Urban Aerial Visions by Jorge Rivas Displayed at Agora Gallery

Jorge Rivas is a contemporary artist whose work develops through contact with everything that surrounds him. After moving to New York, the city became the greatest source of his hope and inspiration.

Chelsea's Agora Gallery will feature Venezuelan artist, Jorge Rivas, in Masters of the Imagination: The Latin American Fine Art Exhibition. The exhibition is scheduled to run from September 13, 2011 through October 4, 2011 (opening reception: Thursday, September 15, 2011).

About the Artist
Venezuelan painter Jorge Rivas loves the urban environment. The glass, steel and concrete is home to a hectic buzz of human activity in which the artist revels. This atmosphere was formed first in the human imagination, and Rivas explores the resulting dynamic energy through his intensely beautiful paintings. These sumptuously colored works become labyrinths of urbanity ablaze with lights and a complex grid of windows and streets. "My work develops across the contact with everything that surrounds me," explains the artist. "I nourish myself on the simplest experiences." Yet his painting is anything but simple. Rivas has a personalized approach that walks a fine line between realism and abstraction. Some of his most successful works resemble dazzling shapes and entwined configurations that seem completely nonfigurative until one looks closer to discover the order of the city.

Having moved from Caracas to New York City, he has undertaken the great effort of visually and spiritually exploring his new home. The Big Apple has become Rivas's greatest character, a sprawling yet intricate jumble of energy, might and wonder.

Exhibition Dates: September 13, 2011 - October 4, 2011
Reception: Thursday, September 15, 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11a.m. - 6 p.m.
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Jorge_Rivas.aspx

About the Exhibition:
Masters of the Imagination: The Latin American Fine Art Exhibition showcases the compelling creations of talented contemporary Latin American artists. Bursting with creativity, these artists employ their sensitivity, intuition and ingenuity to bring enormous vivacity and mystery to their works. Firmly rooted in their cultural heritage yet equally alive to the possibilities of modern times, they combine their varied experiences to form breathtaking art.

Featured Artists:
Masters of the Imagination: The Latin American Fine Art Exhibition: María Eugenia Akel, Cristina Arnedo, Paloma Bernaldo de Quirós, Alessandra Busanelli, Marcela Cadena, Raul Cantu, Omar Diaz-Morales, María Susana Dos Santos, Carmen Erazo, Nicolas Fasolino, Fausto, Maca Fernandez, Cecilia Fernandez Q, Ignacio Hábrika, kBlanchard, Karin Himmelman, Alberto Montoreano, Andre Netto, Rosa Olivo, Diego Quintavalle, Juan G. Restrepo, Jorge Rivas, Gabriela Robin, Carlos Sucre, Wladimir Tasoff, Jimena Vilchez