The exhibition Mental Spaces II brings together seven artists from Latin America residing in New York City. These artists were chosen based on the multiple cross-cultural references in their work, all of them addressing their experiences as immigrants. This exhibition plays on the intricate relationships that exist between the artists’ minds and their intuitive forms of visual expression, mostly manifested through abstraction. Two of the participating artists are working with the reimagined body as a metaphor to question gender and social issues. In Mental Spaces II, the use of different materials and techniques presents a dynamic scenario that allows for diverse perspectives, concepts, and ideas to interact simultaneously. The works shown were selected to enable us to think creatively and flexibly, preparing us to embark into the complexities of our mental landscapes.

Felipe Baeza explores issues of immigration and queerness through the representation of a hybrid body. The fantastical and the real merge together to create a new individual free of all preconceived ideas of identity.

Cecilia Biagini makes function abstract in a way similar to a musical composition, incorporating three-dimensional sculptural elements to create multiple physical spaces designed as a tool to activate one’s state of mind. Biagini’s work is a true testament to how art affects our emotions and well-being.

Daniel Boccato’s installations incorporate mass-produced found objects paired with lion statues—a loaded, powerful icon in the history of art and architecture. Thus, he plays Duchampian tricks to create diverse narratives full of symbolism and personal memories. Boccato presents a series he calls “faces”—large, colorful abstract shapes that are based on existing works yet strange enough to be completely unique.   

Orlando Condeso’s work is a formal exercise with guidelines for entering into his thought process. In Orlando´s words: “I have always been intrigued by objects because they all have a given or acquired identity. When confronted with an unfamiliar one, my imagination immediately starts looking for clues to its origin, function, purpose, intrinsic value, or, an ultimate use one could give to it. As my imagination takes full possession of the object, its possibilities become a magical and emotional moment.”

Aliza Nisenbaum’s portraits and flower paintings are a testament to the lives of her subjects. Their authenticity and symbolism capture the fragility and vulnerability of immigrant communities in the United States. Since Nisenbaum could not meet her sitters in person due to the Covid pandemic, she spent many hours reminiscing over her time with them and finished their portraits from memory.

Claudia Peña Salinas’ work is composed of meticulously arranged objects that represent cross-cultural references to her native Mexico and her time spent in the mountains of Japan. The vernacular and the sacred are brought together by the artist to animate her interest in political and historical issues. Her focus on the water deity Chalchiuhtlicue creates a deeper flow to these works.

Jonathan Sanchez Noa incorporates elements of Afro-Caribbean practices in his work. The artist uses tobacco leaves as a substitute for traditional art materials to make a statement about the atrocities committed during our colonial past. His work takes a political stand against a brutal time that must not be forgotten.