Lehmann Maupin announces representation of the Miami-based, Venezuelan American artist, Loriel Beltrán. Beltrán is recognized for his unique approach to abstraction, through a labor-intensive process that accumulates paint and color, defying traditional notions of painting and sculpture. His work was recently the subject of a solo exhibition, Constructed Color, at the Museum of Art and Design, Miami, FL (November 7, 2021–May 1, 2022). We will debut new work by the artist as part of our upcoming presentation at Frieze Los Angeles (Booth E9). This will be followed by Beltrán’s first solo presentation in New York which will open in March 2023 as part of Lehmann Maupin’s ongoing In Focus series. Beltrán will continue to be represented by Central Fine, Miami.
Rachel Lehmann, co-founder, says: “Loriel’s work emanates from an important legacy of Latin American Op Art and Neo-Concretism canonized by figures like Gego and Hélio Oiticica. His mastery of industrial materials and innovative process, however, place him at the forefront of a new artistic style and generation. Through his experimentations with color, materiality, and accumulation, Loriel invites an exploration of language and time, with a likeness to Shirazeh Houshiary or Liu Wei. I know his work will resonate and I look forward to connecting it with new audiences.”
Beltrán’s practice is complex and labor intensive. To create his works, the artist creates custom molds and pours paint into them, allowing the paint to harden and dry over time; after repeating this process for months or years at a time, he slices the hardened block of paint into strips and overlays them onto wood panels. His layered compositions, while made of paint, are not mere images or optical experiences. As the artist probes experiences of perception, his works also register acts of artistic labor and visualize the passage of time. As his surfaces accumulate layers of paint, so too do they accumulate layers of memory and meaning, and Beltrán’s works function as both object and archive.
“I am thrilled to join Lehmann Maupin’s global program,” shares Beltrán, “and to see my work in the context of an an important group of artists, whose practices I have long admired, such as McArthur Binion, Cecilia Vicuña, Heidi Bucher, and Erwin Wurm, among many others.”
About the Artist
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1985, Loriel Beltrán moved at age fifteen to Miami. He earned his BFA from the New World School of the Arts at MDC. Beltrán’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Museum of Art and Design, Miami, FL; Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL; the Museo de Arte Acarigua-Araure, Venezuela; and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, PA. He has had solo exhibitions at Central Fine and the non-profit Locust Projects, both in Miami. Beltrán was also a co-founder and co-director of the artist-run gallery and collective Noguchi Breton (formerly GUCCIVUITTON).
Artist portrait by Oriol Tarridas