Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - On Friday, February 21 from 6-10 pm, during this week's South Side Shuffle, a cocktail reception will open three special art exhibits at Galleria Dante, located at Basilio Badillo #269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone.

Israel Zzepda

At only 43, Israel Zzepda has already been a professional artist for more than half his life. He has been painting and drawing for more than 35 years, but also sculpts in paper mache, bronze & cast aluminum. Israel’s body of work is remarkably large given his age, but when you consider he became an apprentice at the age of 15 and a full-time art teacher at the age of 19, it isn’t so surprising. He taught both art and fashion illustration for more than 13 years, and, as a teacher, he has influenced many young artists, including several members of his own family.

There is a sensitivity, innocence and refined discipline about Israel. His work explores religious, spiritual, sexual and existential realms, reflecting truths and questioning established thinking, and he is not afraid to express himself. "The artist is a reflection of daily life. I want to be a chronicle of my time," says Zzepda, who seeks to reflect his own unique style and honesty in all of his work.

In his approach of the human figure, texture plays an extremely important role. Instead of painting photo-realistic portraits, he sacrifices the perfection of the human figure in hopes of revealing part of the shared human experience that resides within him. "We are all good and bad, we construct and we destroy, we are of light and somewhat dark, journeying daily through the streets of the planet." Israel’s imaginative capacity is, perhaps, the most dominant striking feature of his work. The viewer can not help but be drawn in and intrigued by the thematic contents of his paintings. Some of his works appear to be recreating ambiguous and mysterious worlds often made up of strange, desolate environments while others display serene, sometimes humorous, eroticism. He also embraces notoriously religious topics, as well as ontological and metaphysical subjects.

Israel has also painted more than 1000 meters of murals, both public and private, in Cancun, Uruapan, Michoacán and Jalisco. In addition, he completed 6 murals in Sardinia, Italy, in 2011. We are excited to announce that Israel will be returning to Italy as part of a collective show in Turin, Italy, on March 15th, 2014. He is also working on a new conceptual art project that delves into human and social justice in the setting of globalized power and its effects on ecological consciousness and human rights. His latest work, in conjunction with these upcoming projects, represents a new cycle of creative production and personal growth for Israel, and we are all very anxious to see where it leads.

David Moreno Zepeda

David Zepeda, born in Guadalajara in August 1979, developed his passion for drawing at the young age of five. He tried to emulate the heroes of his childhood as well as his older brother who was already passionate about drawing as a form of expression.

For years, David was influenced, motivated and supported by his brother, but it wasn’t until 1995, however, that David began his formal studies in drawing and painting under the direction of Israel Zzepda. Plagued by health issues throughout his youth, his mentor helped him overcome his frustrations by channeling his ability and potential as a painter. He was also able to find balance in his life through tae kwon do, which has given him both physical and mental clarity while also complementing and contributing to his artistic pursuits. David has been exhibiting in individual and group shows since 2002.

David also has a love of the romance languages, especially Italian, a beautiful language that enriches him artistically and influences, both directly and indirectly, his work.

"I love painting and its many diverse manifestations as well as the other fine arts - sculpture, film, theater, poetry, literature and music - and I try to stay in constant contact with all of them. I love art in all of its forms. All I know is that I paint out of necessity. I try to express and project all of myself through my work: my thoughts, my feelings, introversion and extroversions."

Francisco Xavier Zepeda

Born in Garita, Jalisco in 1969, Francisco Xavier Zepeda is a self-taught artist. Although he developed a passion for creating and artistic endeavors at a young age, it has only been in the last ten years that he has truly dedicated himself to his sculptural creations.

Francisco is somewhat of an inventor, always experimenting and trying to solve a problem. His desire to create unique works of art has driven him to dabble in many different mediums: wood, metal, clay, found objects, car parts, bronze and paper mache before settling on cast aluminum and Alaba Stone, a manmade stone which is a combination of crushed alabaster and polymers, heated to petrify it then filed, sanded and shaped.

Francisco is driven by the idea of transforming common objects into something that dazzles the public, filling them with curiosity and reflection. His new body of work consists of forms that are both metamorphic and semi-organic and, through the combination of the sculptures’ curves, textures and light, are able to capture both the natural and abstract while exposing the observer to the corporeal nature of the third dimension.

Francisco and his brothers, constant companions and all artists, constantly challenge each other to grown and make a lasting mark on the. "I am in love with life. Every day is an opportunity to crystallize my emotions and feelings by creating new projects. Even though time never seems to be enough, I appreciate every minute, every second I spend creating what I want and desire. I am in constant motion"

Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galeria Dante is located at Basilio Badillo #269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. For more information, call (322) 222-2477, or send an email to info(at)galleriadante.com.

Click HERE to learn more about Galleria Dante.