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When local artist Tony Peralta packed up the last art piece at his studio and made the trip to the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA) gallery to set up his work, for a split second, he started feeling nervous.
After months of preparation, the opening day of the “Complejo” exhibition had arrived.
Last week, Peralta and Leopold Vasquez, curator and founder of the Sound of Art, arrived at the NoMAA gallery to organize the pieces and set up the exhibition.
It was then, that Peralta felt a brief moment of nervousness.
“I was worried because there’s been a lot of buzz about the event, and I wanted to make sure everyone would enjoy the show. I wanted to make sure…that the exhibition really touched people,” explained Peralta.
After hanging the art, coming up with the proper layout pattern in the gallery, and seeing his work finally hanging on the wall, Peralta felt a sense of relief that was only magnified on Thurs. Aug 4th, at the opening of Complejo, when supporters, neighborhood residents, friends and family gathered, packing the house at NoMAA and cruising through the space. Mission accomplished for Peralta.
At first sight, Peralta’s “Pelo Bueno, Pelo Malo” pieces are immediately visible upon entering the gallery. The pink and green neon-colored canvasses depicting an Afro pick and a hairbrush explore many ideas and stereotypes behind hair texture.
“Real Women Have Curves” depicts an image of model Tahiry Jose up against a collage of newspaper clippings advertising bigger busts and slimmer waists. Jose, a model, is known for being proud of her voluptuous figure.
The crowd gathered in front of one of the pieces, a group of three mirrors decorated with thinking bubbles that read: ‘Que Narizon’ [What a big nose]; ‘Y Ese Pelo Tan Malo’ [Such bad hair]; and ‘Negro Pero Fino’ [Black but Fine], expressions that some Latinos use readily. They are meant often to poke fun, but can also serve to dismiss certain physical characteristics as being negative.
During the exhibition, non Spanish-language speakers who stood in front of the mirrors not sure of what the thinking bubbles said were quickly instructed by others more fluent.
“Today is amazing,” said Sandra Garcia-Betancourt, Executive Director at NoMAA, noting that the “Complejo” exhibition is the first time the gallery showcases work by a solo artist.
“This is what this gallery was designed for, and Tony came to us with a concept and a real desire to show his work here in Washington Heights, where he’s from,” she said, adding that the Complejo collection explores issues that both genders grapple with, whether it’s hair texture, image, skin color and perception, the exhibition is real a conversation igniter.
Mayurin Torres, a neighborhood resident and world history teacher, said the art work had hit home in a number of ways for her.
“As a Dominican, race is something that we seldom discuss. There’s a stigma that has subliminally been embedded in our culture, and this exhibition sheds light on those issues,” said Torres.
Torres, who is tall, and has tight blond curls and brown skin, found a connection to the exhibit in the most personal of ways. “It’s a call for us to embrace our roots, everything that makes us the way we are,” she added.
Peralta, who is already working on concepts for his next collection, said he couldn’t be more thankful, although there is more to come.
“This collection was meant to start a conversation, make people have a reaction, and this is just the beginning of that conversation,” he said.
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