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March 2025
"The Best Art In The World"
"The Best Art In The World"
March 2025
June 2008, New Art Forum, Part II
New Art Forum
Part II
And we were off to our last studio visit with Oakland based artist Leonel Estevez. Meanwhile in the car, the New Art Forum crew was having great conversations, talking about prices, purchasing, what the work reminded them of and why they felt it made sense in relationship to Once Within a Room. Leonel Estevez was born and raised in LA and after graduating from Berkley has taken up a great studio by Jack London Square.
The first work we saw was a video piece on the floor. Estevez cleverly videotaped himself flipping
through a book. He then took the film and made 100’s of postcard size cards of his hands flipping
through the book. He then flipped through this stack once more and the final film is a sort of doubling.
It shows two sets of Estevez’ hands and two books – layered on top and into one another.
Perhaps his most ambitious work to date was disassembled at the moment but still retained its strength
and craftsmanship. The work is titled Wall Text, 2006, Taking advantage language and site specificity,
Leo Estevez casted wall text forms in low velocity casting plastic, and adapted a text piece. The result
is an engaging work, which invites confident viewers to climb, at their own risk, of course. What is left
behind? Everything, including the climbers marks from their shoes – an afterthought that Estevez is now
incorporating into his work.
Image from off sight project called Still Tough where Estevez projected the words STILL TOUGH in and
on the abandoned building. However you could only read the text from a particular point making the
text seem like slices of light from any other angle.
A new work in progress – mimicking a chain link fence but with clear plexi tubes.
Installation view of Estevez’ downstairs studio.
Link to New Art Forum Part I here.
Part II
And we were off to our last studio visit with Oakland based artist Leonel Estevez. Meanwhile in the car, the New Art Forum crew was having great conversations, talking about prices, purchasing, what the work reminded them of and why they felt it made sense in relationship to Once Within a Room. Leonel Estevez was born and raised in LA and after graduating from Berkley has taken up a great studio by Jack London Square.
The first work we saw was a video piece on the floor. Estevez cleverly videotaped himself flipping
through a book. He then took the film and made 100’s of postcard size cards of his hands flipping
through the book. He then flipped through this stack once more and the final film is a sort of doubling.
It shows two sets of Estevez’ hands and two books – layered on top and into one another.
Perhaps his most ambitious work to date was disassembled at the moment but still retained its strength
and craftsmanship. The work is titled Wall Text, 2006, Taking advantage language and site specificity,
Leo Estevez casted wall text forms in low velocity casting plastic, and adapted a text piece. The result
is an engaging work, which invites confident viewers to climb, at their own risk, of course. What is left
behind? Everything, including the climbers marks from their shoes – an afterthought that Estevez is now
incorporating into his work.
Image from off sight project called Still Tough where Estevez projected the words STILL TOUGH in and
on the abandoned building. However you could only read the text from a particular point making the
text seem like slices of light from any other angle.
A new work in progress – mimicking a chain link fence but with clear plexi tubes.
Installation view of Estevez’ downstairs studio.
Link to New Art Forum Part I here.
Jessica Silverman
Jessica Silverman is a recent graduate of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice at California College of Arts as well as owner and director of Silverman Gallery, San Francisco. She has taken part in a Curatorial Residency at the Frankfurter Kunstverein the summer of 2006. As an independent curator she has recently produced International Waters co-curated by artist Soo Kim for StevenWolfGallery, San Francisco and is working on exhibitions with curators Mizuki Endo and whitehot NYC contributor Jan Van Woensel. In 2008, Silverman and Passenger Books will publish Leaving the Library a catalogue of conversations.
JESSICA@SILVERMAN-GALLERY.COM
http://www.silverman-gallery.com/
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