TEN NINETEEN is pleased to announce Milagros: Saturater, an exhibition of new murals, paintings, and sculptural objects by the New Orleans art collective, Milagros. Co-founded in 2009 by artists Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre, Milagros’ multi-dimensional practice is noted for exuberant arrangements of color, hand-drawn pattern, an elaborate sampling of materials and techniques, and a visible commitment to experimentation and play. A portion of sale proceeds will benefit Healthy Gulf, a non-profit environmental justice organization that works to reverse the exploitation of the Mississippi Delta and its surrounding communities.
For Saturater, the group’s first solo presentation, Milagros has created 17 new paintings, 60 sculptural objects, and two murals — one covering the gallery's exterior facade, the other spanning an interior wall, a painted canvas hidden within it.
Beyond their brightly covered surfaces, Milagros’ new paintings have a captivating formal intelligence that has become endemic to their practice. In Cucurrucucu, the interplay of swirling pattern, talon-like forms, glossy ribbons of dripped paint, and a thick blob of pigmented resin, textured with glitter and sediment makes for a complex composition that is both frenetic and meditative. In Outskirt and Greener, latticed, tubular forms seem to defy gravity, hovering delicately in mid-air, as if it could bend, stretch, or even collapse with the slightest touch. The new works demonstrate that “collaboration” isn’t just Milagros’ chosen approach to art making. There is a dynamic synthesis happening at the formal and material levels of their compositions as well.
In addition to paintings and murals, the gallery also presents Milagros’ new collection of Crud Buddies: 60 unique sculptural objects crafted from ocean-bound foam (i.e. styrofoam trash found in pollution “islands” along the Mississippi River, which have been reshaped by the roll of water over time). The material is then painted and embellished with pigmented resin, rhinestones, Milagros’ signature ticking, and handmade ceramic facial forms. Each object is named (as opposed to titled) along with a pet-adoption inspired personality descriptors—e.g. Quincy, Loves anything produced by Jimmy Jam and regrets missing Prince at the 2014 Essence festival. They're currently pioneering the mild sauce meatball. Part found-object assemblage, part candy-colored kitsch, these anthropomorphized, non-binary, magical creatures exude joy and jest. With an attitude of determined optimism, Milagros’ Crud Buddies confront issues of excess, destruction and discrimination with a positive visual language that projects respect, resilience, and inclusivity.
“There is an undeniable spirit of experimentation and resilience woven throughout Milagros’ practice—one that references folk craft traditions, creative recycling, and performative spontaneity with a more-is-more effervescence that is decidedly theirs,” says Elizabeth Monaghan, who organized the show. “Milagros artworks and environments teem with hope and positivity. We all could use a little bit of that in our lives right now.”
*Twenty-five percent of sale proceeds from Crud Buddies will be donated to Healthy Gulf.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Friday, March 25 — 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Poncili Creación x Milagros: Reality Breaking Puppet Show
Poncili Creación is a puppetry and performance collective founded by twin brothers Pablo and Efrain Del Hierro of Puerto Rico. Merging elements of dance, theater, puppetry, punk rock, and improv with something they call “raw magic,” Poncili Creación delivers enchanting performances that are smart, multi-sensory, unpretentious, and totally wild. Their puppets—some the size of a car, others, a penny—are crafted from polyurethane foam sourced locally from sofas, mattresses, and other objects discarded by society. Poncili Creación has performed across the world at museums and galleries, bars and restaurants, restrooms and raves, protests and parades. Through their unique brand of puppetry, they hope to inspire creativity and champion positive social change. For one night only, celebrated puppetry group Poncili Creación, in collaboration with Milagros, will bring their newest work—Reality Breaking—to TEN NINETEEN.
April 26 - May 21
Presentation of Milagros Hand-Painted Clothing
To celebrate Jazz Fest 2022, Milagros will debut a capsule collection of hand-painted shirts and caftans. Each item of clothing will be unique, bearing signature Milagros “hybrid floral” and “tick mark” patterns. Quantities will be limited, and pre-purchase opportunities will be announced at a later date. Prices range from $100 to $300
ABOUT MILAGROS
Milagros is an artist collective co-founded by Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre that creates site-specific murals, installations, paintings, small objects, and community spaces. Their practice is characterized by exuberant arrangements of color and form, hand-drawn pattern, experimentation, immediate visual impact, and an underlying spirit of play. Milagros murals and installations have been commissioned by institutions, non-profits, and businesses across Southeast, including ArtPlace America x Elsewhere Museum, Contemporary Art Center New Orleans, the Young at Art Museum, New Orleans Public Library, the City of Decatur x MARTA, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, and Kaboom!, among others. The collective has also participated in numerous artistic residencies, including Elsewhere (Greensboro, NC), Joan Mitchell Center (New Orleans, LA), A Studio in the Woods (New Orleans, LA), The Studios at Mass Moca (North Adams, MA), and ProjectArt Social Practice Residency (New Orleans, LA). Milagros is based in New Orleans.
ABOUT TEN NINETEEN
TEN NINETEEN supports artistic innovation and independent thought. Through exhibitions, performances, community programs, political events and institutional partnerships, we strive to enrich public dialogue and stimulate culture shift. Our programs explore new ways to approach social, environmental, economic and political challenges, often engaging the arts as both a lens and catalyst. TEN NINETEEN was founded in 2019 and is located in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans.
1019 Erato Street, New Orleans, 70130
Thursday – Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m, and By Appointment
ten-nineteen.art
Molly Rowe Bresnitz
[email protected]
504-272-7355
