Enrique Gomez de Molina
Bio
Born 1963 Havana, Cuba
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 This Is Not Taxidermy, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL
2007 Enrique Gomez de Molina, Sky Gallery, Miami FL
2006 Beast Within, Eyes on You Gallery, Miami, FL
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018
All That You Have is Your Soul, Faction Projects, New York, NY
2017
Dark and Stormy Night, Lehman College New York, NY
Walk Like the Lions, and Perform Like the Pigeons, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, MIami FL
Fragile Ecologies Part 2,Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Aspen, CO
Fragile Ecologies Part 1, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Art New York New York NY
Zoo-Per- Doo-Per, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach FL
Creatures and Creation, Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami FL
2016
Give them the Bird, Art Miami, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami FL
Northwood Club Annual Selection, New York City
Walk Like the Lions, and Perform Like the Pigeons, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, New York, NY
2015
The Peaceable Kingdom, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL
2014
Welcome to the Jungle, Pan American Art Projects, Wynwood, Miami, FL
Art Miami, Wynwood, Miami, FL
Art South Hampton Fair, New York, NY
2013
Group Exhibition, Zadok Gallery, Wynwood, Miami, FL
In and Out of Cuba, Art Miami Fair, Miami, FL
2012
Art Wynwood Fair, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL
2011
In And Out Of Cuba, Art Miami Fair, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL
Greenhouse, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, FL,
MIA Fair, Spinello Gallery, Miami Beach FL.
Palm Beach International Fine Art Fair, Palm Beach FL.
2010
Nature, Revisions, and Dreams, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers FL.
Diana Lowenstein Gallery, Miami FL
Littlest Sister, Spinello Gallery Miami FL
Rogue Taxidermy Show, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles CA
Pulse Fair, New York
MIA Fair, Miami FL
Palm Beach Art and Antique show, Palm Beach, FL
2009
Littlest Sister, Spinello Gallery, Miami FL
Into the Wild, Carol Jazzar Gallery, Miami FL
Art Object, Art Modern Gallery, Naples FL
Regina Nuessle Gallerie, Miami Beach, FL
2008
Sacred Art, Art Futures Gallery Miami, FL
"Pool Fair", Miami Beach, FL
2007
Splendid Illusions, Art Futures @ 2300 Studio / Gallery Miami, FL
"Enrique Gomez de Molina", Sky Gallery, Miami, FL
1996
Hispanic Reflections, South Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art, Miami, FL
1995
Gift of Art, Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, FL
BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
1+1>2, Artist book (unique)
COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES
London Hotel, London, UK
Cirque du Soleil, Canada
Beth DeWoody, Palm Beach, FL
C21 Museum, Kentucky
Sagamore Collection, Miami FL
Richard Levine, Miami FL
Marvin Ross Friedman, Coral Gables, FL
Jenifer and Joshua Failla, Austin Texas
Joshua Reichnitz, New York City
Rene Delacueva, South Pasadena California
Statement
The nearly tangible nature of Cuban-native Enrique Gomez de Molina’s hybrid creatures fascinated him into bringing this body of work into fruition. The curious and exotic nature of the artist’s sculptures is meant to be both fascinating and humorous. The fantastic, unrealistic qualities serve as a visual experience for the viewer and himself.
The fact that these animals once existed, subsequently to be captured and destroyed, creates a sense of woe for the artist. A fond admirer of animals, de Molina strives to preserve the natural beauty of all diverse species. From minuscule insects to evocative birds, a voice is given to animals, which cannot speak for themselves. Through the re-imagined expression of the creatures’ beauty, the audience may see these animals for something extraordinary. Using the skins of the once-living animals, de Molina hopes to bring awareness to the danger faced by a multitude of species: nuclear and chemical waste, overdevelopment, and destruction of rainforests. Genetic engineering and human evolution also accounts for the conceptualization of these surreal pieces. The notion that all planetary creatures derive from a different makeup puts into question the possibilities for natural and artificial evolution that lies ahead. De Molina examines the direction in which fauna and mankind are headed as a species.
The artist’s descriptive aesthetic yields striking and magnificent pieces. The hand-painted details, as well as the grooming of the fur and feathers, entail an extensive and elaborate process. Using head mounted magnifier lenses, de Molina, like a mad scientist, intricately crafts and assembles the creatures together. This final result, the newly conceptualized animals, holds a timeless quality and value.
-Enrique Gomez de Molina
Additional information
What you can’t see in the image is that it has a glass dome explicitly made for this piece. Each of the birds is made with butterfly wings. In addition, they have beadwork and feathers and are a tour de force.
