Glenda León Arévalo

WINNER - INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY OF THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS

 

Cielo, Installation, 3 x 4m, 2009,
blue painted wall, peeled off
museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany

Biography

Glenda León Arévalo was born in Havana, Cuba in 1976 where she currently lives and works. A trained ballerina, she graduated with a BA in Art History from Universidad de La Habana and completed a Maters in New Media Art at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany.

Work

Primarily a video artist, but also taking a multidisciplinary approach with her use of photography, drawing and installation, Glenda León Arévalo’s work is permeated with a subtle set of poetics, of movement and of lightness that transpire throughout her artistic process. Her approach to reality passes beyond appearances, further than what is seen, but concentrates on emotions, on what is taking place below the surface. It is the invisible rather than the visible that is represented in León Arévalo’s work, presenting that which is imperceptible. Her manipulation of reality using contemporary technology produces a collection of work that borders on a surrealist aesthetic and a strange lyricism exists throughout.

The playful nature of the artist’s work, the joyful and unashamedly positive way she looks at the world and our human existence is both the beauty and the originality of León Arévalo’s work. Having already completed a residency in Montreal in the winter of 2004-2005, the city is a real source of inspiration and her experience in the multi-cultural Mile End neighbourhood was the catalyst for her work Mundo Interpretado (2008). The piece, which the artist considers her most accomplished was later exhibited at the 10th Havana Biennale in 2009.

Solo Exhibitions

2008 El Vuelo de la Rázon, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba
2007 Mar Interno, Le Plateau Espace Expérimental, Paris, France
2006 El ir y venir de la Permanencia, Centre d’Art Contemporain, Montréal, Canada
2005 Flight of Reason, Galerie m:a Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2003 Realidades Mágicas, Galerie 23 y 12, Havana, Cuba
2001 Las formas del instante, Centro Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba