Word: bravos
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Revelaciones showcases some of Bravo's most consistent and fascinating concerns. His art is one of contrasts and striking visual juxtapositions. Careful observation of light and shadow corresponds to his interest in the differences between life and death, real and not real, Old World...
...While Bravo's contemporaries, especially the Surrealists, experimented with many of the same innovations, Bravo's position as a Mexican artist adds another dimension to his work. As a citizen of a nation characterized by profound cultural exchange between Indian and European, Bravo works in at least two visual frames of reference...
...commentary accompanying the exhibition concentrates entirely on the pre-Columbian influences on Bravo's igonography. While this focus is valuable to the modern-day American viewer, it also constitutes the show's only weakness, denying some of the power of Bravo's work by excluding its contemporary significance...
...example, a radiant image of a boy sipping from a shadowy stream of falling water is entitled "Sed Publica" (Public Thirst). The commentary gives some interesting information about ancient sacrifice rituals and the Aztec's conception of water as life source. But Bravo's provocative title refers to a contemporary socio-economic reality which the commentary ignores. Similarly, the series of female nudes titled "Xipe" are explained solely in reference to the ancient "flayed goddess" of the same name. Yet the headless images of bodies criss-crossed with jagged shadows and leaves bear a resemblence...
...addition to the experimental pieces, the show includes portaits of Bravo's interesting acquaintances: Frida Kahlo, Sergei Eisenstein and Andre Breton. Revelaciones provides a valuable opportunity to see some of Bravo's finest work. His inspired vision offers American audiences a landscape that is new and exceedingly real...