WINDOW WORKS: Franco Mondini-Ruiz
Sep 20 through Nov 27, 2007
09.20.07
For Immediate Release: September 6, 2007
Media Contact: Celina Emery
t 210 212 4900 x323
f 210 212 4990
cemery@artpace.org
www.artpace.org
WINDOW WORKS:
Franco Mondini-Ruiz
September 20 through November 27, 2007
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Franco Mondini-Ruiz’s Main Avenue WindowWorks display, Modern Piñatas, tempts passers-by to enter Artpace and explore an exhibition storefront of colorful floating piñatas. From Jeff Koons’ Puppy to Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can, the hand-made, paper mache piñatas are modeled after seminal painting and sculptures by artistic greats such as Koons and Warhol, as well as Alexander Calder, Jasper Johns, Piet Mondrian, and Mark Rothko. Through the use of the piñata, Mondini-Ruiz resituates these works in a Latino context, alluding to the cross-cultural appropriation of images. The installation comically combines the gallery atmosphere with a fiesta ambiance to question the reverence of high art.
About The Artist
Franco Mondini-Ruiz obtained a bachelor’s degree in English and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. He has received awards which include a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and a Penny McCall Foundation Fellowship. He has exhibited work at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, and El Museo del Barrio in New York City.
About The Project
WindowWorks is an exhibition program in which Artpace annually commissions three local artists to produce site-specific projects for its windows that face downtown San Antonio’s busy North Main Avenue. The program, which has been expanded in 2007 as part of the institution’s strategic emphasis on support for local artists, demonstrates Artpace’s commitment to extending the dialogue about contemporary art beyond traditional gallery spaces.
Artpace is proud to recognize The Cultural Collaborative, a division of the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, for providing matching funds to enhance support of the San Antonio artists commissioned through WindowWorks. This program is also supported by The Brown Foundation, Inc. and Texas Commission on the Arts.
About Artpace
Artpace San Antonio serves as an advocate for contemporary art and as a catalyst for the creation of significant art projects. We seek to nurture emerging and established artists and to provide opportunities for inspiration, experimentation, and education. Our programs support the evolution of new ideas in contemporary art and cultivate diverse audiences while providing a forum for ongoing dialogue.
Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available on the corner of Savings and N. Flores streets. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, Thursday, 12-8 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.
445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org
© 2007 Artpace San Antonio