FIU Glenn Hubert Library Gallery at Biscayne Bay Campus is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Art + Art History alumnus Miguel Saludes, BFA’ 12. The exhibition opened on Thursday, February 21st, and will be open for viewing until May 17th. The exhibition entitled ‘Between Heaven and Earth’ includes a series of paintings done in 2016 by Florida-based artist.
‘Between Heaven and Earth’ features a selection of 17 bright and colorful paintings that bridge the gap between the genres of landscape and still life. Drawing inspiration from the lush Florida landscapes, Miguel has captured ‘heaven’ and ‘earth’ in a contemporary, abstract perspective.
Miguel Saludes was born in Havana, Cuba in 1989. The Saludes family then settled in Miami, Florida in 2005. Miguel graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) in painting in 2012 and then earned his Master in Fine Art (MFA) from the University of Florida in 2016. Saludes’ work has thus far been acquired by public and private collections across the state of Florida, in New York, Louisiana, and California. Saludes currently lives and works between the cities of Bonita Springs and Miami, Florida.
About Between Heaven and Earth:
Between Heaven and Earth features a selection of paintings created since 2016. Together, the 17 artworks in display at the Glenn Hubert Library bring to light my creative process, which embraces experimentation and change as a driving force between each piece.
The work created after 2016 consists of a series that bridges the genres of landscape and still life. These paintings depict flat surfaces such as floors, walls, and patches of grass and blooming flowers. These horizonless compositions entrap our eyes within the confines of the canvas and invite us to explore the minute occurrences happening throughout the surface. From a distance, however, these images morph into open fields of light and color that evoke sublime, boundless, celestial spaces.
A parallel series also emerging from 2016 is more rooted in the history of landscape painting. These are windows into illusionary scapes populated by cloud-spotted skies and lushly vegetated fields. A large portion of these paintings are set in Florida, the state I have called home for over a decade. Some landscapes pay close attention to detail and local hues while others give precedence to more abstracted, bright and colorful compositions.
Between feathery clouds and intertwined weeds I find my two dispositions. One, spiritual and meditative, searches for higher meaning in nature. The other, conscientiously grounded, finds beauty and content in the immediate surroundings. In the end, they both unite in elevating fleeting commonplace moments to the immortality that is so uniquely gifted by the cotton fibers of a canvas.
View more information on Miguel Saludes, please visit his website: www.miguelsaludes.com | @miguelsaludesfineart
Glen Hubert Library | FIU Biscayne Bay Campus | 3000 NE 151st St, North Miami, FL 33181 | Open for viewing until May, 17, 2019 | Website: libraries.fiu.edu/about-us/campuses/maps/bbc
