by Josée Thissen-Rojer
The opening of the first exhibition by Gwen Garcia (Curaçao, 1964) takes place on Saturday morning, November 7th, 2020, at Landhuis Bloemhof. Gwen makes wooden sculptures. His works come in different sizes and are all exhibited on pedestals. Gwen’s father, Wilson Garcia, is also present, and in the exhibition, there are 5 paintings by Wilson on the wall. The remaining walls are bare, in order to not distract the attention from his son’s work.
Gwen resides in the Netherlands but decided that his first exhibition must take place in Curaçao. Most of the works were made in the Netherlands, especially for this occasion. He traveled back to his native country to be present during the period of his exhibition.
The title of the exhibition is ‘Profundo’ (‘Profound’). There are 19 works by Gwen in total, all having titles in Papiamentu. Number 1, ‘E sabionan’ (‘The wise ones’) is a sculpture of 2 figures attached to each other’s backs, but each facing a different direction. ‘Deboshon’ (‘Devotion’) is an endearing sculpture of a figure sitting bent over on the floor, with its fingers stretched out to reach its toes. ‘Tambú’ (‘Drum’), is a work dug out of a tree trunk, showing a part of two figures: the trunk and the upper thigh. The two figures are attached at the hip. The wood is partly crude and partly treated. Additionally, it was accentuated by painting part of the work with a light hand of red paint. The sculpture emits a profound and primitive strength. It holds the promise of all Gwen is capable of as an artist if indeed he continues down this road and dedicates himself to developing his talent.
