On March 11th an exciting new art exhibit featuring unique sculptures by Mexico City artist Alvaro Zardoni and original paintings by Montreal artist Jean-Gabriel Lambert will open at Galleria Dante, Basilio Badillo 269 on the south side of Puerto Vallarta, with a cocktail reception from 6–10 pm.

Alvaro Zardoni was born at Mexico City’s “Colonia Roma” neighbourhood. He studied painting and drawing at Irene Lindroth’s studio from 1975 to 1981 and from 1983 until 1988. He started to work in sculpture in an independent way, experimenting with various materials until his almost exclusive use of bronze in his current work. His sculpture - figurative and of small format - is usually accompanied by different found objects that reinforce the original idea of each piece.

Zardoni's reference to both Classical and Mediterranean sculpture also take into consideration mythological themes, literary characters or those derived from legends. He exhibits regularly around Mexico in various galleries, official sites, cultural centers and alternative spaces. He graduated from the School of Architecture at the Universidad Anahuac (Mexico City,) in 1987. He is currently represented by Galleria Dante in Puerto Vallarta. He has been a member of the Salon de la Plástica Mexicana since 2006.

Recently Alvaro was asked if he was influenced by the artist, Louise Nevelson. “When I was quite young I read something Louise Nevelson wrote and that has stayed with me ever since. I love her work and admire the courage she had to give up everything and become an artist... though obviously I'm more into figurative sculptors: I have passed through various favorite ones and studied their work, the first one was Rodin, then Aristide Maillol, Camille Claudel, Josep Clará, Subirachs and Arno Breker... and the more recent ones were Robert Graham (whose death last year shocked me... ) and Javier Marin. I'm not sure if I can see their direct influence on my work... they all have marked me in some way, perhaps very subtly, but I try not to copy anyone... I have tried to find my own way of expression..." he replied.

"From earliest childhood I knew I was going to be an artist. I felt like an artist. Some people are here on earth and never know what they want. I call them 'unfinished business.' I had a blueprint all my life from childhood and I knew exactly what I demanded of this world. Now, some people may not demand of life as much as I did. But I wanted one thing that I thought belonged to me, I wanted the whole show. For me that is living... Who is an artist? I say, we take a title. No one gives it to us. We make our lives," Zardoni added.

Alvaro’s work forms part of private collections in México, Miami, Los Ángeles, Chicago, Boston, Nueva York, Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Colonia, Stuttgart, Viena, Amberes, Rotterdam, Lisboa, Madrid, Milán, Como Paris and London. Click HERE to see Galleria Dante's incredible group of Alvaro Zardoni sculptures.

Jean-Gabriel Lambert was born in Montreal, Canada. He first came into the public eye through acting and dance. As his voice technique developed, his imagination took free rein. He directed a video in which he played two characters who confront one another. Later, he added writing and singing to his artistic accomplishments and soon after, in a natural progression, he began drawing and painting.

Jean-Gabriel has constructed his own tools to break the silence and touch the other with his joys and his fears, to feel alive and to be part of the movement of the earth. The future of humanity and our relationship with the other provide his creative motivation. Love, friendship and communication are both bearers of meaning and the impetus to act.

Again and again, his canvases interweave intimate stories and universal issues. In Global Warming, inner turbulence finds its echo in the cosmos. In another painting, we imagine ourselves floating above an immense landscape, and at the same time, we see a wound on a body. The paint is laid on densely, darkly, with blues the color of night bordering with beaches, like waves of serenity. An entire series was painted in honor of his mother, Madeleine. Another series from the views of Conchas Chinas.

The human form is never very far away. Often, figures insinuate themselves into the paintings, taking shape through the abstract gestural flux. Figurative images rise to the surface: here we see a mouth and there, a body... leaving the work open and in movement.

A canvas never has a single meaning when seen through the eyes of others, it lives and it grows. His artistic expression continues to emerge and assert itself as he moves forward in life. The dialogue with the public provoked by Jean-Gabriel's paintings nurtures him and gives him the desire to open it ever further through his art.

The artistic journey that he embarked upon twenty-five years ago has led him around the word in a quest for inspiration. In 1999, he fell in love with the Mexican people during his initial visit to Vallarta and for the first time added the color yellow into his work. He continues to be inspired by the light and colors of its spectacular natural environment and its people. Jean-Gabriel now paints here on his annual pilgrimages, as well as in his Montreal studio. Click HERE to see the paintings of Jean-Gabriel Lambert on currently display at Galleria Dante.

Other artists in attendance the evening of March 11th include: Oscar Solis, Juana Cortez, Oscar Capeche, Yvan Genest, Cherie Sibley, Guillermo Brockman, Consuelo, Janice Reuland, Peter Spataro and Edgar Martinez.

The opening reception for Yvan Genest & Oscar Solis at Galleria Dante is part of this week's Southside Shuffle, a fun-filled that gives everyone the opportunity to discover the treasures at twelve shops and galleries on Basilio Badillo and Constitución every other Friday from 6-10 pm through April 8th. Click HERE for more info.

Upcoming Southside Shuffle Openings at Galleria Dante

March 25, 2011 – Luis Valui (painter)
April 8, 2011 - Ignacio Guerrero (painter)