Jorge M. Perez’s El Espacio 23 Kicks Off Art Season With Opening of ‘To Weave The Sky’

El Espacio 23 (EE23), the contemporary art space founded by leading philanthropist, entrepreneur and art collector Jorge M. Pérez – has debuted its highly anticipated fourth exhibition, titled To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection. On display from Nov. 2, 2023 to August 2024, the show celebrates numerous textile-based works from the Pérez collection – many of which have never been publicly exhibited before – and engages these acquisitions as focal points from which to structure creative dialogues with artworks presented in other mediums. The exhibition highlights works from historic and contemporary artists. Free to the Public, the Contemporary Art Space’s Fourth Show Sheds Light on Textile Abstractions Across Generations and Cultures.

“Art will always serve as a universal language that helps bridge cultures and brings people together,” said Jorge M. Pérez. “Textile works in particular open up a unique window into many diverse traditions, showing how everyday materials and timeless craftsmanship can come together to inspire new, unique methods of creative expression. We look forward to the meaningful dialogues that will come about as a result of this latest show.”

Featuring works from over 100 intergenerational artists from around the world, To Weave the Sky is inspired by weaving’s traditional ties to abstraction and geometry, landscape and the organic, tactility and intimacy, and indigenous cosmologies and ritual. Curated by Tobias Ostrander, Estrellita B. Brodsky Curator at Large, Latin America at Tate Modern, in close dialogue with curators of the Pérez Collection, Patricia M. Hanna and Anelys Alvarez, the show attempts to uncover contemporary fascination with the medium – one that has been historically marginalized to the genre of craft within Western art contexts.

“Our interest in textile-based works, whether sewn, woven, quilted, or collaged, arose about ten years ago when the Pérez Collection acquired works by Olga de Amaral, Robert Motherwell, Polly Apfelbaum, Frances Trombly and Ximena Garrido Lecca, all of whom are included in this exhibition,” says Hanna. “In previous exhibitions, we’ve honed in on a specific geographic region or overarching theme. With this year’s show, we wanted to honor the centuries-old tradition of textiles. When conceptualizing the exhibition, we allowed the textile-based contemporary works in the collection to be the catalyst and inspiration for the dialogues created among the artists.”

To Weave the Sky features five distinct sections, all of which contribute to the overall exploration of textile abstractions: Chromatic Structures, Landscape Gestures, Spiritual Constellations, Political Fabric, and Threadbare. To supplement the exhibit, El Espacio 23 will publish an accompanying catalog titled To Weave the Sky: Textile Abstractions from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection. The fully illustrated book features an essay by Ostrander and newly commissioned interviews with artists Polly Apfelbaum, Carolina Caycedo, Yanira Collado, Patrick Dean Hubbel and Nnenna Okore.

As part of the show, the space will also continue its ongoing residency program, welcoming two new artists during the same week – Patrick Dean Hubbell and Maria A. Guzmán Capron. El Espacio will welcome additional artists throughout 2024 including Irene Infantes, Yanelis Mora, Alice Wagner and Manuel Chavajay, among others. Visitors can enjoy the show free of charge. Hours of operation are Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. To reserve a time, and for more information about guided tours, please visit www.elespacio23.com or email info@elespacio23.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.