Turizzo Anaya: Awakening

El Taller Latino Americano's Grady Alexis Gallery presents "Awakening", an exhibition of paintings and mixed media by Colombian artist Turizzo Anaya. This collection explores the artist's focus on natural elements and symbols and will be on display from November 8 to December 20th, 2007. 

As a child, Turizzo grew up in the region Bolivar, a rain forest some distance from Cartagena, away from the civilized world. This seems to have cultivated in him a profound connection to the natural world and its history. This relationship is a thread running through much of his work. "I'm in a place between nature and my imagination. Nature is there but my imagination takes nature and creates new shapes," Turizzo explains. 

Turizzo's work focuses heavily on the natural world and the history of its peoples, and spans ancient times to the present day reflecting always the isolation and mystery of the jungle, his remote childhood home. "As a boy, I did not live in the city. We had no electricity. Our lights were from flames." 

His heavy emphasis on symbolic elements inhabits his images both the obvious and more subtle. He wants the viewer to see his works as multi-layered but also as reflecting the elemental and universal. "I want people focusing on the paintings, the meanings and the symbols. I believe there are many things people don't see because they are not aware that they are supposed to find such things." 

With such a thoughtful and reflective approach toward natural settings, Turizzo does not shy away from portraying darker elemental forces such as greed and a human tendency for self-destruction. But present too in Turizzo's work are other, more promising forces. "There is always hope," he says. "I can't just paint violence and suffering and no hope. If there is no hope, there is nothing." 

Turizzo's work has been exhibited extensively in the United States, England and Latin America since 1972. He has been selected by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York for mural projects in subway stations and given special mention by the VII Salon of Visual Arts in Colombia, and numerous other awards throughout his exhibition history. 

Veronica Aberham, Gallery Director, organized the exhibition and curates "Awakening".