(Left to Right) "Cemí," 2019. Flashe paint on ceramic, 10 x 7 x 3½ in. Photo: Mario Gallucci. Installation view
The forms and colors found in his works are based on long-held memories and represent both physical and tactile experiences. Each piece represents a fragment of those experiences through landscape.
Iván Carmona’s hands helped his father tend to a family home in Puerto Rico. The coarse finish of cement is coded to his personal history, as are the rich pastels and modernist lines that distinguish Puerto Rican architecture. Already a successful ceramicist, Carmona made the move to Portland to study more deeply, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2015, where he also assisted many artists in the studio and as an instructor. Carmona’s work has been exhibited in Portland, Oregon, Eutectic Gallery and Ash Street Project, and is held in the collections of King County, Washington; Boise Art Museum, Boise, Idaho; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico; and Gifu Prefecture Tokyo Kouryu High School, Japan.
ARTIST WEBSITE
pdxcontemporaryart.com/ivan-carmona