It is difficult, if not impossible, to come up with an entirely original concept in Art and when we associate art with archeology it is because we have a natural interest and love for our ancestors and their survival challenges. To reproduce rock art there must be an originality that is difficult to define within the conventional limitations of that tradition. This unusual task of reproducing prehistoric art has to free itself from the postmodern political burden and at the same time not be reactionary, which is no small thing in conservative times.
Aruban art rock inspired paintings, in particular, have an uncanny ability to tread the aesthetic and political fault-line between the Western colonial perspective and that of the Aruban cultural and the indigenous landscape memory. All these arts work is indicative of a more sophisticated re-invigoration of the islands indigenous aspect which is gaining force in contemporary art circles.
The featured works have an approach of depicting Aruba’s prehistoric culture with its mixed finishes and its non-traditional use of the material in its contemporary nuances by adding to this idea as much collected material as possible and experimenting with seeds, clay, feathers, bones, metal, wood, glass, discarded paints and stones to name a few and manage to create works that show even more explicitly to their aesthetic ease with color and composition.
In conventional art, the viewer recognizes the iconography of traditional masters, while art that evokes a prehistoric artistic past uses unique forms, creating an almost surreal way of looking at what has been seen before. Being paintings already seen attracts the viewer towards the image and, at the same time, the images themselves look back at origins, while captivating the viewer’s attention, for good or for bad.
The more a viewer looks at a work of art related to archeology, the more he realizes its uniqueness; generally works that combine authentic techniques with surrealistic touches that make their finish result in a fresh and interesting expression. Each part of the archaeological inspired artwork emerges independently, and it is this strangely ambiguous aspect of the overall composition that is particularly fascinating. The curiosity motivating the capture of a native Aruban sense of existence, free of external influence. In this way and in a more nuanced sense, each recycling work is related to nature and the fascination by island past cultures. Each art painting is studio-based the end-product significantly departs from any empirical image. In the same way, while these figurative work references to native pottery designs and rock art the result is a more cohesive practice then may be initially apparent.
Etnia Nativa presents an anthropological approach to what we can call ancient Aruban natural relations using art in order to understand the indigenous aesthetic creation of island native expressions.
To get to know more over Aruba’s and its origins, its animals and culture, we highly recommend you to book your visit for our renowned cultural encounter session has been entertaining curious participants for decades. Mail us at etnianativa03@gmail.com or WhatsApp 297 592 2702 to confirm your participation. Our facilities and activities take place close to high rise hotels.
