Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - An exhibition by artist Miguel Angel Martin del Campo opens at Galleria Dante on Friday, January 12, as part of this week's South Side Shuffle. Stop by Vallarta's largest and most eclectic art gallery to meet the artist and enjoy complimentary cocktails from 6-10 pm.

Miguel Angel Martin del Campo

Miguel Angel was born in 1971 in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco. He studied Fine Arts at the Cabañas Cultural Instituto from 1992 to 1995, and specialized in wood and stone carving courses in 1996. This period marks the beginning of his fascination with color in sculpture.

In 1997, Miguel Angel traveled to the city of Florence, Italy, where he lived until 2007. For four years, he directed the design area of a ceramic factory (cotto) in the town of Strada in Chianti. For three years, he was a professor of sculpture at the ADA art academy, also in Florence. Between 2006 and 2011 he developed his work and participated in events in Mexico, Italy, Colombia and USA. Miguel Angel is a great admirer and lover of art nouveau, geometry, insects, animals and plants in general.

"During the 10 years I was in Italy I was fortunate to work with many different artists and in many different techniques, including painting, etching, fresco, sculpture and installation. In three-dimensional art, bronze has always been my favored medium. I like to mix bronze with resins, ceramic and other materials. Each creation is the result of the past, present and future. My work revolves mainly around three elements: Metamorphosis, Change and Movement. Nothing is created and destroyed, only transformed."

"I like to use the 4 elements motif in my work. In my bronze sculptures the direction and color of the hair pertains to water, wind, fire and earth. Most of my pieces "move up". This has to do with their own direction as they are looking for the light of the sun. They want to levitate, to leave the reality of the earth, to leave the ground in order to meld with the same space which contains them. Some almost touch the earth and others seem to be levitating or taking off for flight. Most of the art pieces have no arms because they are becoming beings in continual transformation. The hair is light, following in the direction of the light. The light is fire, the heat of the sun and is mythologized in the sun that gives and receives light. The eyes are closed on the face which is in a deep sleep which is where the impossible can become the possible. My main objective is to provoke in the viewer an instant of light, well-being, a thought... a smile."

Don't miss your chance to meet this talented artist for cocktails at Galleria Dante while you're out doing this week's South Side Shuffle on Friday, January 12 from 6-10 pm.

While you are there, be sure to check out Di Vino Dante, a chic wine and tapas bar overlooking the gallery's sculpture garden. In late June, Di Vino Dante opened a small dining area on the ground floor in a corner of Galleria Dante, for those who like to people watch.