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Indepth Arts News:
"Torero: Matadors from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Spain"
2002-07-11 until 2002-09-14
Throckmorton Fine Art
, NY,
USA United States of America
Throckmorton Fine Art is pleased to announce, TORERO, an exhibition of black and white photographs of young matadors from Colombia, Mexico, Perú and Spain by Ruven Afanador. Afanador has earned wide acclaim over the last decade for his opulent images of haute couture, placed in other worldly settings.
His work is strongly influenced by the Latin American culture he absorbed during his childhood in Colombia. Disparate influences such as, the photographs of Irving Penn, religious symbolism, with its elaborate costumes, pageantry and drama, are combined with reminders of his youthful fascination with beauty contests and exaggerated concepts of femininity.
The theme of the bullfight allows Afanador to expand his exploration of sexual roles and ambiguity. The "torerillos" ("young bullfighters") are corseted like fashion models in ornate ritual costumes. They exude a heightened sexuality that inspires the adoration of both men and women. The classical serenity of these portraits is juxtaposed with our understanding of the violence of the bullfight. Afanador’s Torero portraits reveal his fascination with male beauty and this secret society of men that is deeply rooted in Latin American tradition.
Ruven Afanador was born in Colombia and spent his childhood in Bucaramanga, a city north of Bogatá. He currently resides in New York.
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