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presented the exhibition “Que no me quiten lo pintao. Los codigos visuales del
merengue” as part of the discussions about merengue that took place during the
conference. The exhibition brought together works of art representing merengue from
a number of private collections.
As part of Centro Leon’s policy to reach out and project culture nationwide, after the
exhibition was shown in Santiago, it moved on to Santo Domingo to be shown at the
Bellapart Museum from 11 July to 17 August. “The Center is much more than a shop
window for displaying art. It provides a cultural space that seeks to interact with its
audiences,” says Angela Garcia, cultural services manager, describing Centro Leon’s
cultural outreach policy. “It is about seeking that artists, creators, teachers, students,
tourists and ordinary Dominicans alike interact and develop a better understanding
of their identity, Dominican and Caribbean culture,” adds Camilo Venegas, outreach
and communications manager.
The merengue exhibition included works by Yoryi Morel, Polibio Diaz, Paul Giudicelli,
Manolo Pascual, Alfredo Senor, Jaime Colson, Nidia Cuervo, Jose Morillo, Chiqui
Mendoza, Quisqueya Henriquez, Plutarco Andujar, Asdrubal Dominguez, Dionisio
Pichardo, Jose Vela Zanetti, Raul Recio, Jacinto Dominguez, Kutty Reyes, Federico
Izquierdo, Radhames Mejia, Dionisio Pichardo, Gaspar Mario Cruz, Cuquito Pena,
Jesus Desangles, Chito Zouain, Ramon Oviedo, and Jose Ramirez Conde.
The exhibition sought to explore the impact that merengue has had on visual arts in
the DR throughout its history. As Centro Leon director Rafael Emilio Yunen explains:
“The main purpose of the exhibition has to do with how a culture, when it defines
itself, appeals to codes that identify certain traits. To represent merengue in painting
is to transcribe, using the tools of the visual arts, the cultural properties assigned to
the rhythm as well as all the cultural elements that make it up.”
Artistic photography with Domingo Batista
Prominent Dominican photographer Domingo Batista shares his photographic
mastery throughout the summer at the Centro Leon in Santiago. “Domingo Batista
XL: Walking with the Light” is an exhibition of 47 large format photographs printed
on canvas. Domingo Batista’s work draws a singular map of the Dominican Republic
and its biodiversity. The works take their viewers to the far south, the Central Mountain
Range, Montecristi and the Cibao. Beyond the DR, the photos also pay homage to
nature and the beloved land of the wise US Native American dwellers of the Smoky
Mountains National Park in the United States. The unifying theme of the exhibition
is that the photographs were taken just before sunset and shortly before sunrise. To
view the exhibition is to follow the light, its lights and shadows.
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