FERNANDO LA ROSA Artist's Statement STILL, LIFE This selection of images examines language and time through the genre of still life. In English, still life is a group of inanimate (still) objects collected, arranged, and, in this case photographed, by an artist. In French, the term Fernando for this genre is nature La morte, Rosa in Spanish - naturaleza muerta, both referring directly to dead nature. One of the broader uses of still life has been to address the passing of time, resulting in a genre called vanitas. However, in this work, I detour from traditional vanitas and still life subject matter by creating stills (photographs) of objects from nature as icons. These inanimate subjects are selected for their animate qualities. They may be photographed where they are found, or reordered in a studio setting. The insertion of the comma in the title is also a reference to time. It is a punctuation mark that suggests a pause or interval. The idea here is that of consideration and re-consideration, of the implications of life, still.
Fernando La Rosa 4942 Wesleyan Woods Dr. Macon, GA 31210 Education: MFA Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Workshops studies with Minor White, Boston, MA Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA BFA Universidad Nacional de Bellas Artes, Lima, Peru Public & Private Collections: (Selected) Exhibitions Group: (Selected) Princeton Art Museum, Princeton, NJ Hartsfield International Airport, Atlanta, GA The Center of Photography, Arizona State University, Tucson, AZ Museo de Arte de las Américas, Washington, DC Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL City of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA Museo de Arte de Lima, Perú Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Rhode Island Museum, Providence, RI The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA Milgrim, Thomajan, Lee, New York, N.Y. NYNEX, Atlanta, GA Alabama Power Co., Birmingham, AL Sony Corporation, N.Y.C., NY Compaq Computer Corporation Exhibitions Solo: (Selected) 2005 East Gallery, Wesleyan College, Macon GA 2003 Atrium Gallery, Hartsfield Int. Airport, Atlanta, GA 2003 Sandler Hudson, Atlanta, GA 2002 Wiregrass Museum, Dothan, AL 2001 Photographs, East Gallery, Wesleyan College Macon, GA 1999 Galeria el Ojo Ajeno, Lima, Peru 1998 Museo de Arte, Queretaro, Queretaro, Mexico 1998 Sicardi Gallery, Houston, TX 1995 Museo de las Americas, Washington, DC 1993 Center of Photography, Houston, TX 1992 Galerie Simmone Stern, New Orleans, LA 1989 Galerie Simmone Stern, New Orleans, LA 1988 Nexus Art Center, Atlanta, GA 2004 Stone Centro de la imágen, DF México Photography is Art Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX 2003 Stone Instituto of México in Miami, FLA 1999 Neolítica Galería el Ojo Ajeno, Centro de la fotografía, Lima, Perú 1998 Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA International Center of Photography, NYC 1997 Bienal de Fotografia, Sao Paulo, Brazil History of Photography in Latin America: Canto a la realidad, Casa de las Américas, Madrid, Spain Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA 1992 Phyllis Weil Gallery, New York, NY New Orleans Museum of Art, N.O., LA Contemporary Arts Center, N.O., LA 1990 Art in General Gallery, NYC, NY 1988 High Museum of Atlanta, GA Contemporary Georgia Artist 1988 National Endowment for the Arts/ SFA El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, TX Boston University Art Gallery University Gallery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Bibliography: (Selected) 2002 Montalbetti, Mario Neither windows nor mirrors Exhibition catalogue, Atlanta, GA 2002 Oceans, Rizzoli Publications, NYC 1998 Sea Change Center for Creative Photography, book, Tucson AZ 1996 Interview by PBS, Houston, TX 1994 Museo de las Américas, Video, Washington, DC 1993 Castro, Fernando, Spot Houston Center of Photography, Houston, TX 1993 Erika Billeter, Canto a la realidad LatinAmerican Photography 1960-1993 1992 Castro, Fernando. Mundos Paralelos / Paralel Worlds, Fotofest, Houston, TX