Artist Alex Fernandez and our Cultural Program Director Linda Manning discused Alex's process and inspirations for his work at our first online Gallery 505 opening on July 31, 2020 at 7:00. The event was attended by members of our community on Zoom and it also went out live on Facebook. Alex took us through each one of his drawings and prints in the exhibit and talked about the materials he used and where his ideas generated from. Alex also shared his experiences teaching art in the NYC public schools and took questions from the audience.
Appointments can be made to come into the Gallery and see the show, email LindaKRVC@gmail.com
Alex “FDEZ” Fernández is an autodidactic artist who works in various mediums. He was born in New York, but partly raised in the Dominican Republic and is currently living in the Bronx. During his years in the Dominican Republic, he began to be influenced by their artistic carnival colors and traditions as well as the Costumbrista style. As an adult, he attained a B.F.A. in Electronic Design and an M.A. in Art Education from City College of New York, which has led to his research into art history, social justice, criticism, and the exploration of various mediums and techniques. This experiences morphed his artwork into its current state. He currently works for the Department of Education in NYC, educating high school students in fine arts, art history and graphic design at Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies in the Bronx.
His artwork explores societal issues that are influenced by our current world and infused with a reflection of his combined culture. His work explores allegory, sarcasm, satire, symbolism & impactful images, to compose works that critique cultures, religions and social/political issues from the world we live in, with the intent to capture human emotion in response to these. His work has been displayed in various group shows around the world including Italy, New York and the Dominican Republic. His most recent work was part of the Latin-American triennial in January of this year. His work has also been used in publications such as The Hand Magazine, The Promethean, and the book “Dear Democracy”, as well as in multiple online publications and art articles. fdezart.com
