestige of Miami Art Week and top crowd-pulling shows like Art Basel, Art Miami, Scope, and Miami Project.

Red Dot Miami has become one of the leading satellite shows during Miami Art Week. Red Dot Miami shines the spotlight on 75+ top galleries from around the world, showcasing work from over 500 contemporary artists.

Artists represented included Rolando Rojas, Fariba Abedin, Ryan T. Schmidt, and Valentina Atkinson, among others.

Serrano Gallery at the Texas Contemporary Art Fair

The Texas Contemporary Art Fair was held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston from October 10 through 13, 2019.

Detailed information on Serrano Gallery’s presence at this event, including the artists and works included in the exhibition, is available by clicking the button below.

"My Sky Pie Wish" Solo Exhibit Featuring Miss Carolyn Bertrand Hodges.

I wish it to be known why I use the medium of ink to create my art.

For many long years, I painted with oils. Focusing with intent on subject matter with a realism we are all familiar with and relate to in our personal experience. However, now, the pen is more handy for me than painting.

With a pen, there is a flow. With a pen, there is no clean-up as with paint, and there is certainly no tediousness … indeed there is a timelessness. With the fine point of a pen, multi-affects may be visualized. There can be surprise, discovery, and inventiveness. And, in my art, no monotonous design!

Now I approach my art in a different manner than I did in the past. Subject matter, or things which we are all familiar with remain and comes partly from memory.

However, as I draw, in a randomized sort of way, and like in a dream, unforeseen images appear consciously. Dependent on this unconsciousness, as with dreams, or imagination as some people call it, the artist is faced with the unpredictable until an image pops out. That’s it, this is what it means … and after all, much better than I could have thought up, and certainly a lot more fun!

Like in dreams, the images may be a mystery. The whole unconscious is a mystery to most of us. Like the unconscious, we can dream up images with our art. Also, as with meditation, we may transcend beyond the ordinary when we create art … making art as a whole; The great “I am that … I am.”

There is a ceaseless flow of imagery, and with such spirit, things don’t matter, for detail, memory, etc., are part of the whole, and all-embracing.

~ Carolyn Bertrand Hodges

"Transformed Surfaces: Contemporary Printmaking"

Serrano Gallery and PrintMatters are proud to present “Transformed Surfaces,” a group exhibition coordinated in concert with Print Houston, a city-wide celebration of original prints, the artists who create them and the people who collect them. Print Houston is a biennial event presented by PrintMatters.

Exhibition Dates
June 8 - 29, 2019

Opening Reception
Saturday, June 15

5:00 to 6:00 PM
Rolando Rojas Gallery (#304)

6:00 to 9:00 PM
Serrano Gallery (#317)

Silver Street Studios. 2000 Edwards Street . Houston, TX 77007

Get all the details, including hours and directions here.

Celebrating Spring of Latino Art Now!

Serrano Gallery and Rolando Rojas Gallery are proud to participate in Spring of Latino Art Now!

The catalyst for this event is a biennial, national conference of visual-art scholars — Latino Arts Now! — that the University of Houston hosts for the first time April 4-6. LAN! is the only Latino-led cultural event of this scale in Houston’s history. LAN! is Latino-founded, Latino-run, and Latino-focused, and showcases Latino Art in Houston over a four-month citywide initiative.

Dates: March 23 - May 15, 2019

Exhibitions:

• Expresión Latina | Rolando Rojas Gallery | Studio 304

• The Fifth Element II | Serrano Gallery | Studio 317

Hours: Open by appointment (713) 724 0709.

Address: Silver Street. 2000 Edwards Street. Suite #304. Houston, TX 77007

Get more information on Latino Art Now in Houston.

The "Master Piece" Fashion Show: A Benefit to Support Local Artists and Entrepreneurs

When Worlds Collide presents

The Master Piece Fashion Show

Silver Street

Houston, Texas

Fashion Designers

Mysterious by N.P.N.

Megan Beck

Anne-Joëlle

Amyra

Adrienne Yunger

César Galindo

Artists

Valentina Atkinson

Images courtesy of When Worlds Collide and Televiva Houston.

"The Fifth Element" 2018 Brings Renowned Oaxacan Artists to Houston

The Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, the Mexican Tourism Board and Serrano Gallery are pleased to present “THE FIFTH ELEMENT,” a group exhibit showcasing the work of four artists from Oaxaca, Mexico and a "Fifth Element."

Date: Friday, September 28, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Place: Serrano Gallery
Silver Street Studios
2000 Edwards Street, Houston, TX 77007

Artists: Rolando Rojas | Saul Castro | Dieder Mayes | Ixrael Montes | a "V Element"

Curated by Armando Rodriguez and Lorena Morales.

This event is free and open to the public.

View artist bios, works and other event details here.

For more information, please contact Valentina Atkinson at (713) 724-0709.

Pop Up Art Exhibit Features Recent Works from Latin American Artists

Serrano Gallery will be opening its doors on Thursday, June 7th, for a special Pop-Up Exhibition and Reception. "Expresión Latina: Three Countries, One Language" marks the first collaboration between McKinley Homes, Architect Mauricio Vela Carvajalino, Ar7seven and Serrano Gallery.

Date: Thursday, June 7
Time: 6:00 - 10:00 PM
Place: Serrano Gallery. Silver Street Studios. 2000 Edwards Street. Suite #117. Houston, TX 77007

The exhibition will feature recent works by artists from the Ar7seven Group and Serrano Gallery, including: Rolando Rojas, Luisa Duarte, Verny Sanchez, Alfonso Bonilla, Saúl Castro, Lorena Morales, Angela Corzón, Marisol Valencia, Juan Manuel Gaitán, Juan Carlos Franco, Eibar Castillo, Dora Luz Delgado, Diana Francia, Angélica Mendez Ascanio, Guillermo Romero and Diego Ruiz. The selection of works includes paintings, photography, digital media, sculpture and mixed media. The artists hail from Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

Artist bios, works and other event details can be reviewed in advance at https://www.serranogallery.com/expresion-latina

For more information, please contact Valentina Atkinson at (713) 724-0709.

Anne Joelle: Marking A Collaboration between Art, Printing, Design and Fashion

In an ongoing effort to support Houston's Printing Museum's fire recovery efforts, a special fashion show/fundraising event, featuring the work of visual artist Anne-Joëlle Galley, was held on the Museum premises on Thursday, April 26, 2018. The event was a joint effort between fashion designer Megan Beck; Charles Criner, the Printing Museum's artist-in-residence for over a decade; Jennifer Curtis Pearson, Executive Director of the Printing Museum; and Anne Joelle Galley, the artist, print-maker, designer and founder of Anne Joelle Designs.

To mark the event, Anne-Joëlle Galley, designed "West Clay," a limited-edition silk scarf, featuring one of her prints, and handmade in France. The scarves are available online, first-come, first served, through the Printing Museum, and 50% of the proceeds go directly to the Museum.

"West Clay" Scarf by Anne Joelle Designs

Anne Joelle Galley is represented by Serrano Gallery. For more information, please contact Valentina Atkinson at (713) 724-0709.

#printingmuseum #fundraiser #anne-joelle

Now Open -- Five ASMP Photographers Showcase their Talent at Serrano Gallery

Serrano Gallery was the site for a special evening that marked the official opening of Exhibition of Five Visions: ASMP at Serrano Gallery, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. The event honored the remarkable talent of five members of the Houston chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers in a group show curated by Clint Willour, that will be on exhibit until March 24. The five photographers are: Jim Caldwell, Pierre Cook, Mark Johnson, Rocky Kneten and Narinder Sall. The show is held in conjunction with the FotoFest International Biennial, one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary photography in the region.

Jim Caldwell's work highlights decades old statues, across Texas, that some in our society are demanding be torn down. Driving across America, Pierre Cook observes dynamic landscapes that beg to be captured. All of America, he says, is “the Ultimate Landscape.”  Mark Johnson examines how cemeteries and mausoleums are used to memorialize the dead help the living cope with death of their loved ones. Rocky Kneten presents images of people’s shadows and reflections without revealing their physical bodies. Narinder Sall goes to Amritsar, India, to capture the essence of core beliefs of Sikhism along with the physical and spiritual beauty of their holiest shrine the Golden Temple.

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade association for the world's most respected photographers. ASMP is the leader in promoting photographers' rights, providing education in better business practices, producing business publications for photographers, and helping to connect clients with professional photographers. Founded in 1944, ASMP now has thirty-nine chapters and nearly seven thousand members.

Exhibition of Five Visions runs March 3 to March 24, 2018 at Serrano Gallery, 2000 Edwards Street, Silver Street Studios (Studio 117). Houston, TX 77007. 
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 2 PM; Saturdays, 12 PM to 5 PM.

For more information, please contact Serrano Gallery, 713-724-0709. 

Valentina Atkison: Fighting for Causes Near and Far through Art

Each year, over 200 people swing into action to plan and deliver on a promise through the Chapelwood United Methodist Women's (UMW) Spring Thing Market and Silent Auction. Among them is Valentina Atkinson, who is featured on the March cover of River Oaks Living Magazine, a publication that focuses on family, community, unity, philanthropy, and the arts.

The charity event's primary mission is to provide grants for women's and children's charities throughout the world, and its secondary mission is to help Houston partner ministries. And though the event has been in existence for over 55 years, this year the organization's local efforts took on added urgency; the The United Methodist Women, and its community of approximately 800,000 members, were focused on extending extra support to its partners in the Greater Houston area in the wake of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey. 

As a visual artist, and as the owner of Serrano Gallery, Valentina Atkinson was proud to participate in the 2018 Spring Thing Market and three-day silent auction, and contribute to the efforts. "It's a small way to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much over the years," says Atkinson. Over the past 5 years, the event has donated almost $500,000 to women and children in need.

This year, Chapelwood United Methodist Women's (UMW) Spring Thing Market. was held on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1, and included a three-day silent auction that began on Wednesday, March 27. For more information and getting involved in next year's event, please contact Chapelwood United Methodist Church at (713) 465-3467.

Exhibition of Five Visions: ASMP at Serrano Gallery

The Houston Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers and Serrano Gallery proudly present "Exhibition of Five Visions," a photography exhibit curated by Clint Willour, and scheduled to run March 3 to March 24, 2018. The exhibit highlights a selection of photographs by five members of the Houston chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers, and will be held in conjunction with the FotoFest Biennial, one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary photography in the region.

This is a group show comprising work by five artists with five unique visions. Jim Caldwell travels across Texas to photograph decades old statues that some in our society are demanding be torn down. Driving across America, Pierre Cook observes dynamic landscapes that beg to be captured. All of America, he says, is “the Ultimate Landscape.”  Mark Johnson examines how cemeteries and mausoleums are used to memorialize the dead help the living cope with death of their loved ones. Rocky Kneten presents images of people’s shadows and reflections without revealing their physical bodies. Narinder Sall goes to Amritsar, India, to capture the essence of core beliefs of Sikhism along with the physical and spiritual beauty of their holiest shrine the Golden Temple.

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade association for the world's most respected photographers. ASMP is the leader in promoting photographers' rights, providing education in better business practices, producing business publications for photographers, and helping to connect clients with professional photographers. Founded in 1944, ASMP now has thirty-nine chapters and nearly seven thousand members.

Exhibition of Five Visions runs March 3 to March 24, 2018 at Serrano Gallery, 2000 Edwards Street, Silver Street Studios (Studio 117). Houston, TX 77007.

For more information, please contact Serrano Gallery, 713-724-0709. 

Image: Following the Path by Narinder Sall.

The FotoFest Biennial, titled “INDIA: Contemporary Photographic and New Media Art,” runs from March 10–April 22, 2018.

#photography #ASMP #serranogallery

Mariana Sammartino’s “INFINITO Into Space” Exhibit Showcases the Ingenuity of Contemporary Craft

For Mariana Sammartino, the work she created for INFINITO Into Space represents a dynamic new proposal, one that combines art, design and craftsmanship in a unique way. “The creative process for this project may not be so different from the one I have always undertaken, but the outcome represents a departure of sorts. By design, the work’s interactive nature offers an open-ended creative cycle that does not end with the artist. INFINITO  is what I like to call ‘contextual art.’ The work is defined in relationship to its context. INFINITO invites the viewer to engage in a process of creation and re-creation. The work itself is transformed through interaction.” 

The INFINITO Into Space exhibit at Serrano Gallery features an art installation comprised of multiple modules or units made from stainless steel woven wire mesh. What is so intriguing about this work, according to Valentina Serrano, Owner and Artistic Director of Serrano Gallery, is that each unit can function as a standalone work of art, or can become the starting point for something else. She says “today’s tabletop sculpture can become tomorrow’s wearable art, or can become a vastly reconfigured art installation. You decide. You elect the context. You become the curator.”

As an accomplished metalsmith and product designer, Sammartino was inspired by the material itself. “The module (or individual unit) has no beginning and no end,” says Sammartino. “It is hand-fashioned from one piece of stainless steel woven wire cloth without seams. Each unit almost “makes itself” by revealing and suggesting different shapes and forms as it twists and turns during the process of guided manipulation.”

The art installation currently on view at Serrano Gallery is site-specific, and was configured through a collaboration that incorporated the artist’s vision and the curatorial expertise of Valentina Atkinson, owner and creative director of Serrano Gallery.

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INFINITO Into Space

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 9, 4 to 7 PM.

On view: Saturday, December 9 through February 28, 2018.

View more work by Mariana Sammartino.

For more information on INFINITO Into Space, or to schedule a visit, please contact Serrano Gallery, 713 724 0709.

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Image Credit: F. Carter Smith

Luisa Duarte: An Artist’s Rendition of a Sense of Place for the Texas Biennial

As one of 33 artists selected for participation in the sixth edition of the Texas Biennial (out of 1,217 applicants), Luisa Duarte says she found the open call intriguing. The call focused on several elements, including the notions of deconstructing the Texas identity and exploring the state as a border zone. With independent curator Leslie Moody Castro at the helm as Artistic Director, the statewide survey of contemporary art featured an open call for artists around the state as well as artists living within 10 miles of a Texas border.

As a Houston-based Venezuelan visual artist who has made Texas her home since 2003, much of Duarte’s work employs line and color as structural bases for exploration of themes related to fragility, identity and personal/public spaces. The works selected for the Biennial in Austin include two black and white monotype prints on paper and a site-specific installation. The monotypes invite the viewer to take a closer look, to find ‘subtle’ borders created by indentations in the paper that are not immediately evident. The site-specific installation was conceived as a structure created with wax thread and thumbtacks.

Luisa Duarte, at the Texas Biennial Opening Event in Austin.

“Building the site-specific installation was great, because I was creating this thing that’s all about borders. These limits are fragile. They are tools for perception; they can establish limits for protection, just as they also might be used to trace a playground,” said Duarte, who is an architect by formal training. “Borders can be erected with imaginary walls, and can disappear as soon as we imagine something different. Whether you mark these borders with words, or objects is really not that different.”

Luisa Duarte’s works will be on display at the Texas Biennial in Austin, from September 30 through November 11, 2017.

View more of Luisa Duarte's work.
To schedule a studio visit in Houston, please contact Serrano Gallery.

Images: Carlos Ocando.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Declares September 13 "Rolando Rojas Day"

During a special reception hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, the Mexico Tourism Board and Serrano Gallery, Oaxacan artist Rolando Rojas was recognized with a special honor by the City of Houston: Mayor Sylvester Turner declared September 13 "Rolando Rojas Day."

The proclamation reads:

"The presence of Rolando Rojas in Houston, whose influential work resonates within local and international contexts alike, not only marks a new source of inspiration for Houstonians, but also contributes to ongoing conversations about what is possible and desirable within our community, and continues to build on our city’s reputation as a creative destination and important hub for Latino and Latin American art."

The event, which was attended by representatives from the local artistic community and the consular community (with senior representatives from seven countries in attendance), marked the one-year anniversary of the opening of the artist's studio in Houston, and showcased the artist's most recent work.

"To have an artist of the caliber of Rolando Rojas here at Silver Street Studios is always worth celebrating. Today, we are pleased to see Rolando's presence and contributions to our great city recognized in this special way by Mayor Turner" remarked Valentina Atkinson, of Serrano Gallery.

View new works by Rolando Rojas available in his Houston studio.
Contact Serrano Gallery for more information, or to schedule an appointment.

Headed to Paris After Houston: Works by Alfonso Bonilla

Following a successful exhibition of his work in New York, and the current exhibit of his works in Houston, Colombian photographer Alfonso Bonilla will be taking his work on the road --to Paris. The exhibit, just announced via Bogota's Portafolio Magazine, is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2018, with details to follow.

In Houston, Bonilla is represented by Serrano Gallery. His latest work can be viewed at Silver Street Studios through October 3. The works on display, curated by Valentina Atkinson, include a series of digital prints that evoke childhood memories and layered, dream-like impressions of distant places.

Read the full article in Portafolio (in Spanish) here.

Photo credit: Alfonso Bonilla.