Fernando Carpaneda “New Portraits” is a series of paintings and drawings depicting the beauty and the sensuality of men and women. The work seeks to provoke debates and questions about equality, in the sense of valuing the human being. Leaving inhibition aside, in scenes that depict sex, gender and relationships, the artist’s “in your face” approach is meant to inspire the observer to accept diversity in human sexuality.
Carpaneda takes inspiration from the urban element, and uses the language of the street along with his own experiences. Beggars, pop stars, sex workers, punks and outcasts of all kinds are the object of his attention and look. He uses DNA- be it his own hair or that of his models- and blends it with more traditional art materials to create his paintings and sculptures. In the past, Carpaneda has focused his artistic gaze exclusively on the male subject. But for this show, he has created paintings and drawings of females for the very first time.
Fernando Carpaneda was one of the first Brazilian artists to exhibit homoerotic works in Brazil, and is well known in the gay arts and erotic arts world. He has been showing in international galleries since 1982, in places such as Art Basel in Miami, The Tom of Finland Foundation in California, The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis and The Leslie Lohman Museum in New York, where he had a solo show in 2011.
Carpaneda’s art has been featured in books such as The Best of Punk Globe Magazine and Treasures Of Gay Art. In June 2012, some of his works were exhibited on 23 foot LED screens as part of “Art Takes Times Square” and were seen by over 1 million people. Carpaneda was also named as a Juror’s Choice for Visual Art at the 2016 Seattle Erotic Art Festival.
In 2015, Carpaneda created his own publication, “Carpazine”, to expose Underground music, performance and visual art. The bi-monthly magazine has featured a number of well-known and emerging artists such as Ginger Coyote, Drew Maillard, Frank Russo, Scooter LaForge, Gazelle, Leigh DeVries, Spike Polite and Manoush.
The “Fernando Carpaneda: New Portraits” Opening Party, on Saturday June 23rd, (7-10pm) will also be the release party for Carpazine #15 which features Reverend Yolanda, a trans femme gender queer singer songwriter and Interfaith Minister of Music. Reverend Yolanda will be performing a few songs and signing magazines at the opening. Admission is free and open to all ages. MF Gallery is proud to be an Official NYC Pride Partner for this event.
MF Gallery is located at 213 Bond Street, between Baltic and Butler Streets in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn. Take the F or G to Bergen St., the A or C to Hoyt/ Schermerhorn, or the R to Union.
After opening night, the show will be open by appointment until July 29th.
The artwork can also be viewed and purchased online at: www.MFgallery.net
