Billboards throughout the National District are being used to exhibit the works of leading Dominican artists. The City Government and the Centro Leon is sponsoring “Art to Express Yourself,” turning the city into an open-air museum.
More than 300 billboards, distributed all throughout the National District are being used. The exhibition has the backing of Altice telecom, the Banco Popular and United Capital.
The promoters say #ArteparaExpresarte seeks to create conversations on digital platforms as people get to know leading Dominican artists’ works. Critical thinking and empowerment of local artist talent and creativity is encouraged.
“The initiative is a social contribution to the people of Santo Domingo, giving them the opportunity to enjoy an urban art gallery, where they can appreciate the art and culture of our country,” says Noel Giraldi, general manager of Cartel, a leading billboard advertising company that is participating in the initiative.
The works and pieces are part of the Eduardo León Jimenes Collection of Visual Arts, and the Archaeology Collection of the Centro León. The works were selected by its curators and specialists, based on technical criteria of format and content. The selection includes works by outstanding Dominican artists from different generations and varied art manifestations, such as drawing, painting and photography.
“In these times of distance, taking some pieces from our collection from their usual environment to the streets of Santo Domingo activates in another way the relationship with our audiences. We have had to reinvent ourselves to meet again, and on this occasion, the billboard offers us the ideal space to start a different conversation based on hope, identities and our stories; one that encourages the generation of new cultural content in an incessant dialogue with the true protagonists of culture: the audiences,” emphasizes María Amalia León, president of the Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation and director of the León Center. “With this project, the Centro León confirms itself as a museum that does not limit itself to exhibiting its collections inwardly, but seeks other venues and platforms to achieve a true educational and transformative impact on the community,” she stresses.
The exhibition was inaugurated last week with the participation of National District Mayor Carolina Mejia. Said the Mayor: “… it is necessary to find activities that allow us to renew hope and feel joy. Art in its diverse manifestations is a balm for the soul and today we are grateful to these institutions that allow us to offer the people of the capital an outdoor museum throughout the city…”.
The participating Dominican artists include: Ramón Oviedo, Soucy de Pellerano, Tony Capellán, Ricardo Toribio, Jorge Severino, Fernando Peña Defilló, Jorge Pineda, Danilo De Los Santos, Rosa Idalia García, Wali Vidal, Jacinto Domínguez, Joiri Minaya, Patricia Encarnación, Daniel Henríquez, Cristian Martínez (Crismar), Jesús Natalio Puras Penzo (Apeco), Wifredo García Domenech, Odette Goico, Quisqueya Henríquez, Heriberto Pieter Benett and Domingo Batista.
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Centro Leon
Listin Diario
27 September 2020