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Jorge de León

In the Prosperous Days






Proyectos Ultravioleta
Guatemala city
Jan 21 - Apr 2, 2017 





    
    






Our flag,
 we swear to you
 enduring devotion,
 perennial loyalty,
 honor and sacrifice and hope
 until the hour of our death.
 In the name of blood and earth
 we swear to maintain your greatness
 above all things,
 in the prosperous days and in the adverse days;
 to ensure and even die
 so that you wave perpetually
 above a dignified homeland.





            -Swear to the Flag of Guatemala





In his first solo presentation at Proyectos Ultravioleta, Jorge de León (b. 1976, Guatemala) presents new paintings and sculpture that, seen together, inform a complex representation of quotidian life in Guatemala City. Looking to images from the pulp press, de León’s newest body of small-scale paintings represent a landscape marked by makeshift solutions, violence, chaos, and impending disaster. And yet, despite the 

salacious representation of these regular occurrences, de León finds moments of humor and optimism. In a series of larger works on canvas, de León uses industrial materials such as plastic, smoke, and melted lead to depict iconic landscapes of Guatemala City: he defines the city through its recognizable commercial centers and volcanic horizon lines. Taking a line from the national pledge to the flag of Guatemala, de León turns the idea of “prosperous days” on its head, looking critically at the sacrifices and daily mini-tragedies that mark the adverse days instead. 






            

            

                                    Other exhibitions by Jorge de León at Proyectos Ultravioleta: