I Come From The Water: Solo Exhibition by Felipe Lopez

KCAM – Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend features artist Felipe Lopez as he delves into charted waters after the Houston Floods to uncover color, concept, and redemption, and conception in the solo exhibition I Come From The Water
 
I Come From The Water
Solo Exhibition by Felipe Lopez
 
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 – Sunday, July 10, 2016
 
Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 14, 2016
5:00pm – 7:00pm
 
KCAM Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend
805 Avenue B
Katy, TX 77493
 
www.katycam.com
 
Katy, TX: KCAM – Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend is pleased to announce the anticipated solo of Felipe Lopez occurring this summer. I Come From The Water eloquently expands upon the creative concepts wading in the artist’s Hook series. Throughout this series and into this show, Lopez collects elements from his Cuban heritage, his love of fishing, and his infinity for psychology. In addition, the artist grapples with the loss of years of work to the recent Houston floods and the renewal of materials. Reeling out these concepts into five new bodies of work, this exhibition takes viewers on a thought-provoking journey, wading in today’s cultural questions, the creative class struggle, nature vs. man, and the dicey political climate.
 
This Could Be You
 
In this series, Lopez examines the current political tensions in regards to Syrian refugees. With opinions across the spectrum, many in this country lack acceptance towards Syrian refugees wishing to migrate. Based on the current political election, the impending refugee situation, and other social elements, many in the United States
believe that they could easily migrate to another nation based on their distain and disgust of what is happening in their home country. Lopez believes that these potential ex-pats may find themselves in the same position as the Syrian refugees. What if other cultures and countries exhibited the same anger and outrage to them moving to their homeland? In the artwork, Lopez uses multicolored silhouettes in formation melting amongst other figures.
 
“The colors and visual plain tell a tale of mixed emotions from the refugees: freedom but with the unsettling feeling of being trapped…”, states Lopez. “The silhouettes also reveal a net like pattern that suggest the people in the nets could be anyone in this world and that thought is surreal.”
 
Between Perception and Conception
 
Using canvas, color, and fishing material Lopez manipulates canvas to ride between the visual stimuli and the conceptual backing in a minimal and material aspect. Canvas infused with color or absent of such is the vessel for rips and tears by the smallest hooks leaning into the notion on how this gray area continues to capture us on a social, ecological, and political level.
 
Water Drops
 
With just a few drops of water and ink, the artist has created droplets traveling down a wall with a realistic hand. These Rorschach-esque paintings give three points of perspective while combining abstract and realism amongst psychology and the concept “If I waste water in my art, is it really for the benefit of art?”
 
Swimming Steel
 
From skeletons of rafts to the idea of over sized fishing lures, this sculptural series shows the historical aspect of human migration. The subtle movements of colors fade into each other over the steel that changes with the atmosphere around it. “One of the feature pieces in the exhibition, Boat Over Stoned Faces, features the construction of a boat frame of many colors floating across the imprints of ancient faces of concrete…”, says Lopez. “…these faces signify the lives lost in the water of those attempting to reach new lands along with the ruins of ancient civilizations that live in the deepest waters.”
 
Flood 2016
 
This body of work is based off the natural destruction of the last 5 years of Lopez’s artwork during the recent April floods in the greater Houston area. Pieces that were featured locally and abroad, including work previously featured at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, were ravaged by floodwaters while in storage. While reflecting on
 
this loss of time, talent, and material, Lopez noted that artwork and cultures are constantly being disturbed either by nature, man, or both. "The growth of what resurfaces from the wreckage is evolution...", states Lopez. “…currently, I am salvaging pieces from the damaged art to incorporate new pieces signifying loss and growth."
 
I Come From The Water is on view at the KCAM – Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend Wednesday, May 4, 2016 – July 11, 2016. The opening reception for the artist is Saturday, May 14, 2016 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at the Kcam located at 805 Avenue B Katy, TX 77493. The opening is a free event where as admission to the museum during regular hours is $2, children under 5 free.
 
An additional special event is planned for International Museum Day on Wednesday, May 18th, 2016 featuring a wine tasting by The Cellar Door from 6 to 8pm. Admission to the museum will be free this day. For more information on this exhibition and about the museum, please visit www.katycam.com
 
ABOUT FELIPE LOPEZ
Felipe Lopez is a Multi-Dimensional self-taught visual artist based in Houston, Texas. Born in New York, Lopez's career began with his mixed media drawings & paintings shown at MECA and Prairie View A & M University. Since then he's branched off into installation video work projected on his paintings and sculpture working in unison based on neurology and science experiments based on the brain. Lopez continues to connect science through art while exhibiting in various venues while creating works in 2D and 3D including instillation, photography, large-scale monoprinted sculptures, and video art.
 
Felipe is also an avid supporter of the art community in Texas and recently has been featured in multiple solo shows in the Houston area. In the July 2013, Felipe's work was included in two large exhibitions at prestigious institutions: the Exposure 2013 photography exhibition in Long Island City, New York and the 2013 African American Artist Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. His first major solo exhibition was mounted in August 2013 at the Houston Arts Alliance Gallery. His second solo exhibition in less than a year took place at Peveto Gallery in March 2014 featuring his Synesthesia Sound series along with interactive musical performances based on the work.
 
In the fall of 2014, Felipe expanded on new multimedia works along with a new series of paintings and sculptural works including his Hook series. In December 2014, Felipe exhibited work at Art Miami 2014 through his newly acquired gallery representation PSH Projects :: La Paz. The year 2015 brought exhibitions and featured pieces at the 2015 African American Artist Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Houston Fine Art Fair, Texas Contemporary Art Fair, and the KCAM – Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend. Combining the trade of welding along with his expanded skills in visual art, Lopez has developed his Hook series into various sub series in sculpture, mixed media, figurative work, and complex painting. His solo show in May 2016 at the KCAM – Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend looks to be the most encompassing exhibition to date.
 
ABOUT THE KCAM - CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM FORT BEND
Established in 2013, the KCAM is a not-for-profit institution in Katy / Fort Bend, Texas, dedicated to presenting the contemporary art of our time to the public. The KCAM provides an interchange for visual arts of the present and recent past, presents new directions in art, strives to engage the public and encourages a greater understanding of contemporary art through education programs. The KCAM occupies a white concrete building in the heart of Katy's Museum District. The prominent and recognizable building was originally designed and
built for the Ray Woods Lumber and Supply Company in 1953 and later housed several other businesses. This building is supposed to have been the very first poured concrete building built in Texas. We are located on the corner of Avenue B and First Street in downtown Katy - right across from the Katy Railroad Park and Tourist Center. Admission is $2.
 
HISTORY:
In 2011 the Katy Culture & Arts Alliance was established by a group originally called the Katy Cultural Council. This alliance was founded to provide the fast growing Katy area with an umbrella organization for the arts. All members of this original council became the alliance's first board of directors. Two years of art events and exhibitions for the Katy area and a growing membership convinced many that a permanent exhibition space was important to the growing community and that art education was vital to cultural development. The availability
 
of the 805 Avenue B building was the best option because of its prime location, immediately across from the Katy's Railroad Park Museum and Tourist Center, with a recognizable design and mid-century modern look, and with easy access to Interstate 10. Our mission is making tomorrow's history by bringing fundamental cultural change, inspirational aspirations and ideals to the Katy and Fort Bend areas, leaving a legacy of social and cultural transformation.
 
POPULATION SERVED:
The Kcam serves a large area and population which includes but is not limited to: Fort Bend County and its many cities, West Houston and Harris County, Waller County and Austin County. KCAM is a private museum supported almost entirely and thanks to memberships and donations. Less than 7% of its funding comes from governmental entities. These government funds are pulled from monies raised through county charitable fundraisers and city hotel occupancy taxes designated for the arts. The KCAM is in Fort Bend County and is its only art museum. For more information about KCAM - Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend, please visit: www.katycam.com