West, London
Yoan Capote
See Escapes
Ben Brown Fine ArtsBen Brown Fine Arts is delighted to present See Escapes, an exhibition of new works by Cuban artist Yoan Capote, curated by esteemed art historian Joachim Pissarro. See Escapes is deeply rooted in the context of Capote’s upbringing in Cuba, an island marked by profound historical and geographical circumstances. Influenced by the tumultuous legacy of the Cold War era and the pervasive uncertainty about the future, his work reflects the societal tensions and ideological confrontations of his surroundings. Capote draws inspiration from myriad art historical movements, from the awe-inspiring landscapes and seascapes of Romantic painters Caspar David Friedrich, John Constable, and J.M.W Turner, to the rough materiality of the Arte Povera movement. Through his work, Capote offers a reflection of society's complexities and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Exploring a spectrum of themes through an emotional lens, See Escapes presents a progression in Capote's practice, presenting his most recent series Purificación, Aguas Territoriales, Sentimientos Encontrados, and Family Portraits to a London audience for the first time, alongside works from the artist’s celebrated Isla and Palangre series. Intricately intertwined with the traumatic socio-political landscape of the artist’s upbringing in Cuba, See Escapes expands Capote’s iconic seascapes towards a wider, global spectrum of reflection, as the artist explores themes of migration and borders, life and death, hope and tragedy, and the interplay between control and freedom of expression. Capote finds solace in the process of art making, using it as a means to transcend his reality, all while prompting profound contemplation on the human experience and societal dynamics within his work. Exhibited for the first time, Capote’s series Sentimientos Encontrados sees the artist intricately collage paper electrocardiogram readings from individuals in Cuba to craft seascapes that evoke the emotional complexities of society. The exhibition presents a new progression in the artist’s ongoing Palangre series, whereby he melds bronze castings with steel fishhooks, offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional bronze plaques, capturing the essence of the seascape through abstract form and texture. Capote’s Purificación series delves into themes of control and liberation, as the artist repurposes metal detritus into delicate line ‘drawings’ upon plaster ground, symbolising the transformation from oppression to freedom. Accompanied by video documentation of his process, the series prompts contemplation on power dynamics and man’s resilience. The artist’s poetic approach to materials is further epitomised in his most recent series, Aguas Territoriales, which sees repurposed saw blades reshaped into undulating waves below the horizon. Family Portraits explores the emotional turmoil of migration, utilising scratched mirrors in wooden frames to reflect viewers amidst inverted sky and sea motifs, capturing the poignant narratives of departure and disconnection from homeland and loved ones. Coming of age in 1990s Cuba, Capote always found solace and inspiration by the sea, contemplating the human condition and the power of artistic expression. Intimately familiar with the sea's presence, its vastness and unpredictability becoming a metaphor for the complexities of life itself. The centrepiece of the exhibition is Capote’s monumental Isla (Voragine) (2024), which explores these dichotomies with a nuanced approach. On one level, the sea is depicted as a place of transcendence, enveloping the viewer into its depths. However, intertwined with this beauty is a sense of danger and tragedy illustrated through the use of sharp, menacing fishhooks. See Escapes serves as a testament to Capote's artistic evolution, inviting viewers to engage with layers of meaning and introspection, encapsulating the intricate emotional and psychological conflicts of individuals within the tangible realm of his art. Yoan Capote graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, Cuba, in 2001. His work has been exhibited extensively in Cuba, Europe and in the USA where he participated in the critically-acclaimed group exhibition Adiós Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions in Cuban Art, 1950-2015, which travelled throughout the United States, including to the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC. Capote has received awards and grants from prestigious institutions such as UNESCO; Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York; Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York; and the Brownstone Foundation, Paris. Notable collections include Tate, London; Pérez Art Museum, Miami; Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, New York; Museum Beelden aan Zee, The Hague; Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe; Daros Latinamerica Collection, Zurich; Kadist Art Foundation, Paris and San Francisco; the Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio; Buhl Collection, New York; Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Miami; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Farber Collection, New York; Karen and Robert Duncan, Lincoln, Nebraska; and North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.