Stillness

Statement:

"This photographic series documents the frequently unnoticed urban and rural architecture in the Rio Grande Valley. Through these images, I reflect on the motifs and attributes of many abandoned houses and commercial buildings and their own unique esthetic, as well as what they represent to me as a visual artist while I contemplate their stoic presence. In my work, I follow a traditional Deadpan style, which is very popular in medium format film photography and is emulated in this series by a full-frame digital camera. Careful attention is given to perspective, symmetry, and negative space, and I look for compositional possibilities through the attributes of light and color. My intention is to create a collection of large format images where the viewer feels compelled to step into each image, giving him or her a chance to visually explore a more personal and intimate experience by the stillness of space and time. Stillness is the act of contemplation, and contemplation transcends into visual silence."

Bio:

Carlos Limas holds an MFA from UTRGV, a BA in graphic design from the Instituto Profesional de Arte y Diseño in Monterrey, México, and a second BA in Studio Art at l’Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles in Belgium. He also completed a residency at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, Italy, with Arte Povera artists Luciano Fabro and Diego Esposito. As a multidisciplinary artist, Carlos works in painting, video installation, photography, and graphic design. Limas has exhibited in group and solo art exhibitions in México, Belgium, the US, Slovakia, Italy, France, China, and Bolivia. He has served as the Director of the School of Art Escuela Adolfo Prieto at CONARTE in Monterrey, Mexico creating multiple projects for the art community, including a local TV show called CULTURA 010. At UTRGV, Carlos taught digital photography and worked as a gallery coordinator with Professor Maria Elena Macias and the UTRGV permanent collection.
Limas also served as the official photographer of the FOLD Art, Practice, and Metaphor exhibition curated by Professor Raheleh Filsoofi at three venues, including the IMAS Museum in McAllen, Texas. Limas is currently the Program Specialist at the Center for Latin American Arts, covering events in México, Perú, and the United States, under the direction of Dr. Katherine Moore McAllen.

Stillness

by Carlos Limas