Sergio G. Villamizar
Colombian-American photographer and printmaker, Sergio Villamizar is influenced by current events, dreams, literature and philosophy. His work delves into the subconscious and the metaphysical revealing to us a deeper truth, which sometimes is intimate and personal and at other times has more social connotations. The deeply emotive imagery sardonically and ironically examines current events, literature, and philosophy. Born in 1965 in Bogotá, Colombia, South America, he currently resides Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. By and large, his abstract collages, woodcuts, and magnetic-photomontages are created as “ongoing” series that present astonishing, multi-faceted, and hyper-psychological icons infused with symbolic-narrative(s). Via integrated-juxtapositions of sundry thematic elements, or through significant image alterations, each series reflects Villamizar’s intense-imagination, which innately utilizes symbols to evoke visual stories.
Mr. Villamizar’s work has recently been shown at various galleries including, the Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba, New York, New York, the Galleries of Contemporary Art, Colorado Springs, Co., Fountain Street Fine Art Gallery, Framingham, MA., the Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, California, the Soho Photo gallery, New York, New York and many others.
Selected Artwork
Sergio Villamizar’s Saints and Demons Series is a critical examination of political and cultural righteousness in contemporary America. I am an artist who is concerned about social and political issues within contemporary mainstream, modern America such as unrestrained capitalism, consumerism, zealous nationalism, and xenophobia. My work is a critique of American values, class iconography, and branding. I am drawing a parallel between the Christian religious myth of the saint and our contemporary, secular, superhero mythos by borrowing from 13-16th century European image structures and motifs, as well as contemporary comic books, together with constructs that support intent toward propaganda, persuading the audience to see the immediacy or impact of the message.