On March 25th, an art exhibition featuring original paintings by Guadalajara artist Luis Valui and unique sculptures by Lagos de Moreno artist Miguel Angel del Campo will open at Galleria Dante, Basilio Badillo 269 on the south side of Puerto Vallarta, with a cocktail reception from 6–10 pm.

Luis Castellanos Valui is a painter who infuses his Latin American roots with the traditions of tropical jazz and cafe culture. Collected by the J. Paul Getty Institute and Capitol Records, Valui creates rhythmic images, bringing his subjects to life.

His works are also in the collection of Atlas and Mambo Restaurants, Go West Productions, Televisa, Ripstein Collection, Univision. At his openings in Los Angeles, many Hollywood jet setters are among the collectors.

Valui was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, September 4, 1955. He studied for two years at the Fine Arts University in Guadalajara. At the age of 20 he moved to Mexico City where he studied at the "Esmeralda" school. He restored Colonial and Pre-Hispanic art for 4 years at the request of the Mexican government.

Luis then established himself in the Bohemian community of Tepoztlan, Morelos, a small village south of Mexico City. There he began his formal career as a painter. In 1986, he had his first individual exhibition at the prestigious OMR Gallery in Mexico City.

Since then he has exhibited in collective and individual shows in the Modern Art Museum in Mexico City, the Modern Art Museum in Monterrey, Chac Mool Gallery in Los Angeles, living in different parts of Mexico and abroad. He has done shows from California to New York, Mexico City to Paris, Islas Mujeres to Vallarta and back again. He now resides in the Chapala Lake area, near Guadalajara.

In his own words: "What I have that to say about my painting, is expressed in that same painting. It does not matter if is figurative or abstract, what is important is if there is magic in that work – in a few words, if it produces as emotion in you. Perhaps music is the most pure form of art and the interpretation of the rhythms, harmonies and tones can be applied to the painting, sculpture, movie, literature, and in all the arts. The inner need is what carries the artist to express that what is personnel to him, through his life experiences and his own internal beat to the music."

Luis paints in oil, as well as water color. Because he has traveled the world, his works are better known in other countries than in his own. When you attend his shows, you will hear the friendly bantering of his collectors: "Well I own 7 of his paintings." Another will say, "But I own 11."

Very few people stop at purchasing only one painting by Luis. His paintings make you smile and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Luis is a painter of our senses, what you feel looking at his paintings: to dance, to sing, to dream, to love.

And when it comes to dance, there is probably not a style that Luis has not painted: mambo, tango, salsa, cha-cha-cha, waltz. There are scenes on the beach, by the campfire, in plazas, street and market scenes. His paintings are fresh, luminous and definitely tropical. They are full of humor and saturated with color and light. Thank you Luis for bringing us such joy.

In August 2011, Luis will travel to Pittsburgh, where he will work on a “mural” sponsored by the Pittsburgh Council for the Arts & Pittsburgh University. They gave Luis a grant to complete a mural for the “Art on Gist Street” project, where he will also be giving a Master Art Class at said University.

Miguel Angel Serrano Martin del Campo was born in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico. He currently lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico. He studied Fine Arts at the Cabañas Cultural Instituto from 1992 to 1995, and specialized in wood and stone carving courses in 1996.

During his studies at the Instituto Cabañas, Miguel Angel studied modeling, mold making and glazing tile under teacher Antonio Ramirez Ruiz. This period marks the beginning of his fascination with color in sculpture.

Constant touring in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Oaxaca brought him closer to the magic of the original artisan crafts of those areas and the complexity of shapes, colors and narrative told in each piece.

"To observe the craftsmanship of the people, we reach deep down to uncover their deepest feelings, their festivals, their customs, their thoughts. Walter Gropios summed it up in a phrase: There does not exist a substantial difference between craftsman and artist, the artist is an inspired craftsman. And I believe that it’s a mix that never fully merges together. Each of my works represents a knot in the fabric that I forge day by day. For that reason, I seek to make each of my pieces unique, different from the rest. Each creation is the result of the past, present and future," del Campo says.

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.

During his stay in Italy, de Campo participated in competitions, two of which are awarded Internationally. Over the years he participated in many art exhibitions, both collectively and individually. He founded the “Asociación Cultural Arteria” 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. He admires and is influenced by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Giuliano Vangi, Hundertwasser, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse, among others.

In his words: “My work revolves mainly around three elements: Metamorphosis, Change and Movement. I am currently developing a project called Mixed Beings - a series of sculptures in which the botanical world, animals, minerals, insects, objects and the human being, are intertwined. I define it as 'mixed beings,' but also as 'beings of light.' Beings who are born of light and follow the light (born and reborn) - like plants' tropism (total or partial movement of organisms in response to a stimulus) toward light - or 'Rooster-Man' - born as a man and reborn as a cock."

Galleria Dante's opening reception for Luis Valui & Miguel Angel del Campo 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.

Other artists in attendance the evening of March 25th include: Oscar Solis, Juana Cortez, Oscar Capeche, Yvan Genest, Cherie Sibley, Guillermo Brockman, Consuelo, Janice Reuland, Peter Spataro and Edgar Martinez.

Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galleria 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.For more information, click HERE or visit GalleriaDante.com.