Online Exhibitions | On View
Online Exhibition
EMMANUEL CRESPO
A Murder of Crows
"I often find myself in a lonely point in the middle of a vast universe, surrounded yet distant, and I often feel the imagery of my work is trying to reassure me of my place in this universe." - Emmanuel Crespo
A Murder of Crows is a frank psychological autobiography, using classical archetypes and those of the artist's own invention to explore the meaning of his life. This deeply personal and often wrenching process has resulted in a body of work void of color and brightness. Instead, the use of a stark palette – black and white, and minimal grays – hearkens back to his illustrative pen and ink beginnings.
"The play of black and white; positive and negative, shines a light into the shadows." - Emmanuel Crespo
Who and what is revealed, as you take a front-row seat into the artist's creative and psychological process? The Old Man returns, headless or topped with a head of the crow, representing Crespo’s grandfather. "He is the Father, the Source, a harbinger of secrets and wisdom, my origins and also my destiny."
The Old Woman: "In addition to being my grandmother, she is Mother Nature, with a wisdom older than that revealed by the old man." She is a gentle guide.
The Mythmaker: a shirtless and shoeless man with cuffed pants, which Crespo says "symbolized a shedding of his mundane roles and a stepping into an alternate reality, or at least an alternate view of reality."
"Since I am the source of my own imagery, then perhaps I am trying to remind myself of a truth that I already know." - Emmanuel Crespo
About the Artist
Emmanuel Crespo’s fantastical imaginings are dreamlike apparitions of his own personal journey. Through his body of work, the artist uncovers and interprets symbolic meanings and narratives in his life and the world around him. Each painting presents a cast of recurring characters created to uncover these narratives, which according to the artist, center on metaphysical themes. Crespo’s paintings allow the viewer to peer into another world and experience these narratives. Learn more --->
Bermudez Projects is a multi-platform arts gallery dedicated to increasing public access to the visual arts. Established in 2011, it presents dynamic artworks by emerging and mid-career contemporary American artists, including Latinx, queer, and women artists.