|
READ
JULES SIEGEL'S REVIEW of "THE MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL BOOK
OF 2006" |
 |
ArtistsFine art is one of the greatest bargains in Cancun, with styles and prices to suit every taste and budget. The more famous artists, such as Sergio Bustamante (a personal favorite), are carried by galleries and stores that advertise in the principal guides. Plaza Kukulkán has the largest general selection of art, with at least two formal art galleries and—perhaps more interesting—many informal spaces in open public areas in which local artists sell their works direct to shoppers. The best time to meet the artists is in the evening. La Casa de la Cultura in downtown Cancun, behind Wal-Mart often has exhibitions of local artists and is a must visit for serious collectors. Malena AlvarezBox 124, Cancun, Q. Roo 77501. Currently lives in Puerto Morelos. Ask for directions when you get there. Paintings upwards of $400. Modest prices for classes. Dynamic painter and exercise instructorMalena Alvarez, one of Cancun’s pioneers, arrived here more than twenty years ago. She paints local visions on thick-textured papel amate (the fig-bark papyrus of the Maya codices) in sand painted mats and local tropical wood frames. Malena also offers body consciousness classes. Drawing on more than thirteen years of experience as an instructor and disciple of aerobics, karate, dance, and yoga, her low-impact exercises are combined with gleanings from her evolving passions for great tone and self-knowledge. Sergio BustamanteXaman-Ek Galleries, Plaza Caracol and Plaza Kukulcán Surrealistic ceramic, papier-mâché and gold sculptures and jewelryWe’ve admired Sergio Bustamante’s works of arts since we first saw them on coming to Cancun. They combine the surrealistic painting style of Salvador Dali with a sophisticated sculptural construction that creates an often astonishing effect of realism. These works would make great magazine illustrations. They are humorous and penetrating at the same time. The workmanship is impeccable. Mexican by birth, Sergio Bustamante comes from Chinese and Indian roots. He was educated and trained as an architect at the University of Guadalajara. He began experimenting with papier-mâché and opened up his first workshop in 1966. In the early seventies he studied painting in Amsterdam. “Sergio first falls in love with the essence of his creatures,” his web page reports, “then lavishes his affection on details of paper and clay. Ultimately, Sergio’s success lies in his ability to transmit his exuberant love of nature in the eyes, hair, scales, skin, teeth and feathers of all creatures—great and small.” Each design is issued in a limited edition of a hundred or less, signed and numbered. Within a given edition, each sculpture is an original work of art, emphasizing individuality and allowing variance in color, expression and posture. Carried in galleries throughout the world, these are very definitely destined to increase in value as they begin to attract the notice of museum curators. Miguel CastroPuerto Morelos, near Motel Eden. Ask for directions in town. He’s well-known there. Excellent prices. Mayan themes by Mexican artistMiguel Castro paints the finest reproductions of Maya art in the area, also has interesting hand-made leather items, bamboo and wood objects. Castro’s Mayan reproductions are based on years of research in the original techniques and styles. They restore the realistic modeling and color that make the figures so much more accessible to the modern mind. This is what the sculptures looked like before losing their smoothly painted stucco finish. You’ll have a pleasant experience talking with a great artist with a vast knowledge of ancient Mayan culture. Miguel created the trompe l’oeil mural that sets the stage for La Habichuela’s Mayan sculpture garden Gerardo EspejoNecesito Handicrafts shop. Hotel Zone, Playa Langosta, next to Casa Maya Hotel Naturalistic painterGerardo Espejo paints and draws in a hauntingly emotional realistic style that combines the fullness of tropical light with a certain special tenderness of his own. These are very direct, compelling works of art that appeal fully to the senses. |
 CANCUN USER'S GUIDE PRINTED BOOK $17.58 Alcohol Apartments Artists Bargaining Beaches Books Botánicas Butchers Clothing Coffee Communications Crocodiles Fish Fruit Drinks Fruits & Vegetables Hair Hammocks Handicrafts Hotels Ice
Cream |
