series of reflections on humanity and our inner environment. They are moments of contemplation captured in milli-seconds, revealing the sensitiveness and vulnerability of human beings. In this discovery lies the human strength. These moments he captures through the lens of the human eye and experience moved him towards the direction of social consciousness and action.
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| Cesar Conde at Genesis Art Gallery, "Faces Not Forgotten", 4/16/2016 |
In The Hood – Portraits of African American Professionals Wearing a Hoodie,” is the first recipient of the “Paul Collins Diversity Award” in ArtPrize 2014. This project is of large scale paintings done in Technique Mixte. They are portraits of African American professionals, male and female wearing a “Hoodie”. This is to dialogue “Perception” vs. “Reality”, race-relations, stigmas, images, stereotypes, generalizations. It was inspired by the tragedy of the 17 y.o. African American teenager, Trayvon Martin who was shot and killed last year while wearing a hoodie in a Florida neighborhood. Conde believes that "Until we see each other beyond “The Hood and into Humanity”, we perhaps can achieve peace and erase color lines."
Currently, Conde is working on “The Bang Bang Project”. It’s a series of large scale portraitures about “Black Lives” cut short due to police brutality and death as a result of stereotypes directed towards people of color. Conde’s Conde is involved in a project with The Field Museum of Chicago in a project called “Art and Anthropology: Portraits of Object as Filipino.” A collaborative works with 10 Filipino and Filipino-American Artists to create large scale painting regarding the anthropological objects inside the museum.
Conde
studied at Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy with John Michael Angel ,
who was an apprentice for Pietro Annigoni. Also, with Master Painter of
Technique Mixte , Patrick Betaudier in his atelier in France. Conde’s old
master influences are Carravaggio, Rehmbrant, and Goya.
He resides in Chicago
and continues to paint in his atelier in the Red Light District at the Zhou B
Art Center where he is Artist-In-Residence.
PopUp Research Station- Creative Conversations Podcast.
Artist talks and panel discussions are an opportunity to get to know artists approach of creating work, their biography, culture, mission and goals and desires. The moderators are directing the dialog between artists. Today our conversation is with artists Cesar Conde, Tracy Poyser, and Marianna Buchwald. Questions of investigation: What inspired you? How your passion developed? Social Justice: How do you define social practice? Describe one of your recent projects and how it intersects with social justice? Can artist pop in and out of a community? What's the process like examples of how relationships are developed in short periods of time or can they?
