A Glimpse of Realism: Conde Contemporary Hosts New Exhibit of International Artists – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper

A Glimpse into Realism: Conde Contemporary Hosts a New Exhibition by International Artists

Posted at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2022

By MAIA BRONFMAN

NATCHEZ — Inside a cage, a video of Natchez Historic Foundation curator Nicole Harris slightly and abruptly moving her head played on loop. Conde Contemporary Gallery owner Stacy Conde had created the piece with her son, Angel, who had superimposed the chirping of birds onto the visual.

The work was exhibited Thursday evening during a preview of the program “Beyond Realism” alongside other works by international artists such as Jeff Faust, Andrés Conde, Pablo Santibáñez Servat, Kevin Sloan, Danco Duportai Garcia, Clifford Bailey and Cesar Orrico. The exhibition precedes a series of residencies of some of the artists presented.

Tapes recovered from a wall were painted by Danco Duportai Garcia, a Cuban living in Mexico City. The imaginary origins of the sounds he hears while meditating illustrate the tapes.

Opposite the stripes is a brown longhorn, created from layers of linseed oil paint by Pablo Santibáñez Servat, a Chilean living in Madrid.

Condé stepped back to look at the painting. It was the preferred way to see it, she said. Up close, the paint had a blurry effect.

Another Servat, a sculpture of Japanese pearl divers entitled “Ama”, is cast in aluminum and cedar.

“It’s an exposition of the facets of realism,” Conde said.

Servat and Kevin Sloan, another exhibiting artist, will travel to Natchez for two to six week residencies over the coming year. As part of their residencies, they will give free lessons to young people in the city.

The official opening of the exhibition will take place on Friday, August 12 at 6 p.m. at the COCO Gallery at 334 Main Street.