Thu 11/20 @ 5 – 8pm
Imported from Chile, Pablo Serra Marino is the recipient of the Cleveland Foundation’s prestigious Creative Fusion international grant program and has been a visiting artist-in-residence since September. Pablo is a visual artist and founding member in the former collective art group “Long Distance Runners,” with whom he won awards from Chile’s FONDART (The National Fund for Cultural Development and Arts).
He has exhibited his solo work at several international art fairs in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Miami. Pablo’s work has also been published in many catalogs, and now Cleveland has the privilege to see his work firsthand at the Cleveland Print Room. The opening reception is Thu 11/20 from 5PM – 8PM.
During his time here in Cleveland, Pablo has been working with students in the art program at St. Martin De Porres.
“In Chile I most of the time work on my personal stuff. It’s difficult to work with the community in Chile because of the resources. We don’t have many resources to fund these types of activity. With my colleagues and friends we are trying to do workshops in summer and some moments during the year but we have to finance those activities. It takes a lot of programming and saving money. It’s difficult.”
He continues, “I have to say on a general level, I feel this energy going on here in Cleveland. There’s a lot of people willing to participate. There’s a vibe going on that you can feel. I came from a big city, so here you can feel how there’s an aspect from people to get things done. I feel very lucky because of the organization I am working with because these kids are already very stimulated so they are open all the time to participate, to communicate…they don’t have this lack of energy that you can find in many other environments. They are very smart and know a lot of things.
“The show is based on the idea of the problems coming up with a show after only being here for two months. It’s really difficult for me and my experiences…to digest all this information, all this stimulation, the way that I came here so fast and then use all that to come up with a show. So I decided to focus precisely on that problem, which means that I am only dealing with the surface of this culture.
“Now of course I can’t understand some things and I am thinking that all the time, and I understand that is the main point of this cultural exchange. And of course I can understand there are some things that I am going to conclude or have a different notion from my experience some months later. So for this show, I am just focusing on the American culture and also the Midwest.
“I am also exploiting this idea that I am an exotic artist here from Chile to work his magic, and I say that in a colloquial way. I also feel like a tropical fish, you know that you put in a fish tank where people come to see it. I get that feeling all the time…it’s really part of the residence too.”
So where did the title You Will Find Luck When you Go Home come from? “I can relate that title to everything about my experiences of being here. But the first day I went to a Chinese restaurant. In Chile, we have a lot of Chinese restaurants but they don’t use this tradition of giving you a fortune cookie at the end. That was my first fortune cookie and the message I got was ‘You will find luck when you go home.’ So, I thought that was the perfect excuse to use this title for the show.”
Also opening alongside Pablo’s work will be an exhibition of work by some of the talented high school students at Saint Martin De Porres from the after-school photography program taught by Donald Black Jr. Also on display at the opening will be a large-scale collaborative piece created by Pablo in conjunction with Lake Erie Ink.
Both sadly and happily Pablo says, “I am leaving very soon and I am kind of sad because this has been a wonderful experience. I am already trying to take care of coming back. I like it a lot here. The conditions like this one, that the Cleveland Foundation have provided for me…I am very grateful. This has all been very amusing for me and exciting for me. I’ve had a great time here.”
The exhibit is freeand will run Thursday, November 20th – Tuesday, November 25th at the Cleveland Print Room, located in the Quadrangle arts district in the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood on the first floor of the historic ArtCraft Building. To enter the Cleveland Print Room, use the separate entrance at 2550 Superior Ave. It is the middle door in the front of the ArtCraft building. Free, well-lit secure parking is available behind the building on evenings and Saturdays only. Otherwise, there is plenty of street parking available. See you at the opening reception, Thursdsay November 20th!