IRIS PEREZ

2008-05-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

CONTACTO
Republica Dominicana: 809-518-0374, 809-534-9999, Mobil: 829-233-7743
USA: 973 -772-6347, 809-950-7146
irisviperez@gmail.com, irispercrear@gmail.com

2008-05-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

2008-05-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

2008-03-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

2008-03-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

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DRAWINGS

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IRIS PEREZ INTERNATIONAL ARTIST FROM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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2008-03-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

2008-03-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

The passionate Opus of Iris Perez

Marianne de Tolentino

Iris Pérez is an artist who does count. It would be inappropriate to refer to her as a mounting talent as indeed, she has proven her seriousness, her consistency and her unrestricted creativity. Since the exhibition she presented in Fine Arts in 1999, she has been standing out thanks to a style more and more personal as time goes on, offering works which are rich, abundant and engaged, rendering obvious the pleasure of creating and searching…

She was trained in the very National School of Fine Arts where she lectures today. Her art alternates between drawings, paintings – both being her main genres - , sculpture and recently ceramics. It is worth mentioning that Iris had been selected amongst nearly 5000 candidates worldwide to participate in a planetary collective workshop at the Athens Olympic Games where she received a noted recognition for her sculptures installation. Since, she has worked with an incredible energy and has had no other choice but to exhibit her works.

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2008-03-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

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2008-03-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

If we mention her engagement as a fundamental aspect of her art, it is because Iris Perez has committed herself to the defense of the human condition and to the condition of abused and exploited women in particular. Thus, she plunges herself and us in the process, in the problems of the City, in a “human habitat” which imprisons creatures in fragmented and closed spaces and which, despite their density, maintain or increase loneliness, separation and scarcity of communication.

It is necessary to mention that the artist has never lost track of her psychological and social objectives nor the control of the means, although her passion for Art has culminated in an impressive production. Similarly she expressed herself in total liberty, the way she wants to, the way she feels it, without ever abandoning authenticity, innocence and the freshness of the soul, qualities transmitted by her protagonists.

2008-03-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Who does not know Iris Perez could think that her drawings are kids’ drawing or that she has copied them. Of course this is not so. We know that many great modern artists were fascinated by the creative easiness and ingeniousness of early age. Let us mention Kandinsky, Klee and Picasso, at times capable as well of identifying with childlike expression, as a form of play. The young Dominican artist traces these figures, spontaneously, repeatedly, without any effort and successfully, unlike others who have tried, in vain, to do so.

Her art is about evolution towards simplification and shows the agile transformation the clumsy and quick sketches drawn by the little ones, even when it seems to be mimetic, into elementary figures. Iris Perez knows how to represent space, nearly always bi-dimensionally and with a voluntary lack of perspective. We should talk about spatial organization with the construction of the image rather than composition.
She adds structures and graphical elements be they abstract or neo-figurative to her pictorial or sketched figures, often the center of her environment. We observe a particular variety as far as her line is concerned, from fineness to thickness: circular, straight, elliptical, sinuous, open, parallel, closed and oval. A true lexical exercise for a more than sensitive geometry! The impulses of her gesture seem inexhaustible, yet also under control – we need to mention, and act within the support0

2008-03-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

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CONTACTO

Republica Dominicana: 809-518-0374, 809-534-9999, Mobil: 829-233-7743

USA: 973 -772-6347, 809-950-7146

irisviperez@gmail.com, irispercrear@gmail.com

2008-03-11T17:10:00.000-07:00

IRIS PEREZ
irisviperez@gmail.com

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
Iris Pérez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She studied Art at the National school of Fine Arts and at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). She specialized in painting and attended the sculpture workshops of the masters Leopoldo Pérez and Domingo Luz. She also participated in various courses and workshops throughout the country.

Individual Exhibition and project
2008: -Tied to the heart, Altos de Chavón Principal Gallery
2007 -Iris Perez: Recent Work, Performance Art Forum (PAF), Reims, France.
-Artist –in-residence (drawing). Le Parc, Pampelonne, France
-Artist –in-residence (painting). PAF, Reims. France.
2006 -Iris Pérez: Retrospectiva of drawing and paintings. Marisall Gallery.
Zagreb, Croatia
-Circuit of individual exhibitions:
-Rakú, Women of Fire. Las asas Reales Museum, Santo Domingo, D.R.
-Human Habitat. Arawak Art Gallery, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-Strange Body. Santiago Cultural Centre, Santiago, D. R.
-Work in Paper and Binders of Love. Cariforum Culture Centre, Sto. Dgo. R.D
-After the Fire. Amicus Contemporary Art, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2003 -Marginal States series. Boricua University, New York, U.S.
2000 -Hidden Spaces. Casa de Bastidas, Santo Domingo, D. R.
From the series Hidden Spaces. Cuba Collection Fine Art, Miami, Florida, U. S.
1998 -Rental Zone. Palacio Consistorial de Santiago, Santiago, D. N. and Palace of Fine Art, Santo Domingo, D. N.
1994 -Homage to the Family. United Nations Office, Santo Domingo, D. R.
1993 -Scenes from Life. National School of Fine Arts, Santo Domingo, D. R.

National and International Events
2007 -Women of the World collective exhibition, World tour opened in 2000 (White Columns, New York); 2001- University of Maryland, Stockholm Sweden, University of New England, Me., Tucson Museum, Arizona. 2002-Women’s Art Gallery, Ohio, Museum of the Southwest, Texas. 2003 – International Museum of Women’s. Mobile Museum, Alabama, Brenau University, Ga. 2004-Tallin Art Hall, Estonia, Skureyri Museum, Iceland, Gerduburg Cultural Center, Reykjavik. 2005 World Financial Center, NY. Women’s Museum, Dallas, New Orleans Contemporary Art Centre, Simmons College, Boston, Legion Arts. -Villa Saugy Ginebra, Suiza
-Ayuntamiento Amman, Jordania, 2007 -" Coredo”, Tokio, Japón, 2006, the most recently at arcadia Art Centre, Lafayette, L. A.
2006 -The secret Garden. Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy.
-Anonymous. Exhibition of Drawings. Berlin, Germany.
2005 -Unclaimed Luggage. Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain.
-Collective Exhibition of Dominican Arts, Habitat for Humanity, Manhattan, U. S.
2004 -Art Olympiads Athens 2004. Sculture project selected to represent the Dominican Republic at the Olympic Games, Athens, Greece.
2000 -Auction. Venezuela Aids 2000, Miami Florida, U.S.

National Collective Exhibitions.
2006 -Drawing Fair. Museum of Contemporary Drawings, Santo Domingo, D.R.
-Daughters of the Caribbean. Casa de España, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2005- -National Biennial of Visual Arts. Museum of Modern Art, S. Dgo ,D. R.
2004 -E. León Jimenez Art Contest. Center León, Santiago, D. R.
Homage to Pablo Neruda. Book Fair, Casa de Teatro and Chilean Embassy, Sto. Dgo.
2003 -Caribbean In situ. Casa de España, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-22nd National Biennial of visual Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Sto. Dgo.
-New Proposals: Exhibition of Instalations. Hotel Lina, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2002 -E. León Jimenez Art Contest. Santiago, D. N.
-27 +27 Freedom Action. CODAP, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2001 -Divergent: Painting Exhibition and Installation for the 4th Caribbean Biennial of Visual Arts. CODAP, Santo Domingo, D. R.
1999 -21st National of Visual Art. Museum of Modern Art, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-12 th E. León Jimenez Biennial, Santiago and Santo Domingo
1997 -Performance – Installation of Hunger Dance. Casa de Bastidas, CODAP and Museum of Modern Art, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-Artists for the Homeland. CODAP, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-2nd Visual Arts National Festival. Museum of Modern Art, Sto.Dgo. D. R.
1996 - Collective Exhibition, Altos de Chavon School of Design, La Romana, D.R.
1994 -8 th March:The Dominican Woman and Her Art. Casa de Bastidas, Sto.Dgo
1991 -18 th National Biennial of Visual Arts. Modern Art Gallery, Sto. Dgo., D.R.
1990 - Expo-Art UASD. Museum of Dominican Man, Santo Domingo, D. R.

Mural and Sculpture:
2007 -Where The Spring of Life Dwells. Nuñez de Cáceres Park, Sto. Dgo. D. R.
2006 -Collective Mural. Produced with the Collaboration of the United Nations, Cabreto, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2005 -Collective Mural. Rehabilitation Centre, Santo Domingo, D. R.

Iris Pérez works as a teacher in the National School of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Drawing, the Latin Academy of Visual Arts and Rehabilitation Center. She has also taught in the Faculty of Humanities of the INTEC University, done children’s workshops in the Museum of Contemporary Drawing and given classes in the Central Bank, amongst others. She is an external consultant in the area of capacity building of teachers in the Department of Art Education of the Ministry of Education.
Since 2001 she has been involved in the project of Public Art: Contemporary Actions, doing community work and interventions together with other artists, students of Art and members of the country’s communities. As a result of this project, she was selected to be a member of the jury of the Ford’s Foundation and the Environment International prizes. She has received numerous awards and token of gratitude both within the country and abroad.
She has participated in specialized courses and workshops in ceramics, engraving and Art History in the following institutions: The National School of Fine Arts, The Museum of Modern Art, Amaco Caribe, the School of Design of Altos de Chavón, the Dominican College of Plastic Arts, the Spanish Cultural Centre, the Pedro Henríquez Ureña University and the Ignerís Foundation amongst others. She is a technical and Web designer as well.
She participated in the 1st Latin American Workshop in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and in the Regional Symposium “Incidence of Pre-Columbian Culture in Art, Arawak Inc., Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.

2008-03-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

2008-03-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

2008-03-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

2008-03-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Individual Exhibition and project
2008: -Tied to the heart, Altos de Chavón Principal Gallery
2007 -Iris Perez: Recent Work, Performance Art Forum (PAF), Reims, France.
-Artist –in-residence (drawing). Le Parc, Pampelonne, France
-Artist –in-residence (painting). PAF, Reims. France.
2006 -Iris Pérez: Retrospectiva of drawing and paintings. Marisall Gallery.
Zagreb, Croatia
-Circuit of individual exhibitions:
-Rakú, Women of Fire. Las asas Reales Museum, Santo Domingo, D.R.
-Human Habitat. Arawak Art Gallery, Santo Domingo, D. R.
-Strange Body. Santiago Cultural Centre, Santiago, D. R.
-Work in Paper and Binders of Love. Cariforum Culture Centre, Sto. Dgo. R.D
-After the Fire. Amicus Contemporary Art, Santo Domingo, D. R.
2003 -Marginal States series. Boricua University, New York, U.S.
2000 -Hidden Spaces. Casa de Bastidas, Santo Domingo, D. R.
From the series Hidden Spaces. Cuba Collection Fine Art, Miami, Florida, U. S.
1998 -Rental Zone. Palacio Consistorial de Santiago, Santiago, D. N. and Palace of Fine Art, Santo Domingo, D. N.
1994 -Homage to the Family. United Nations Office, Santo Domingo, D. R.
1993 -Scenes from Life. National School of Fine Arts, Santo Domingo, D. R.

2008-03-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

National and International Events
2007 -Women of the World collective exhibition, World tour opened in 2000 (White Columns, New York); 2001- University of Maryland, Stockholm Sweden, University of New England, Me., Tucson Museum, Arizona. 2002-Women’s Art Gallery, Ohio, Museum of the Southwest, Texas. 2003 – International Museum of Women’s. Mobile Museum, Alabama, Brenau University, Ga. 2004-Tallin Art Hall, Estonia, Skureyri Museum, Iceland, Gerduburg Cultural Center, Reykjavik. 2005 World Financial Center, NY. Women’s Museum, Dallas, New Orleans Contemporary Art Centre, Simmons College, Boston, Legion Arts. -Villa Saugy Ginebra, Suiza
-Ayuntamiento Amman, Jordania, 2007 -" Coredo”, Tokio, Japón, 2006, the most recently at arcadia Art Centre, Lafayette, L. A.
2006 -The secret Garden. Primo Piano Gallery, Lecce, Italy.
-Anonymous. Exhibition of Drawings. Berlin, Germany.
2005 -Unclaimed Luggage. Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain.
-Collective Exhibition of Dominican Arts, Habitat for Humanity, Manhattan, U. S.
2004 -Art Olympiads Athens 2004. Sculture project selected to represent the Dominican Republic at the Olympic Games, Athens, Greece.
2000 -Auction. Venezuela Aids 2000, Miami Florida, U.S.

2008-03-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

2008-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

The characters, mainly women, be they standing, facing or profiled, often depict the entire body and are generally positioned in a line. Few characters are isolated but this does not mean that they actually communicate as far as she is concerned. The dehumanization of the world, overpopulation and shortages do not facilitate interchanges and fraternization. This is the message, intended to trigger reflection, which Iris Pérez sends us.

Lately, her drawings and paintings have tended to identify with one another: the techniques and the supports are merging; the separation between categories is being blurred. Iris Pérez is an example of the “globalizing” tendency although she persists in making the distinction between Drawing and Painting. We respect her for that… However, for us, it is simply a passionate Opus, overflowing with humor and tenderness. And that’s enough.

Marianne de Tolentino
Member of the Administration Board of the International Association of Art Critics.

2008-03-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

PAINTING

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2008-03-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

2007-09-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

NEW!!!!

The Early Bird Preview
NEW...The 7th Annual Exhibition
10Women - 10Countries 1st Oct 2007 - Sept 30th 2008

To visit:

http://noosagallery.com/10women10countries7.htm

http://noosagallery.com/ip7irisperez.htm

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2006-11-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

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IRIS PEREZ
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Iris Perez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She studied Art at the National school of Fine Arts and at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). She specialized in painting and attended the sculpture workshops of the masters Leopoldo Perez and Domingo Luz. She also participated in various courses and workshops throughout the country.

Individual Exhibition:
2006 Beginning of a tour of individual exhibitions:
8th March Raku Women of Fire, Museum of las Casas Reales, Santo
Domingo
2003 Series “Marginal Status, Boricua University, New York.
2000 “Hidden Spaces”: Casa de Bastidas, from the series “Hidden
Spaces”: Cuba Collection Fine Art., Miami Florida.
1998 Zone to Rent: Plaza de la Cultura Santiago Apóstol, Palacio
Consistorial. “Zone to Rent”, Palace of Fine Arts.
1994 Homage to the Sede Family in Dominican Republic. United Nations Organization (UNO).
1993 Scenes from Life: National School of Fine Arts.

International events
She was selected by the organization Artiade to represent her country in the Art Olympiads organized when the 2004 Olympic Games took place in Athens.
Presently she is taking part in the Women of the World collective exhibition coordinated by curator and visual artist Claudia Demonte and the Arts Faculty of the University of Maryland, USA.
Itinerary exhibitions have taken her to following places:

2000 White Columns, N.Y.C, Flint Institute, Michigan
2001 University of Maryland, Stockholm Sweden, University of New England, Me., Tucson Museum, Arizona.
2002 Women's Art Gallery, Ohio, Museum of the Southwest, Texas.
2003 International Museum of Women's, Mobile Museum, Alabama, Brenau University, Ga.
2004 Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia, Akureyri Museum, Iceland, Gerduburg Cultural Centre, Reykjavik
2005 World Financial Centre, N.Y., Women's Museum, Dallas, New Orleans Contemporary Art Centre, Simmons College, Boston, Legion Arts. San Francisco.
2005 Unclaimed Luggage, Project coordinated by the Artrageous Group and presented for the Centenary of the Fine Arts Circle of Madrid, Spain. Collective exhibition of Dominican Artists organized by Hábitat for Humanity, New York.
2004 Collective exhibition Lotus Art. Gallery, New York
2000 Subasta: "Venezuela Aids 2000" coordinated by Morgan Stantle Deán Witter and Slogan Auction Gallery, Contemporary Visions-Unión Planter Bank, Miami Florida.
1997 Exhibition of Latin American paintings, Cultural Salon of the Banco Atlántida –Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Exhibition in the 1st Central American Workshop of Plastic Arts, INICE- Honduras.
1990 Feast of Fire: Santiago de Cuba.
In 1997, she attended the interregional meeting of the AIP-UNESCO in Tegucigalpa –Honduras where she was nominated “Distinguished Guest” of the city, honour given by the Corporation of the District of Honduras.In 1994 she received a Certificate of Gratitude from the Promotion of the Woman, a medal awarded by the FAO for her performance-installation of “the Dance of Hunger”, the 2nd prize of the Pinta de la Paz Contest. An award by the Ford Conservation and Environment Prizes and an award by the National School of Fine Arts for her academic work in 2003 and 2004.

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Summary of national collectives’ exhibitions
2006 Fair of Drawings, Museum of Contemporary drawings
2005 National Biannual of Visual Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Santo Domingo.
Collective contemporary Exhibition, Gallery Amicus, Biannual in Paleta de Niquel. Museum Cándido Bido R. D., Collective: Contemporary Women: Casa de la Cultura de Santiago.
2004 E León Jimenes Art Contest, Centro León de Santiago.
Homage to Ramón Oviedo: Arawak Art Gallery, Hommage to Pablo Neruda: School of Theatre in the framework of the 2004 Book Fair, Casa de Teatro and Embassy of Chile, Galleries Fair: Museum of Contemporary Drawing, Views of a Mega centre: Centro Commercial MegaCentro.
2003 Caribbean Institute Collective - Casa de España, Dominican Rep, 22nd National Biannual Visual Arts, Museum of Modern Art, Santo Domingo, New Proposals – Exhibition of Installations, Hotel Lina.
2002 E León Jimenes Art Contest, 27+27 Freedom Actions, CODAP.
2001 Divergent painting exhibition and installation for the 4th Caribbean Biannual, Santo Domingo.
2000- Arco iris 2000 Museum of the Dominican Man.
1999 21st National biannual of Visual Arts, Modern Art Museum, Santo Domingo
12th E. León Jiménes Biannual, Casa de Bastidas.
1997- Performance – Installation of the “Hunger Dance”, Casa de Bastidas, el CODAP and MAM. Artists for the Fatherland–CODAP-, 1st exhibition of paintings and literary productions of teachers, Casa de Bastidas, 2nd National Festival of Visual Arts, Museum of Modern Art.
\n 1996: Colectiva Escuela de Diseños Altos de Chavón. - 1994: 8 de Marzo, La mujer Dominicana y su Arte Casa de Bastidas. -1991: XVIII Bienal Nacional de Artes Visuales. Galería de Arte Moderno. -7 Mujeres Contra la Violencia.-Museo de Arte Moderno, Exposición Itinerante, realizada en 10 pueblos de la región del Cibao, Exposición de primavera –Restauran L´avocat-, Exposición litográfica :Homenaje al trabajador –CODAP-, Homenaje a Duarte – Palacio de Bellas \nArtes-.1990- Expo-Arte –UASD- Museo del Hombre Dominicano-, 1987- Exposiciones Colectivas – Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes-, Expo colectiva artistas visuales de Santo Domingo y el Seybo – Ayuntamiento del Seybo.\n\n \nIris Pérez, Se desempeña como profesora de la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, el Museo del Dibujo Contemporáneo y \n la Academia Latina de Artes Visuales. Ha impartido docencia en la Facultad de Humanidades de la Universidad INTEC, también en los Talleres Infantiles del \n Museo del Dibujo Contemporáneo y del Banco Central, entre otras instituciones. Facilitadota externa el área de capacitación para maestros y maestras en el departamento de educación artística de la Secretaría de Estado de Educación. \n \n Desde el año 2001 está trabajando en el proyecto de arte público: Acciones Contemporáneas, realizando un trabajo comunitario \n e intervenciones en conjuntos con otros artistas, estudiantes de artes y personas de las comunidades del país. Por este proyecto fue seleccionada para ser jurado de los premios internacionales

1996 Design School of Altos de Chavón.
1994 8th March, The Dominican Woman and her Art, Casa de Bastidas.
1991 18th National Biannual of Visual Arts, Modern art Gallery. 7 Women against Violence. Travelling exhibition in 10 villages of the Cibao Region, Spring Exhibition, Restaurant L´Avocat, Lithographic Exhibition: Homage to the Worker–CODAP, Homage to Duarte, Palace of Fine Arts.
1990 Expo-Arte, UASD – Museum of the Dominican Man.1987 Collective exhibitions, National School of Fine Arts, Collective exhibition of visual artists of Santo Domingo and the Seybo Region, Municipality of the Seybo.

2006-10-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

Iris Pérez works as a teacher in the National School of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Drawing and the Latin Academy of Visual Arts. She has also taught in the Faculty of Humanities of the INTEC University, done children’s workshops in the Museum of Contemporary Drawing and given classes in the Central Bank, amongst others. She is an external consultant in the area of capacity building of teachers in the Department of Art Education of the Ministry of Education.

2006-10-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Since 2001 she has been involved in the project of Public Art: Contemporary Actions, doing community work and interventions together with other artists, students of Art and members of the country’s communities. As a result of this project, she was selected to be a member of the jury of the Ford’s Foundation and the Environment International prizes. She has received numerous awards and token of gratitude both within the country and abroad.
She has participated in specialized courses and workshops in ceramics, engraving and Art History in the following institutions: The National School of Fine Arts, The Museum of Modern Art, Amaco Caribe, the School of Design of Alto de Chavón, the Dominican College of Plastic Arts, the Spanish Cultural Centre, the Pedro Henríquez Ureña University and the Ingerís Foundation amongst others. She is a technical and Web designer as well.
She participated in the 1st Latin American Workshop in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and in the Regional Symposium “Incidence of Pre-Columbian Culture in Art, Arawak Inc., Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.

MURALS AND SCULPTURES:
Iris Pérez has executed murals and sculptures such as the “Piece of the Poet Lowesky Medina”, unveiled in the Central Park of Duvergé in 1994, the mural by a collective of Dominican and Peruvian artists, Area infantil of Robert Reid Cabral,
Mural colectivo de artistas Dominicanos y cubanos, Santiago de Cuba, 1991, Mural colectivo donado a la Fundación Chang Aquino, 1997 y el gran Mural realizado en el Teatro Nacional, Como registro de el Dialogo Nacional en 1998, mural realizado para el Asilo de Ancianos San Francisco de Asís con la cooperación de la embajada de Japón en el \n2004.2005- Mural colectivo realizado en el Cabreto coordinado en conjunto con las naciones unidas, UNICEF ,Mural Colectivo Centro de Rehabilitación coordinado por el MUDIC.a mural by Dominican and Cuban artists in Santiago de Cuba in 1991, a collective mural donated by the Chan Aquino Foundation in 1997 and the grand mural of the National Theatre in 1998. To commemorate the National Dialogue in 1998, she realized a mural for the San Francis of Assisi Old Age Home with the help of the Embassy of Japan during 2004-2005. Participated in a collective mural done in El Cabreto in coordination with the United Nations, UNICEF and a mural in the Rehabilitation Centre coordinated by MUDIC.

2006-10-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

2006-09-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

The passionate Opus of Iris

Marianne de Tolentino
Member of the Administration Board of the International Association of Art Critics.

Iris Pérez is an artist who does count. It would be inappropriate to refer to her as a mounting talent as indeed, she has proven her seriousness, her consistency and her unrestricted creativity. Since the exhibition she presented in Fine Arts in 1999, she has been standing out thanks to a style more and more personal as time goes on, offering works which are rich, abundant and engaged, rendering obvious the pleasure of creating and searching…

She was trained in the very National School of Fine Arts where she lectures today. Her art alternates between drawings, paintings – both being her main genres - , sculpture and recently ceramics. It is worth mentioning that Iris had been selected amongst nearly 5000 candidates worldwide to participate in a planetary collective workshop at the Athens Olympic Games where she received a noted recognition for her sculptures installation. Since, she has worked with an incredible energy and has had no other choice but to exhibit her works.

If we mention her engagement as a fundamental aspect of her art, it is because Iris Perez has committed herself to the defense of the human condition and to the condition of abused and exploited women in particular. Thus, she plunges herself and us in the process, in the problems of the City, in a “human habitat” which imprisons creatures in fragmented and closed spaces and which, despite their density, maintain or increase loneliness, separation and scarcity of communication.

It is necessary to mention that the artist has never lost track of her psychological and social objectives nor the control of the means, although her passion for Art has culminated in an impressive production. Similarly she expressed herself in total liberty, the way she wants to, the way she feels it, without ever abandoning authenticity, innocence and the freshness of the soul, qualities transmitted by her protagonists.

Who does not know Iris Perez could think that her drawings are kids’ drawing or that she has copied them. Of course this is not so. We know that many great modern artists were fascinated by the creative easiness and ingeniousness of early age. Let us mention Kandinsky, Klee and Picasso, at times capable as well of identifying with childlike expression, as a form of play. The young Dominican artist traces these figures, spontaneously, repeatedly, without any effort and successfully, unlike others who have tried, in vain, to do so.

Her art is about evolution towards simplification and shows the agile transformation the clumsy and quick sketches drawn by the little ones, even when it seems to be mimetic, into elementary figures. Iris Perez knows how to represent space, nearly always bi-dimensionally and with a voluntary lack of perspective. We should talk about spatial organization with the construction of the image rather than composition.
She adds structures and graphical elements be they abstract or neo-figurative to her pictorial or sketched figures, often the center of her environment. We observe a particular variety as far as her line is concerned, from fineness to thickness: circular, straight, elliptical, sinuous, open, parallel, closed and oval. A true lexical exercise for a more than sensitive geometry! The impulses of her gesture seem inexhaustible, yet also under control – we need to mention, and act within the support.

The characters, mainly women, be they standing, facing or profiled, often depict the entire body and are generally positioned in a line. Few characters are isolated but this does not mean that they actually communicate as far as she is concerned. The dehumanization of the world, overpopulation and shortages do not facilitate interchanges and fraternization. This is the message, intended to trigger reflection, which Iris Pérez sends us.

Lately, her drawings and paintings have tended to identify with one another: the techniques and the supports are merging; the separation between categories is being blurred. Iris Pérez is an example of the “globalizing” tendency although she persists in making the distinction between Drawing and Painting. We respect her for that… However, for us, it is simply a passionate Opus, overflowing with humor and tenderness. And that’s enough.

Marianne de Tolentino
Member of the Administration Board of the International Association of Art Critics.

2006-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

2003-10-16T23:38:00.000-07:00

2003-10-16T15:06:00.000-07:00