Over the last 25 years, renowned Mexican artist, Jorge Marín (Uruapan, b. 1963), has successfully established himself as an internationally recognized master of figurative art. His multifaceted work covers different disciplines and materials, culminating in his bronze redefinition of the classical form. Couturier Gallery is pleased to present, Jorge Marín – Body Language, an exhibition of recent bronze sculptures covering an array of interpretive styles and themes, including indigenous people of Mexico, heroic male and female figures, and fragmented castings. Jorge Marín: Body Language will run from September 12 – October 31, with an opening reception Saturday, September 12, 6-8pm.

Jorge Marín has always played with the tension between permanence and precariousness, heroicism and humanism in his sculptural work. Many of the pieces in Body Language display his trademark surrealist approach to the classical human form, with its heightened idealism and sinewy detail galvanized in bronze. Outstretched wings and gestural movement belie the weight of the medium; broken limbs and flayed sections contradict the rigidity of the casting. From his early clay pieces till now, Marín has addressed the subject of native people and in particular his Mexican heritage and the Pre-Columbian Mayan culture of the Yucatán region. Body Language features such indigenous characters in natural poses suggesting the strength and confidence of an often marginalized people in modern and contemporary art.

Marín infuses his figurative work with a mix of creative curiosity and deft craftsmanship, resulting in familiar yet challenging pieces which spark a visual dialog between the viewer and form. Through the gestured and expressive poses, these forms convey a language which draws upon a recognizable past and idealized potential, while maintaining a balance of fragility and humanness. The piece, “Estudio de Cabeza de Ángel Rotado,” is an example of this, featuring a masked bust replete with all the channels and sprues of the molten casting still in tact, suggesting the interplay between beauty and decay, which is tantamount to the human condition.

Jorge Marín comes from a distinguished family of artists and has participated in over 250 group and individual exhibitions in different countries around Europe, Asia and America. Currently on display is “Wings of the City” in Forth Worth, Texas, and it will continue its tour to different cities in The United States. Some of his sculptures are part of the Cultural Heritage of cities like Berlin, Tel Aviv, Mexico City, Long Beach, Sarasota, Los Angeles and Shanghai. He is a graduate of the Escuela Nacional de Conservacion, Restauracion y Museographica “Manuel del Castillo Negrete”, INAH-SEP, México, D.F., and spent several years doing museums conservation and restoration before dedicating his full attentions to his own artwork. His works have been exhibited at the Museo de Arte Moderno, México; Museo Universitario del Chopo, México; Museo Monterrey, N.L., México; Museo MARCO, Monterrey, México; Museo Nacional de la Estamapa, México; Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, Ca.

Marin’s work is included in a number of important public collections including: Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, México, D.F., México; Museo de Arte Moderno, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, México, D.F., México; Museo de la Secretaria de Hacienda y Crédito Público, Antiguo Palacio del Arzobispado, Mexico; Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL; Rockefeller Foundation, New York, NY; Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, México, D.F., México; The Franklin Companies, Los Angeles, CA.